REPORT OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION’S WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS/COMMUNITIES MISSION TO THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA 15 – 23 June 2005 The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted this report at its 38th Ordinary Session, 21 November – 5 December 2005 2008 AFRICAN COMMISSION INTERNATIONAL ON HUMAN AND WORK GROUP FOR PEOPLES’ RIGHTS INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS REPORT OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION’S WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS/COMMUNITIES: MISSION TO THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA, 15 – 23 JUNE 2005 © Copyright: ACHPR and IWGIA Typesetting: Uldahl Graphix, Copenhagen, Denmark Prepress and Print: Litotryk, Copenhagen, Denmark ISBN: 9788791563294 Distribution in North America: Transaction Publishers 390 Campus Drive / Somerset, New Jersey 08873 www.transactionpub.com African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Kairaba Avenue - P.O.Box 673, Banjul, The Gambia Tel: +220 4377 721/4377 723 - Fax: +220 4390 764 [email protected] - www.achpr.org International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs Classensgade 11 E, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: +45 35 27 05 00 - Fax: +45 35 27 05 07 [email protected] - www.iwgia.org This report has been produced with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ...............................................................................................................................................6 - 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 8 PREFACE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 12 MAP OF BOTSWANA .................................................................................................................................... 19 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................20 2. PREPARATION OF THE MISSION ....................................................................................................................21 3. TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE MISSION ................................................................................................22 4. THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA: A BRIEF HISTORY ..............................................................................23 5. THE PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA ...........................................................................................................................23 6. THE RISE OF TSWANA DOMINATION .......................................................................................................24 7. GEOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................................................................25 8. ADMINISTRATION ....................................................................................................................................................25 9. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS OBLIGATIONS .............................................................................26 10. PREVIOUS MISSIONS ............................................................................................................................................27 11. INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS IN BOTSWANA .....................................................................................27 12. THE BASARWA AND THE RELOCATION FROM THE CKGR ...........................................................28 13. MEETINGS HELD DURING THE MISSION .................................................................................................29 i. MEETING WITH GABORONE-BASED NGOS ..............................................................................29 ii. OBSERVATION OF THE COURT CASE ...............................................................................................32 iii. MEETING WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA SAN/BASARWA RESEARCH PROJECT ................................................................34 iV. MEETING WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ...................................................................................38 V. MEETING WITH THE SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ................................................40 VI. MEETING WITH THE OMBUDSMAN OF BOTSWANA..........................................................41 VII. COMBINED MEETING WITH THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND THE MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT .......................................................................................................................44 VIII. MEETING WITH RESIDENTS OF KAUDWANE .............................................................................53 iX. MEETING WITH RESIDENTS OF GUGAMA ...................................................................................57 X. MEETING WITH NGOS AT GHANZI ................................................................................................59 XI. MEETING WITH RESIDENTS OF WEST AND EAST HANAHAI...........................................65 XII. MEETING WITH RESIDENTS OF NEW !XADE ..............................................................................67 XIII. MEETING WITH THE LAW SOCIETY OF BOTSWANA ............................................................72 XIV. COMBINED MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ....................................................72 14. ANALYSIS AND OBSERVATIONS BY THE DELEGATION ...................................................................73 15. CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................................85 16. RECOMMENDATIONS .........................................................................................................................................87 ANNEX 1 RESPONSES TO THE WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS/COMMUNITIES OF THE ACHPR ..........................................................................................91 6 REPORT OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION’S WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS/COMMUNITIES - REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA ABBREVIATIONS ACHPR - African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights ACRWC - African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child African Charter - African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights AG - Attorney General AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AU - African Union BCC - Botswana Council of Churches BDP - Basarwa Development Programme BDP – Botswana Democratic Party BOCONGO - Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations CA - Court of Appeal CAT - Convention Against Torture CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CERD - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimina- tion CGSARPA - Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa CJ - Chief Justice CKGR - Central Kalahari Game Reserve CRC - Convention on the Rights of the Child DITSHWANELO - Botswana Centre for Human Rights FPK - First People of the Kalahari 7 HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus ICCPR - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ILO - International Labour Organisation KFO - Kuru Family of Organizations MFAIC - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation MISA - Media Institute of Southern Africa MLG - Ministry of Local Government MP - Member of Parliament NGO - Non – Governmental Organization OP- ICCPR - Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights OAU - Organisation of African Unity PS - Permanent Secretary RAD - Remote Area Dwellers RADP - Remote Area Development Programme SADC - Southern African Development Community SGL - Special Game Licenses TGLP - Tribal Grazing Land Policy UB/SBRP - University of Botswana San/Basarwa Research Project UN - United Nations WGIP - Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities WIMSA - Working Group on Indigenous Minorites in Southern Africa WMA - Wildlife Management Area 8 REPORT OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION’S WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS/COMMUNITIES - REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR or Afri- can Commission) wishes to express its appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Botswana for inviting its Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities (WGIP or Working Group) to visit the coun- try. The Commission is grateful to the authorities for their hospitality and support during the period of the mission. A special note of appreciation is extended to the Government officials who found time to meet with the delegation of the Working Group of the African Commission in spite of their busy schedule. The Commission would also like to extend its appreciation to the civil society organisations that assisted it to organise the mission and would in particular like to thank Ms Alice Mogwe of Botswana Centre for Human Rights (DITSHWANELO), Mr. Molefe Rantsudu of the University of Bot- swana – San/Basarwa Research Project (UB/SBRP) and Mr. Mathambo Ngakaeaja of the Working Group on Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA) – Botswana Chapter. 9 PREFACE The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR or Afric- an Commission), which is the human