government persecution
Botswana San Lose their Appeal for Water
The government of Botswana won its case in the nation’s High Court last week, where it sought to prevent the San people from having access to water in their homes. The court decided against the G/wi and G//ana San, who had requested access to water, and in favor of the government, which wants to permanently […]
San Peoples Sue for Water
The G/wi and G//ana San peoples of the Kalahari Desert are going to appeal again to the High Court of their country for relief from persecution by Botswana’s national government. The San won their suit against the government in the High Court in 2006, which gave them the right to return to their homes in […]
Water for Tourists, But None for the San
The US State Department has issued a human rights report that criticizes the government of Botswana for its discriminatory actions against the G/wi and G//ana people. According to an article last week in the Botswana Gazette, the United States document follows just weeks after a UN official released a preliminary report condemning the country for […]
UN Expert Condemns Treatment of G/wi
Survival International reported last week that James Anaya, UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, has issued an advance report condemning Botswana’s treatment of the San. Over ten years ago, the government of that country exiled the G/wi and the G//ana, two of the San peoples, from their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and […]
G/wi Take Case to International Court
The G/wi and the other San peoples of the Kalahari who are being persecuted by the government of Botswana have decided to take their case to the International Court of Justice. Roy Sesana, leader of First People of the Kalahari, an advocacy organization for southern African indigenous groups, announced last week that they would abandon […]
Confirmed: Botswana Persecutes San People for Diamonds
An anonymous former Botswana official has admitted that his government ousted the G/wi and G//ana people from their homes in 2002 in order to expedite a proposed diamond mining project. According to an article in the current issue of Dissident Voice: A Radical Newsletter in the Struggle for Peace and Justice, the highly-placed official told […]
G/wi Hunters Jailed for Hunting
The government of Botswana last week stepped up its persecution of the G/wi by arresting and committing to jail six people for hunting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). Their cases were to be heard in a court on Monday. According to a news release from Survival International last week, the charges were based […]
Hassle the G/wi: Take Away their Goats
Survival International reported last week that the government of Botswana has taken new steps to hassle the G/wi people and try to drive them out of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). In 2002, the government had confiscated the goats kept by the San people when it expelled them from their homes. When the G/wi […]
G/wi Appeal to the Pope
The G/wi and G//ana people have appealed to Pope Benedict XVI for help in prompting the government of Botswana to allow them to return to their homes. Botswana and the Vatican have recently established diplomatic relations, a move that was initiated by the previous President of the country, Festus Mogae. A spokesman for the San […]
Hunting for the G/wi
While Monday was a holiday in rural Pennsylvania—the opening day of rifle buck season—last weekend brought no joy to the G/wi hunters of the Kalahari. In fact, they want to regain their traditional hunting rights, so they are planning to take the Botswana government into court once again. During the past couple of months, Botswana […]
