PRESS STATEMENT BY THE BOTSWANA NGO CKGR COALITION

ESTABLISHMENT OF BOTSWANA NGO CKGR COALITION

Whilst the historic court case between the Basarwa/San residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and the Government of Botswana is in its final stages at the Botswana High Court, a group of Botswana Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) has formed a coalition aimed at finding a durable solution to the problems faced by the Basarwa/San residents of the CKGR. The CKGR Support Coalition formed on 10 May 2006 , is made up of six Botswana NGOs, each with an interest in human rights and development issues with regard to the Basarwa/San peoples. The members are The First People of the Kalahari (FPK), DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, The Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA), The Kuru Family of Organisations (KFO), The Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) and The Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO). DITSHWANELO is the secretariat of the Coalition.

The intention of The Coalition is to provide logistical and developmental support to the Basarwa/San residents of the CKGR, both those currently living in the resettlement villages outside the reserve, and those currently living in the CKGR.

The Coalition believes that past and present CKGR residents and their descendants enjoy rights flowing from their heritage and citizenship of Botswana . Furthermore, The Coalition strives, through the establishment of this grouping of organisations, to create an enabling environment whereby past and present CKGR residents and their descendants develop the capacity to understand, articulate, and achieve their constitutional and developmental rights. These rights include continued residence, access to and full utilisation of the natural resources as well as other rights flowing from their CKGR heritage.

Encouraged by indications that it is possible to engage Government in discussions regarding the rights and development problems of the CKGR residents, the objectives of The Coalition include negotiations with Government regarding the rights and development of the past and present CKGR residents. We hope that this process will be conducted as effectively as possible. The Coalition is committed to constructive engagement not only with the CKGR communities, but also with Government to the extent that the Government is willing. The members are concerned that failure of both parties in the court case to agree to suspend the trial and engage in meaningful negotiations may be harmful to the prospects of a successful outcome. It is also clear to the parties that the media has tended to make prospects of meaningful discussions with Government more difficult. The Coalition is committed to promoting balanced and factual reports of the CKGR issues. The Coalition is not seeking hype or international media coverage. The Coalition recognises the potential damage that may be caused by the media and internationalisation of this problem. The Coalition is therefore actively seeking to solve the issues within Botswana . In addition, The Coalition is open to dialogue with the Government in the interests of solving this long-outstanding problem.

The Coalition believes that, regardless of the outcome of the court case, the real issues facing the CKGR Basarwa/San will still need to be resolved through negotiations carried out in good faith.

17 May 2006

Gaborone