Representatives of Botswana’s Bushmen who have been resettled away from their ancestral land in the Kalahari desert on Thursday accused the government of Botswana and the De Beers diamond mining giant of stealing their lands to exploit their mineral wealth.
”Our government is not interested in our culture. It wants to evict us to get all it wants from the mining,” said Roy Sesana, spokesperson for the 243 San Bushmen who have taken the Botswana government to court challenging their relocation from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
”We cannot say that we want mines because we don’t benefit from them,” added Sesana at the start of a European tour to press the Bushmen’s cause.
Botswana is one of the world’s leading diamond producers, with diamond exports accounting for 70% of its foreign currency earnings. Its diamond reserves are mined by Debswana, which is owned in equal share by the state and by South Africa’s De Beers, the world’s largest diamond mining group.
Diamonds have been discovered in Gope, deep inside the Kalahari reservation, drawing accusations that Debswana wants the San off the land in order to begin mining the reserves.
”They want the benefit” from any diamond wealth discovered on lands, which they have inhabited for about 20 000 years and view as their own, Jumanda Gakelebone, another spokesperson, told a press conference held with the London-based rights group Survival International.
According to Survival International, mining work had already begun in Gope but the installations were dismantled after the Bushmen filed their lawsuit.
The Botswana high court in early July began hearing the case brought by the Bushmen. The defence wrapped up its case in late July and the state is to begin calling witnesses when hearings resume in November.
The Botswana government and De Beers insist there is no connection between the resettlement policy and the existence of diamond reserves on the site.
”De Beers as a company respects the land rights of peoples wherever it operates,” a company spokesperson said.
”However, there is absolutely no connection between the resettlement policies of the Botswana government and diamond mining and prospecting in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve,” she continued.
”This has repeatedly been made clear to Survival International by De Beers and the Botswana government, and has been confirmed by eminent independent observers and journalists, as well as by the Botswana Centre for Human Rights.”
Botswanan mines accounted for 69% of De Beers’ overall production in 2003, with four mines turning out a record 30,4-million carats.
In April, De Beers created a joint subsidiary with the Irish mining concern African Diamonds with a view to exploiting new diamond reserves in Bostwana, including in the Orapa area in the central Kalahari desert. – Sapa-AFP