Members of the Basarwa, an ancient tribe of hunter-gatherers, submitted an urgent application in court on Wednesday to bar the Botswana government from seizing their livestock and preventing their people from entering the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
The government says it is trying to contain an outbreak of disease among domestic goats that has endangered wildlife. Last month, it announced the temporary closure of the southern and central parts of the reserve.
State attorney Sidney Pilane, a special adviser to President Festus Mogae, said the Basarwa were notified months ago that their domestic animals had to be removed from the reserve.
The First People of the Kalahari, the advocacy group that filed the high court application, claims the allegation of an outbreak is being used to force them out and make way for diamond mining — accusations denied by the government.
”We are very concerned that our livestock has been removed without our permission when there was nothing wrong with them,” said Roy Sesana, the group’s leader. ”The livestock, which are supposed to be affected by disease, were removed by soldiers and wildlife scouts at gunpoint. It is strange that there were no veterinary officials involved in the process.”
Police have cordoned off the area and are preventing the Basarwa from bringing food and water to relatives still inside the reserve, according to the application.
The government argues that the Basarwa’s continued presence in the reserve is not compatible with preserving wildlife and has refused them hunting and water rights on the land. Most now live in makeshift camps outside the reserve, but a handful refuse to leave.