HIV/AIDS used as weapon against Basarwa � UB don

Basarwa tribesmen during one of their long running Court battles with the Government
Basarwa tribesmen during one of their long running Court battles with the Government

A decade after what looked like closure of the longest case between the Government and Basarwa, a University of Botswana (UB) academic has accused the Government of using the HIV/AIDS pandemic in an attempt to wipe Basarwa off the face of the earth.

In an article published in African Educational Research journal, Dr Dama Mosweunyane condemns what he calls forcible relocation of Basarwa from the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve (CKGR) and argues that the Government did not educate Basarwa about the existence of HIV/AIDS when it relocated them from CKGR to New Xade and Kaudwane settlements in the late 90s.

Mosweunyane argues that the relocation separated family members, and some were forced to engage in prostitution because of the challenges brought about by the lifestyle outside the CKGR. Others, he said have indulged in alcoholism, which has been cited as one of the contributors of HIV/AIDS spread.

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