Gudigwa promise broken as lease renewals shut out community
Spira Tlhankane | Monday April 6, 2026 06:00
Responding to a parliamentary question on Monday, Minister of Lands and Agriculture Dr Edwin Dikoloti made it clear that the concessions are not available for redistribution. The current leaseholders have secured renewals under the provisions of older agreements, a development that sharply cuts against a decade of promises made to the Gudigwa community.
“Concession areas NG14 and NG16 are currently not available for leasing to any other entity as the current operators have been granted lease renewals following their request made in 2019 and 2020,” Dikoloti told Parliament.
For residents of Gudigwa in the Okavango East, those words land heavily. For years, the community has argued that it sacrificed its traditional hunting rights under the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme in exchange for collective benefits that never materialised.
At the heart of the dispute is a perceived betrayal, with villagers saying they gave up Special Game Licences, which were once a direct source of livelihood. They say they were sidelined and that this happened after being promised a better future through community quotas and eventual control of local concessions.
The concessions in question, NG14 and NG16, form part of what was once known as 'Area 5', historically used by Gudigwa residents. Today, they remain under the control of private safari operators.
Dikoloti acknowledged that the leases, originally set for 15 years, expired on 31 December 2025. However, rather than reverting to the state for redistribution or to communities,s they are being extended.
“These leases provided for renewal for a further 13 years, provided the operators complied with the obligations and rights to use the land. This renewal is the last one as provided for by the previous lease,” he said.
“In addition, in 2022, the lease templates were revised to remove the automatic renewal Clause. Therefore, going forward, any lease being signed does not provide for automatic renewal,” the minister said as he added a crucial detail.
While this signals policy reform, it offers little immediate relief for Gudigwa. The implication is stark: the community may have to wait more than a decade before there is a realistic chance of reclaiming the concessions. Even though the leases have technically expired, the renewal process is underway. According to Dikoloti, the Land Board is currently reviewing technical proposals from operators seeking to formalise their new lease terms.
“Currently, the Land Board is reviewing the technical report for one of the operators, while the other one is expected to submit by the end of the month,” he said. These technical proposals, he explained, are not mere formalities but include commitments around corporate social responsibility, staff welfare, and environmental management. “Technical proposals are part of the lease conditions. They indicate, among others, matters of Corporate Social Responsibility, staff welfare and the broader management of the leased area under the new term,” Dikoloti stated. But for Gudigwa residents, such assurances ring hollow, and their complaint has never been about whether operators meet technical standards, but about ownership, control, and meaningful participation in the tourism economy unfolding on their ancestral land.
A history of promises
The roots of the conflict stretch back more than a decade, so during consultations captured in a 2022 report to the government, Gudigwa residents recounted a series of assurances from high-level officials. Among them was a 2014 Kgotla meeting where the then-president, Ian Khama, reportedly promised that the community would be allocated NG/14 and NG/16 within three weeks. That promise, villagers say, was never fulfilled.
Earlier still, during engagements with former Environment Minister Kitso Mokaila, the community was allegedly offered concessions on condition that they withdraw from the Okavango Community Trust (OCT). Gudigwa refuse,d arguing that leaving OCT without guaranteed access to land would leave them worse off. Today, many feel vindicated in that caution but no less aggrieved. The community also claims marginalisation within OCT itself, saying that decision-making structures are dominated by other groups, leaving Gudigwa with little influence over resources meant to uplift them collectively.
NG/11 still in Limbo
While NG/14 and NG/16 are effectively off the table, another concession, NG/11, remains undecided. Dikoloti said the area is currently zoned for livestock and wildlife utilisation, but its future is under review. “To assess its potential for tourism activities, a Land Use Management Plan is being prepared. It is at the inception stage and expected to be completed by the end of the year 2026,” he said.
He said the outcome of that plan will determine how the land is allocated and whether communities like Mogotho, Ngarange, and Sekondomboro will have a stake. “The Land Use Management Plan will determine the land uses that can be accommodated in the area. The land authority will then decide on its disposal based on the recommendations of the management plan,” Dikoloti added.
For now, however, NG/11 remains a question mark, offering little immediate consolation to communities seeking tangible benefits. The government has also pointed to alternative interventions aimed at uplifting Gudigwa. These include a P1 million allocation from the Conservation Trust Fund to support a community tented camp project, as well as commitments to improve water access.
While these initiatives are welcomed, critics argue that they fall short of addressing the core issue: control over natural resources. The failure of OCT to deliver meaningful development, attributed in part to weak contracts and a lack of competitive tendering, has only deepened scepticism. According to the 2022 report, OCT has never changed operators since its inception, raising concerns about entrenched interests and lost opportunities.
The Gudigwa case highlights a broader tension in Botswana’s tourism model, which balances investor confidence with community empowerment. On one hand, the government is keen to maintain stability in the high-value safari industry by honouring lease agreements and ensuring continuity. On the other hand, communities living alongside these resources increasingly demand a greater share of the benefits.
Dikoloti’s statement suggests that policy is shifting and that the removal of automatic lease renewals is a significant step, but for Gudigwa, that change comes too late. For now, the land they hoped to reclaim remains out of reach and with another lease cycle set to run its course, the wait for restitution may stretch well into the next decade.
The Gudigwa saga is not unfolding in isolation, but it mirrors a widening national fault line over control of prime tourism land in the Okavango, where communities, politicians and the government are increasingly at odds. In February, another fierce battle erupted in Parliament when Leader of Opposition Dumelang Saleshando demanded that the government return over 22,000 hectares of high-value land in NG28 spilling into NG21 near Chief’s Island to the Tawana Land Board. The land, acquired by the state in 2021 under the Tribal Land Act, has become the centre of a political storm, with the opposition warning against the creeping centralisation of community land and opaque decision-making over one of the country’s most lucrative tourism zones.
What emerges from both Gudigwa and the NG28 dispute is a troubling pattern in which communities living closest to these resources increasingly feel pushed to the margins while decisions about their land are made elsewhere. From unfulfilled presidential promises in Gudigwa to parliamentary clashes over delta land acquisitions, the question is no longer just about leases, but it is about who truly owns Botswana’s natural wealth. As these battles intensify, they are exposing a deeper, unresolved struggle between state control, private operators and community rights. A land war in the delta is no longer simmering, but it is steadily boiling over.