And so the government is once again triumphant, and should be rejoicing in that knowledge. In any case it will be sometime before the Basarwa appeal can be heard. But then again the government may still win. This must surely make the humans who so desperately want to keep Basarwa from having water very happy. Yes, these government representatives have the law on their side and it is clear that nothing matters to them more than their little victories over a helpless people. In Setswana, it is despicable to deny another human being water. In fact you would empty your bucket just so that a person asking for water can quench their thirst. Our forbearers appreciated the fact that all life hinges on the existence of water. Thus the grass and the trees need water to sprout and feed the wild animal and humans, which in turn need water for survival. The courts have ruled that the Basarwa may stay in the CKGR. Within the CKGR are huge reserves of underground water. In fact explorers have previously drilled boreholes in the area. These boreholes can still be functional. But then the Basarwa have said that they can drill their own boreholes. This happens to be something that is so repulsive to the government of Botswana that it has to do everything in its power to oppose. What does government have to lose in allowing Basarwa to drill boreholes in the CKGR?
What does this nation have to lose really? Whatever point the government wanted to prove has been proven. Government should in its dealings with its citizens or any other people endeavour at all times to put a human face to the law. The Basarwa are not asking for too much. They simply need water to survive in the harsh CKGR desert environment. And they are not asking the government to fund the drilling of boreholes. It is sad that these people have to travel as many as 200 kilometres from the CKGR to fetch water. Ironical, even cruelly, plenty of water is being pumped by government from boreholes drilled solely for wildlife on a daily basis. So the jackal, the hyena, the wildebeest and their kind occupy a higher place than the humans of the CKGR as far as the government is concerned. This must be the only place on earth where such a thing happens, and whoever has made it his or her responsibility to deny Basarwa of the CKGR the right - yes right, because access to water is a right, must be ashamed. It is surprising that government allowed a hotel the right to drill water in the CKGR, while it denied its citizens a similar request. This is double standards of the highest order. What is even obscene is the realisation that some high-ranking government officials have shares in the said hotel. This is a shame and government should do the honourable thing and allow Basarwa the right to drill their own boreholes in the CKGR!
