Kgalagadi land wars: Rich farmers vs Basarwa

We contend that the different groups of rural communities have over time been the main losers as land which they use for grazing and/or gather of veldt resources continues to shrink as it is sliced off for other uses.

The main problem is that there is no platform for all stakeholders to negotiate their rights and claims during the policy development process. The marginalisation of poor rural communities, notably indigenous groups, has arisen historically. In this respect, Mazonde (1998, 41) argues that “the policies of land allocation fall within the framework of the country’s overall development pattern”.