Basarwa trusts under threat

This follows the National Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) forum's call for the adoption of a radical approach to revolutionise the programme even if this will mean taking over businesses owned by the community trusts.

Instead of serving its intended purpose of "conservation and rural development", CBNRM has become an agent of discord between the communities  and the government. According to the government, millions of Pula derived from the resources have been siphoned off by unscrupulous board members leaving the communities impoverished. The trusts leaders on the other hand claim that the mismanagement claim is just government propaganda aimed at taking control of the trusts to serve powerful political and commercial interests.