At a consultation conference held yesterday, representatives of Jao, Ditshiping and Xaxaba said they were not consulted prior to a submission being sent to UNESCO to nominate the Okavango Delta for listing. Bontsheditswe Saxago, a resident of Jao and member of Letloa Trust, said that he was hearing for the first time that there were intentions to list the Okavango Delta. He wondered whether the residents would continue enjoying the benefits that come with the natural resource if it is listed. In February the Department of National Museums and Monuments (DNMM), which is overseeing the nomination process, sent a dossier to the World Heritage Centre to nominate the Okavango Delta as an area of Outstanding Universal Value, and to have it listed as a World Heritage Site.
Nonofo Mosesane of the DNMM, who is also a member of the Site Working Committees on the listing of the delta, said out of the over 30 communities that they planned on consulting, they have managed to talk to 28, and were unable to consult with the other three concerned because of lack of access to the areas during the high-water season.
