'First Peoples' Gakelebone arrested, lawyer left stranded

The arrest left the Basarwa's lawyer, who was in the reserve to consult his clients over a case currently before the appeal court, stranded in the desert without a guide or translator. Gakelebone, a member of Basarwa organisation, First People of the Kalahari (FPK), was arrested for travelling inside the reserve without a permit. FPK has been campaigning for the Basarwa's right to live on their ancestral land for years.

After he was released, Gakelebone told Survival International, '[the arrest] shows the government intention. I count [the reserve] as home.  That's where I was born. I do not need a permit'. Gakelebone was travelling through the reserve with the Basarwa's lawyer, Gordon Bennett, shortly after a crucial court hearing over the Basarwa's right to access drinking water on their land inside the reserve.