Let us hope all that is behind us now: today's ruling is an enormous victory for the whole country and for all its people, not just the victims. It is a victory which should rightfully be shared by those in authority, who have always included individuals who support Basarwa rights, even if their voices were often muted or stifled.
Of course, the question remains, 'How will the government react?' The Basarwa in the CKGR have long felt themselves victims of an assault and this has been escalated by the government in recent months. Park guards prevent them going in, demanding permits when none should be required, and of course, the long-denied diamond mine at Gope lurks like a hyena ready to pounce. It is bound to break, and finish with, the Basarwa community there. So-called 'consultations' drag on endlessly, pointlessly and expensively, resolving absolutely nothing, and usually involving no Basarwa from the region at all. At the time I write this, as far as I know the government has yet to comment on the ruling, and I am well aware that I am the last person it would listen to. I can however make Survival International's view clear. We hope that the government will revert to providing the basic services in the CKGR which served the people well until 2002. This means principally, re-commissioning the borehole at Mothomelo, providing a simple pump to bring the water to the surface and, every few weeks in the dry seasons, bowsing it to the other settlements. If the government doesn't do any of this - no matter. The Basarwa are, I'm sure, perfectly capable of doing it themselves. They might turn for help to their fellow citizens of good spirit, for there is no lack of those in the country. They might also look further afield, and again I'm sure there will be plenty of people ready to provide what assistance may be necessary.
