A historic land restitution process offers new hope for Botswana’s Indigenous San.
Botswana's government approved a land restitution roadmap in September 2026 that could let Indigenous San return to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and gain legally recognized land rights, Mongabay reports.
Botswana's government has approved a roadmap for land restitution that could allow Indigenous San communities to return to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, hold legally recognized rights to the land and take part in its conservation and management. According to Michael Taylor of the organization Anthropos Africa, the administration of President Duma Boko approved the roadmap in September 2026.
The reserve was established in 1961 to protect wildlife and to give San communities a place to continue their traditional way of life. Beginning in the 1990s, the government relocated residents to settlements outside it, citing conservation and the cost of public services. In December 2006, the High Court ruled that Roy Sesana and other San applicants had been unlawfully deprived of their land. Justice Minister Nelson Ramaotwana told Mongabay that the judgment applied only to the litigants, leaving out hundreds of relatives and descendants.
Boko, a former human rights lawyer involved in the San legal struggle, took office in November 2024. In March 2025, his administration announced an interministerial committee to examine relocation, land claims, cultural rights and possible return to the reserve. The committee consulted affected communities, and Ramaotwana said it developed four pathways to guide implementation. Under the proposal, the reserve would keep its protected status.
Ramaotwana said the government has accepted the principle of restitution and intends to put legal protections in place before the 2029 election. He said some tasks are set for six months, others for 18 months, and others across a three-year period. He said he believes the government has the parliamentary majority needed for reform.
The article makes clear that restitution is not complete. It is undecided whether land will be held individually or collectively, and Ramaotwana could not say which law would be introduced or amended. He named constitutional recognition, amendments to the Tribal Land Act and a specific land claims law as possibilities. He also could not say how much revenue the reserve generates or how much would go to San communities, though he said communities should take part in community-based natural resource management institutions.
At a Glance
- Botswana's government approved a land restitution roadmap in September 2026, according to Anthropos Africa's Michael Taylor.
- The High Court ruled in December 2006 that Roy Sesana and other San applicants were unlawfully deprived of their land.
- The roadmap has four pathways, with tasks due within six months, 18 months and a three-year implementation period.
- Justice Minister Nelson Ramaotwana said legal protections are intended before the 2029 national election.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.