Bushman court ruling online
February 26, 2007
This page was created in 2007 and may contain language which is now outdated.
A copy of the landmark ruling made by the Botswana High Court in the case of the Kalahari Bushmen against the Botswana government is now available online.
The court ruled that the Botswana government’s eviction of the Bushmen was ‘unlawful and unconstitutional’, and that they have the right to live on their ancestral land inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
The court also ruled that the Bushmen applicants have the right to hunt and gather in the reserve, and should not have to apply for permits to enter it.
One of the judges, Justice Phumaphi, said the government’s refusal to allow the Bushmen to hunt ‘was tantamount to condemning the residents of the CKGR to death by starvation.’
- Download the ruling as a pdf or Word document
- An online press file about the court case, including summaries, biographies, legal precedents, photos and video clips, is available: https://www.survival-international.org/bushmenpresspack
For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email [email protected]
