Last Updated on August 30, 2018
Despite a court order halting the relocation of a San community from Ranyane, the Botswana government seems intent on proceeding with its unlawful plans to move San families from land that they have lived on for decades.
According to the latest reports from Ranyane, government officials have arrived at the settlement with trucks and are trying to ‘persuade’ people to leave.
“The San residents of Ranyane had hoped that court order would deter the government from relocating them and violating their rights once again but this is clearly not the case,” said Keikabile Mogodu, Director of the Khwedom Council, which advocates on behalf of the San in Botswana.
“By continuing with its plans to forcibly relocate this community, the Botswana government is acting in clear violation of a court order and demonstrating its contempt for the rule of law,” he added.
As part of their ‘persuasion’, the government officials told the chief of Ranyane that he would be dethroned if he – and his people – did not relocate. The chief flatly refused.
“We thought this was a democratic society and we believed that the San had the same rights as everyone else in Botswana – clearly we were wrong,” said Mogodu.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
