01 Apr 2014

Seventy-six years ago they were moved to make way for the establishment of a trans-frontier park. That was in 1938. The park became known as the Kalahari Trans-frontier Park which is a joint venture between Botswana and South Africa. Its aim is to protect wildlife on both sides of the border. The 38 000km? park is no doubt one of a kind, the world’s first trans-frontier park. 

The park was previously split between the Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and Mabuasehube National Park in Botswana. Located largely within the southern Kalahari Desert, the park represents a large ecosystem relatively free from human interference and an ideal conservation area for research into migratory movements and predation by large mammalian carnivores.

It is also famous for its distinctive red sand dunes, and its harsh semi-arid environment which has placed adaptive demands on both fauna and flora that are of considerable scientific interest.

Before the establishment of the Gemsbok National Park, the area was inhabited mostly by Afrikaans speaking people and other tribes. On instruction from the then colonial government, the settlers were relocated to make way for the park but the displaced residents, who now reside in villages such as Bokspits, Gakhibane and Struizendum, are still agitating for compensation for relocation. 

They feel government should compensate them for forcing them to make way for wildlife conservation. They revealed that at the time of their relocation they were only compensated with a plough, spade and pick. Mr Moses Vanneel of Bokspits was only 11 years old in 1938. He turns 87 years old this year. Drawing hard on his cigarette, Mr Vanneel still vividly remembers the day of the relocation like it was yesterday.

“It was on 11 March 1938. I was only 11 years old at the time. We were told to make way for the trans-frontier park and given 10 days to have packed our bags and left the place,” he recalls.

He adds that the settlers were not given much choice when the instruction to relocate was issued. Neither was there any proper consultation. He further says those who were relocated lost much of their property, including cattle and pit wells, largely because they were given very little time to have relocated.

Left with no choice, the settlers moved down south along the Nossob River to a place called Bokspits. Because of insufficient grazing land, some of them moved further east to places such as Gakhibana, Valhoek, Rapelspan and Werda. 

“We lost a lot of livestock in the process. I wish the government could compensate us for taking our land. The land on which the park is located has a rich history that dates back to 1900. We lost a part of our lives when we moved from that place,” reckons Mr Vanneel.

He explains that they used to have abundant water in the area where the park is located, unlike nowadays where they occupy areas with very little water and can go for months without water. The same sentiments are shared by Kgosi Isaac Titus of Struizendum, who says they have broached the subject of compensation with government and are still awaiting feedback.

He notes that they were made to leave the land of their forefathers, who relocated from Namibia and South Africa at around 1900. Kgosi Titus also agrees that the land on which the trans-frontier park is located is rich in wildlife and natural resources, which were beneficial to the people who lived there.

“We have a rich history that has been taken away. All what we are asking for is to be allowed to benefit from the park because we made sacrifices for its creation,” he says.

He nevertheless expresses confidence that their concerns will be heard, saying Botswana is a democratic country that values consultation and accommodates everyone’s concerns. Kgosi Titus remembers with nostalgia the clear and cool water that they used to drink from the wells, far better than the salty one t they have to endure today. The issue of compensation is not new to government.

Mr Basimane Mokara, a wildlife officer at Two Rivers, says government is aware that people who made way for the trans-frontier park are demanding compensation. Though he does not have much information regarding the initial agreement during relocation, Mr Basimane says government agreed to drill three boreholes for the communities and facilitate rehabilitation, in recognition of the fact that they left their pit wells when they relocated.

Giving a brief history of the trans-frontier park, Mr Mokara says in 1930 South Africa established the Kalahari Game Reserve adjacent Nossob River. The Bechunaland Protectorate was asked to protect wildlife on their side of the border.

At the time, the resident commissioner only declared the area a non-hunting zone. Things changed in 1940 after Bechunaland residents were caught poaching on the South African side, and a 40km wide strip was finally declared the Nossob River Game Reserve, subsequently named Gemsbok Game Reserve. A brief survey of the area allowed for expansion of the reserve, with minimal impact on existing settlements, until the game reserve was finally upgraded to a national park.

The Mabuasehube Game Reserve was later established on the eastern end of Gemsbok Game Reserve. Discussions of the first trans-frontier park between Botswana and South Africa started in 1991.

By 1992, the Gemsbok and Mabuasehube national parks were joined together and formally renamed Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park in 1999 when the Presidents of both countries signed a treaty that linked the two areas as one unit. The park was formally opened in 2000.

Mr Mokara says the trans-frontier park has many attractions, the main ones being species of predators such as lions, cheetah and hyenas. In fact, the pack offers one of the best safaris for cheetah, which thrive by hunting in its fossil river valleys and the surrounding Kalahari dunes.

Springbok, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, red hartebeest and eland abound, as well as meerkats, leopards, and black-maned lions. Tourists are also attracted by the park’s wilderness trails. 

Far from most major routes, the park gets few visitors which makes it ideal for dedicated game-viewers. The Kgalagadi is a haven for birders, especially those interested in birds of prey. 

Visitors who frequent the park include South Africans, Europeans and some locals. Ends