WIMSA's Land and Natural Resources
Achievements: 1994 - 2004 Significant struggles and victories have been experienced during the Decade. Some of WIMSA and the San's more important achievements include:
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- Relocated South African San receive own land: During the apartheid era, 3,000 !Xun and 1,500 Khwe are removed from Namibia to a tented town in Schmidtsdrift, near Kimberley, South Africa by the South African Defense Force. In 1996 they are allocated a farm in Platfontein by the new democratic South African government. The !Xun and Khwe Trust is established and the community moves to their newly constructed village.
- Omaheke San receive land: The Okongondo San community of Omaheke , Namibia are allocated two farms of 13,000 hectares at Donkerbos/ Sonneblom. Boreholes are sunk at the project and 158 Naro and Ju|'hoansi San settle on the farm (1996).
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- New San Conservancy in Namibia: The !Kung of Tsumkwe District West are granted their ‘N‡a Jaqna' Conservancy which is inaugurated in December at Mangetti Dune, Namibia (2003). Overgrazing and illegal occupation by other ethnic groups become a problem, but WIMSA sets up a Land-Use Planning Team which takes decisive action against these abuses. Elections are held for the Conservancy's District Committees and the 21 communities are consulted regarding the planned utilisation of the land (2003-4). An application for a community forest is made and WIMSA and the communities embark on defending Biodiversity within the Conservancy (2004).
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- Thabo Mbeki witnesses transfer of land to San: ‡Khomani San lodge a claim for land lost in the Mier area during the apartheid regime and in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP – but now known as the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park - KTP), South Africa , (1999). An agreement is signed between the ‡ Khomani' Southern Kalahari San Association and the South African government, so that the San receive 37,000 ha of Kalahari farmland. South Africa National Parks also sign an agreement allocating 50,000 ha in the south of the KTP to be used and owned as a contract park and to be shared equally by the San and Mier communities. The then South African Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki is guest speaker in honour of the signing of the agreement (1999). However, by 2004 the ‡Khomani application for access to the land in KTP has still not been approved.
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- Hai||om of Namibia plan Nature Reserve: Following WIMSA applications, the Outjo Municipality grants a 50 hectare piece of land to the Outjo Development Trust. The land is set up as a Protected Nature Reserve within the vicinity of the newly established Hai||om Cultural Centre.
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