The increasing number of people working on farms is overwhelming. Some researchers suggest that in southern Africa, it is becoming too high a number, but there has been little research done on the people’s living conditions and livelihood on the farms.
Trailer used at farms to load cattle in trucks.
In Ghanzi, large acres of farms surround the area and the farms are used for animal husbandry, and rarely for the purpose of horticulture.
In Ghanzi Town, about 35km east, there is a village called D’Kar where residents number nearly 2000 people. D’Kar is predominantly a Naro village with a few segments of other cultures living in it. The majority of the people from D’Kar who work at the farms are Naro who have no basic education and are at the mercy of exploitation for cheap labour.
There are many disturbing factors that result from this exploitation because even underage San children work for the farm owners. Elsewhere I have stressed that we want authorities to establish a commission to look into the issue of child labour on Ghanzi farms and to determine what empowerment strategies as well as interventions can be implemented to help assist the people in this dire situation.
I’m a native speaker of Naro from Botswana’s Ghanzi District. I’m a defender of of Indigenous rights and a strong supporter of inclusive social policy. As a young person from a very marginalized group, I have grown to understand the importance of culture in todays society. Whereas I know that change is inevitable, without the knowledge of where you come from and ideals that you represent, can bring harm to the very fight of the right to self-determination. I support all those who advocate towards them.
