Scant Progress For The San

THE San community is perhaps best known as a hunter-gatherer society.However, in contrast to this popular image of the San, only a few of them still make a living from hunting and gathering.

The modern-day reality of the majority of the San community in Namibia is that they find it increasingly difficult to adapt to a rapidly changing society, in which they not only lack proper access to secure land tenure, but also to effective legal protection and representation. This situation could largely be attributed to the fact that historic economic and educational disadvantages limited their participation in politics and decision-making.After 15 years of independence, the socio-economic position of the San has shown little improvement.The current legislative framework lacks security of land tenure for the San.The strategies adopted by the Namibian Government to accommodate the needs of San communities have not received enough attention in general.In several instances, policies adopted by the Government have effectively (but not explicitly) discriminated against the San due to their illiteracy, cultural outlook, poverty, land-use strategies, political disorganisation and relative inability to access state services.Of equal significance is the fact that current policy in some respects is clearly inappropriate for meeting the marginalised San community needs, and does not directly address some of the main causes of their socio-economic marginalisation.The extent to which the San are disadvantaged relative to other Namibian language groups draws attention on the absence of a legislative framework to address and secure tenure rights.Moreover, changes need to be made to existing programmes, legislation and policies.Available research suggests that San communities have less access to formal education than any other ethnic group in Namibia and are amongst the lowest cash wage earners in Namibia.As a result, they have limited employment opportunities outside the agricultural sector.Considering that the San have little land tenure, it becomes clear why their situation could be described as a continuous cycle of dependency and vulnerability.The low level of education and access to Government support to improve the socio-economic status of the San could be regarded as a key human rights issue for the San community.Article 20 of the Namibian Constitution provides that all persons have the right to education.In addition, Article 23 of the Constitution not only outlawed the practice of racial discrimination and the practice and ideology of apartheid from which the majority of the people of Namibia have suffered, but provided that parliament should enact legislation that would directly or indirectly help with the advancement of persons who have socially, economically and educationally been disadvantaged by past discriminatory laws and practices.While Government has made great strides to address the wrongdoings of Namibia’s apartheid legacy, through Affirmative Action policies (such as the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme and the Resettlement Programme) and Black Economic Empowerment schemes, the San community as a whole have not benefited significantly from these policies.For example, very few San members obtain leadership positions in Government structures, while there is no specific national programme in place which supports the San financially to obtain tertiary education.Members of the San Community have endured exploitation and discrimination at the hands of their fellow citizens throughout history.These include exploitation by colonial forces that used them in their military operations during the pre-Independence period of conflict and left them without any significant means of support after Independence.At present, large sections of the San are in the hands of farmers in both communal and commercial areas, as well as other sorts of employers where they are often subjected to unfair practices and inadequate shelter.The San have suffered tremendously from historical changes caused by the political constellations and loss of natural habitat.There is therefore a great need to help the San in developing existing skills and acquiring new ones in order to secure their sustenance.What is clear is that improved education could help the San community to break out of their current cycle of poverty and vulnerability.Equally important, is the issue of legal education.San communities are not often aware that they have the same rights as all other Namibians.In this regard, the work of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is crucial in terms of supporting and making the San communities aware of their rights as equal Namibian citizens.However, only combined efforts from both the Government and NGO sectors would make it possible for the San community to break from their cycle of poverty, marginalisation and discrimination.* Shadrack Tjiramba works at the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC).This situation could largely be attributed to the fact that historic economic and educational disadvantages limited their participation in politics and decision-making.After 15 years of independence, the socio-economic position of the San has shown little improvement.The current legislative framework lacks security of land tenure for the San.The strategies adopted by the Namibian Government to accommodate the needs of San communities have not received enough attention in general.In several instances, policies adopted by the Government have effectively (but not explicitly) discriminated against the San due to their illiteracy, cultural outlook, poverty, land-use strategies, political disorganisation and relative inability to access state services.Of equal significance is the fact that current policy in some respects is clearly inappropriate for meeting the marginalised San community needs, and does not directly address some of the main causes of their socio-economic marginalisation.The extent to which the San are disadvantaged relative to other Namibian language groups draws attention on the absence of a legislative framework to address and secure tenure rights.Moreover, changes need to be made to existing programmes, legislation and policies.Available research suggests that San communities have less access to formal education than any other ethnic group in Namibia and are amongst the lowest cash wage earners in Namibia.As a result, they have limited employment opportunities outside the agricultural sector.Considering that the San have little land tenure, it becomes clear why their situation could be described as a continuous cycle of dependency and vulnerability.The low level of education and access to Government support to improve the socio-economic status of the San could be regarded as a key human rights issue for the San community.Article 20 of the Namibian Constitution provides that all persons have the right to education.In addition, Article 23 of the Constitution not only outlawed the practice of racial discrimination and the practice and ideology of apartheid from which the majority of the people of Namibia have suffered, but provided that parliament should enact legislation that would directly or indirectly help with the advancement of persons who have socially, economically and educationally been disadvantaged by past discriminatory laws and practices. While Government has made great strides to address the wrongdoings of Namibia’s apartheid legacy, through Affirmative Action policies (such as the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme and the Resettlement Programme) and Black Economic Empowerment schemes, the San community as a whole have not benefited significantly from these policies.For example, very few San members obtain leadership positions in Government structures, while there is no specific national programme in place which supports the San financially to obtain tertiary education. Members of the San Community have endured exploitation and discrimination at the hands of their fellow citizens throughout history.These include exploitation by colonial forces that used them in their military operations during the pre-Independence period of conflict and left them without any significant means of support after Independence.At present, large sections of the San are in the hands of farmers in both communal and commercial areas, as well as other sorts of employers where they are often subjected to unfair practices and inadequate shelter.The San have suffered tremendously from historical changes caused by the political constellations and loss of natural habitat.There is therefore a great need to help the San in developing existing skills and acquiring new ones in order to secure their sustenance.What is clear is that improved education could help the San community to break out of their current cycle of poverty and vulnerability.Equally important, is the issue of legal education.San communities are not often aware that they have the same rights as all other Namibians.In this regard, the work of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is crucial in terms of supporting and making the San communities aware of their rights as equal Namibian citizens.However, only combined efforts from both the Government and NGO sectors would make it possible for the San community to break from their cycle of poverty, marginalisation and discrimination. * Shadrack Tjiramba works at the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC).