POPULATION DYNAMICS

DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS AND TERMS

-POPULATION: Is the total number of people who live in an area or country at
a given time
-Population dynamics: These are changes which take place in the number of
people in an area that is increasing or decreasing
-Birth rate: The number of babies born in a year for every one thousand people
in that country
-Dearth rate/Mortality rate: The number of people who die in one year for
every one thousand people in that country
-Natural increase: The difference between the births and deaths
-Population structure: The composition of the population. The proportion of
males to females, children to adults, working to non-working etc
-Dependency ratio: The proportion of working people to non-working people. A
high dependency ratio means a small working population is supporting a large
number of non-working populations
-Overpopulation: This means that there are more people in the country than the
available resources can support
-Dependent population: This includes the people within the nation who are
economically inadequate. This include young children aged between 1 -15 and
elderly people aged 65 and above
-Population pyramid: The graphical representation of the age, sex and life
expectancy of the population in a particular country
- External/International Migration: The movement of people between countries
eg from Botswana to South Africa
Immigration- the movement of people into the country.
-Internal Migration: The movement of people from one place to another within
a country
Emigration-the movement of people outside the country
-Fertility rate: the average number of live births a woman is capable of
producing during her reproductive age of 15 to 44 years (the frequency at which
women can give birth)
-Fertility: The potential/ability to conceive or become pregnant (child bearing
age 15-44 years)
-Life expectancy: The average number of years a new born baby is hoped to live
from birth
-Demography: The study of population, its births, deaths, movement and disease
-Infant Mortality Rate: The percentage of children who die in the first few
years of life or before their first birth date
-Under-population: The number of people in an area is too small to exploit its
resources
-Population migration: Is the movement of people from one place to another
either permanently or temporarily

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 -Population policy- The government decisions and measures aimed at changing
the size, growth rate, composition or distribution of the population in a country
-Children quota- The number of children each family is expected to have
-De facto population census- The total number of people present in the country
at the time of conducting census
-De Jure population census- The number of people including residents
temporarily outside the country at the time of census
-Population explosion- The rapid population increase that results from a rapid
fall in death rate and a high increase in birth rate
-Population census- The official counting of people in a country at a given
period of time, usually 10 years in Botswana
-Urbanization – The proportional increase in the number of people living in
towns and cities
THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL FACTORS WHICH
INFLUENCE FERTILITY RATE

Social factors
Stage of child bearing (teenage pregnancy, early marriage)- one starts bearing
children at an early age and this can increase the number of children one can have.
Religious beliefs/religion- some churches do not discourage the use of birth control
methods hence women in those churches can have more children. Some churches
preach ‘no sex before marriage’ therefore women in those churches delay to have
children.
Lack of use of contraceptives- women who do not use contraceptive pills end up
having more children and those who use contraceptives have less children.
Lack of education on family planning- this can lead to more children born hence
high fertility rate.
Sex preference- preferring to have a particular gender in the family, the woman will
continue having children until the preferred sex thus increasing the number of
children.
Use of children for labour- more children born to help parents in household duties.
Diseases- can make a woman to have less children hence low fertility rate.

Economic factors
Standards of living/a county’s level of development- countries with better health
facilities of reducing child mortality rates.
Standard of living- better diet, clean drinking water leads to healthy children born.

Cultural factors
Use of children for labour- having more children so that they can be a source of
labour in fields and at the cattle posts.
Use of children as security- parents have many children so that they can take care of
the while old.
Gender inequality- traditionally the role of women is to stay at home and look after
children.

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 FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO POPULATION GROWTH
-Traditional beliefs-Early marriages encourages child bearing at early ages
-Gender speculation/sex preference-Desire for boys as heirs and girls for bride
wealth therefore more children would be produced
-Children used as labour-families needed many children to work in different
family duties hence more people
-Protection-Children viewed as security for the aged they become the eyes and
the ears of the elderly. They are the support system of the elderly.
-Religious beliefs- Some churches encourage polygamy therefore more children
would be produced
-Security-Fear that some children might die hence more children for security
-Prestige-A large family a sign/symbol of virility/power to father many children
-Lack of education-Poor family planning reduces child spacing hence many
children
-High infant mortality rate-When many infants die couple produce more to
replace the dead ones
-Contraception-Lack of contraceptives makes people to produce many children
-Population policy-Incentives encourage large families by providing low interest
on loans for different things
-Low mortality rates-Improved medical facilities, a nutritiously balanced diets,
absence of chronic diseases encouraged people to produce more children
-Immigration-When people move in large numbers into a country they increase
the number of its citizens e.g. influx of Zimbabweans and Asians into Botswana

FACTORS INFLUENCING LIFE EXPECTANCY

-Improved hygiene-A safe clean environment which reduces diseases causing
organisms
-Balanced diet- nutritious food and clean drinking water increase immunity
against diseases
-Improved medical care-Improved health facilities & medication prolong life
-Physical fitness- Regular exercises keeps the body in good health

THE EFFECT OF POPULATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT

a) Shortage of farmlands: When the population increases people scramble for the
limited available farmlands which result in rapid depletion of resources and
competition for land
b) Over harvesting of veld products: When more people move from rural areas to
urban areas in search of better living standards it leads to over exploitation of
natural resources like phane, thatching grass, minerals etc
c) Development of slums-squatter camps/informal settlements/shanty towns (bo
maipaafela/mekhukhu/ditlakana) are not environmentally friendly because of
shortage of accommodation due to an increasing numbers of people
d) Soil erosion- when people increase there would be too much pressure on the land
because a lot of trees would be cut for fuel/firewood, settlement purposes,
industrial activities and poor farming methods

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e) Pollution- waste materials and smoke from the industries would contaminate the
water, land and air which can lead to some outbreak of diseases
f) Deforestation-when people increase, they are going to cut down more trees for
firewood, timber, settlement and agriculture leading to desertification
g) Poaching-more animals would be killed for their hides, trophies and meat
h) Littering-people throw bottles, tins, cans, papers, plastics and tattered clothes
everywhere
i) Land scarring-People dig burrow pits to get minerals and soils and leave the pits
uncovered
j) Veldfires-people burn the veld for different reasons e.g. Hunters, farmers, honey
collectors, smokers etc

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS CAUSED BY POPULATION

GROWTH ON THE ENVIRONMENT
-Social facilities-People must be provided with enough accommodation & good
sanitation, to avoid the development of shanty towns
-Forced removals-Squatters should be evicted forcefully
-Employment opportunities-Jobs should be created in the villages to avoid rural-
urban migration
-Legislation-There should be a land policy which would determine the age at
which one should have a plot (18years) and also on the number of plots per
individual eg. One-piece of land-one person policy
-Legislation-Land should not be sold
-Policy-Licensing of hunting wild animals and collection of forest products
-Contraception-Family planning and other ways of reducing population growth
should be encouraged
-Use of scientific methods of farming- The use fertilizers, irrigation, crop
rotation, inter cropping and rotational grazing should be encouraged so as to
reduce land degradation
-Environmental education-Public environmental awareness campaigns to
encourage the prudent use of the surroundings by all
-Use alternative sources of energy- Instead of using wood and coal which lead
to deforestation and pollution people can use solar energy, hydro-electric power,
and wind energy and biogas power
-Pollution control-Air pollution monitory stations must be built and also fine the
industries which pollute the environment
-Use of alternative modes of transport-Use of environmentally-friendly mode
of transport systems such as bicycles, carts and walking
-Use of alternative waste disposal methods-Recycling of waste materials such
as bottles, tins, plastics, paper and encouraging consumers to return them for a fee
-Rehabilitation of burrow pits-Land filling with building rubble or construction
wastes to cover scarred land
-Dumping sites- should be created to reduce indiscriminate illegal dumping of
construction wastes
-Legislation-There must be a statutory regulation for the manufacturing,
distribution, use and disposal of plastic carrier bags

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 -Provision of rest rooms-toilets for a fee for the service in busy areas to
encourage people to maintain good sanitary practices
-Good planning-Phasing out of pit latrines in high density residential areas and
replacing them with water-borne toilets
-Construction of dams and reservoirs (jojos) - People must harvest rain water
instead of pumping water from rivers because it interferes with the ecological bio-
diversity negatively
-Afforestation- people should plant trees so as to reduce desertification

THE IMPACT OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH ON THE AVAILABLE

RESOURCES
-Shortage of land: When the population increases there would be more space to
be occupied and people would not have enough land for settlement, industrial
activities and farming areas
- Pressure on facilities: When the number of people increases there would be
pressure on health and educational amenities such as schools and hospitals
-Depletion of resources: When the numbers of people increases there would be
problems with the supply of food and clean drinking water
-Less development: The government would spend more money on buying
education and health materials like books, drugs instead of building new
infrastructure like roads, clinics, schools etc.
-Traffic congestion: more automobiles due to large population lead to pollution
-Lack of employment: Some people would go for prostitution, crime and street
kids and pressure on breadwinners due to lack of jobs in the existing industries

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO RAPID POPULATION INCREASE/GROWTH

-Family planning: There should be enough education on the available family
planning methods. They should be free supply of contraceptives eg. Condoms
-Laws on marriage age: If marriage age is increased then the fertility rate of
would be reduced eg. In China marriage age of women is 24 years and 26 years
for men. There should be legislation on the number of children that married
couple should have
-Strict government policies: Some countries have adopted policies which are
used to reduce population growth eg. In Singapore, there are heavy financial
penalties for parents who have more than two children. For parents who have
been sterilized after the birth of their second child, they are rewarded with
education and employment of their off-springs/children. In China there is one-
child policy. There should be a law on child-bearing age such that anybody who
has a child before that recommended age is fined.
-Encouraging abstinence by the youth: The youth should be encouraged to stay
away from sex until they have reached a certain age
-Introduction of social and economic incentives to smaller families: These
have included increased hospital delivery fees for children of high order, paid
maternity leave for their first two but not subsequent children, the absence of any
income tax relief measures for the third child and above

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 -Increased school and hospital fees- When the fees for essential services are
increased families would find it fit to engage in serious family planning to cut the
costs on fees
-Education and training: Women should be educated so as to delay marriage
and child bearing. Educated women are empowered to have a say on sexual
relations eg. The number of children to be born in a family
-Improvement on the status of women (gender equality)- equality for women
is very important, women who have high social status and economic opportunities
tend to have fewer children than those of lower status. Improved status of women
will make them take part in decision making concerning family size unlike in the
past when that decision was taken by man only.

THE IMPACT OF HIV AIDS ON THE POPULATION

a) Loss active and working population: The most infected and affected group is
that of breadwinners. Loss of trained and skilled human resources in all sectors of the
economy
b) Demographic Changes: The disease also has an impact on the population
structure of the economy
c) Poverty: An increase in the number of rural and urban poor
d) Effect on the family: Families with the HIV/Aids infected and sick usually is
isolated because of stigmatization which leads to psycho-social stress and
disintegration of family structures
e) Orphans and street kids: When parents die they leave behind disadvantaged
children which lead to an increase in the demand for social welfare services to meet
their basic needs
f) Increased sickness-related absenteeism in workplaces: The early and
unexpected sickness and sick leaves leads to reduced productivity
g) Costly health care system: Increased illness and demand for health care services
among the youth and middle-aged adults and very young children leading to increase
in medical expenses e.g. ARV`s
h) Increased mortality rates: Increased death rates among the young, middle aged
adults and children below the age of 5 years especially with HIV/Aids cases
i) Marginalization of other deadly diseases: Some diseases like malaria and cancer
are not given the attention they deserve because priority is given to HIV/Aids in terms
of scientific research
j) Training expenditure: There are high costs in training the manpower to replace
those lost to country i.e. reduced life expectancy, high dependent population and an
unhealthy infant population
k) Reduced investment: Local businesses get affected because of low
purchasing/buying power
l) Reduced infrastructural development: Some developments have been sidelined
because a lot of money is spent buying medication and other ration supplies eg. 1
billion pula is spent per year for HIV/AIDS which could be used to build 5 Senior
Secondary Schools in one year
m) It has increased funeral expenses e.g. Caskets

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n) More health centers- Many hospitals and clinics are build or expanded to absorb
the increasing number of patients
o) Research intensification- A lot of scientific research is conducted that looking
for medication for either prevention or cure
p) Personnel training- More medical practitioners are trained to match the swelling
numbers of patients
q) Employment Creation- Some people would fill in the vacant posts created by
people lost to HIV/Aids
r) Resource Distribution- The resources would be evenly spread out to meet the
pace of the population growth, due to population reduction
s) Overpopulation decreases- A lot of people engage in birth control methods such
as Condoms and Abstinence

THE IMPORTANCE OF POPULATION CENSUS

-Demographic status-It enables the study on population changes and causes of
those changes as it provides demographic data on Age, Sex, Ratios and average
life expectancy
-Country’s carrying capacity-Helps the government to know the country`s
population size
-Political representation-it helps the government to divide the constituencies or
wards looking at the population density in such areas
-Demographic statistics-During the census the vital information about deaths,
migration and dearth rates are compiled
-Informs Decision Making-It provides information which help the government
to carry out developments, that is economic planning and financial budgeting for
schools, hospitals, roads etc
-Enhances resource distributions-It helps the government to distribute national
resources as per population distribution in the country
-Enables prioritization-Census data can be used to identify where developments
are needed most

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

-Prober bargaining-Population numbers are needed for budgeting purposes, that
is the government has to know how much money would be required by each
sector ministry
-Prioritization purposes -The numbers are also needed for prioritizing
development funds, these enables the government to know where the money or
developments are needed most
-Enables proper budgeting-Population numbers are needed to keep pace with
the resources or coordinating utilization of resources
-Enables forecasting-Population projections makes budgeting by the government
easy as important demographic changes are easily noted

CAUSES OF MIGRATION WITHIN AND BETWEEN COUNTRIES

a) Pull factors- There are favourable conditions which attract people to a new area
and usually lead to voluntary migration/population movement

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b) Push factors- There are unfavourable conditions which force people to go to a
new area, and usually lead to involuntary population movement

PULL FACTORS
-Mild/moderate climate-fertile soils, good pastures, clean drinking water,
good rainfall, absence of natural disasters like diseases, pests, floods and
earthquakes can attract people to a new area
-Higher wages -better employment opportunities make people to go to areas
with better job opportunities and higher salaries
-Good recreational facilities-better educational and health amenities attract
people to areas which have them
-Good love choices-Places with better chances of engaging in desired
relationships can also influence people to go to such areas
-Visitations-People move from their places to pay visits to people close to
them such as friends & relatives
-Marriage/relationships-Some people migrate from their places so as to join
their loved ones
-Public holidays- some people move from their areas to visit tourist
destinations to spend their leisure time
-Political Asylum- some people migrate from the countries to other countries
to seek refugee status from their politically troubled countries
-Safety-Peaceful conditions security and good chances of political
appointments in urban areas
-Good neighbourliness-The desire for a better home and, fear of witchcraft
and conflicts e.g. hereditary disputes
-High standards of living-People move to areas with better lifestyles where
they can enjoy improved services in the form of transport and
telecommunications networks, electricity, accommodation, good sanitation,
shopping complexes, industries etc
-Availability of markets-People migrate to areas with good ready markets
and enough skilled or semi-skilled labour

PUSH FACTORS
-Harsh climate- (cold & dry), poor soils, barren lands/deserts, poor water
supply and presence of natural disasters can force people to move away
-Collapse of agriculture-Poor agricultural production in rural areas or other
countries makes people to migrate
-Wars-Political instabilities would force people to flee conflicts
-Shortage of jobs-Lack of jobs in some areas though some people qualified
for certain professions
-Lack of markets- lack of markets for goods or services
-Lack of infrastructure-Poor roads, hospitals, schools, electricity etc
-Poor recreational facilities-lack of entertainment facilities e.g. stadiums,
night clubs, gym rooms etc

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THE EFFECTS OF POPULATION MIGRATION LOCALLY (RURAL-
URBAN) AND INTERNATIONALLY

a) Locally
-Population imbalance- most people who are left in the rural areas are
women, children and the very old
-Depopulation -most people move to towns living villages with little numbers
of people
-Remittances-those who migrated to urban areas may get employment and
bring money back to their homes in rural areas
-Collapse of Agricultural and community development projects- have
since forced the able-bodied people to go to urban areas
-Trickle-down effect- New skills, ideas and technology would be brought
from towns to rural areas for their developments by the migrants
-Family break-ups and unfaithful relationships-some partners may engage
in extra-marital relationships since their loved ones have gone to other areas
-Sex imbalance-Majority of people who go to towns and cities are men
leaving behind women in rural areas
-Overpopulation- Increase in the number of people in urban areas can breed
social ills like crime, prostitution, street kidding, drug trafficking etc.
- Easy multiplication of diseases- Spread of air-borne or communicable or
contagious diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS
-Shortage of accommodation- leading to the development of illegal
settlements hence social ills like crime
-Pressure on resources-There would be too much pressure on natural
resources & social amenities like land, water, schools etc
-Reduces pressure on available resources- because few people would be left
in rural areas to enjoy services provided
-Land destruction-There would be an increase in water, soil and air pollution
-Unfair distribution of resources-more resources would be channeled to
urban areas at the expense of rural areas

b) Internationally
- Brain-drain/human capital flight/exodus of professionals-it means that
more educated or skilled people migrate to developed countries eg. Doctors,
nurses and engineers
-Creation of employment-foreign companies which open industries
-Loss of able-bodied people- More Zimbabwean young males and females
migrate to neighbouring countries like Botswana and South Africa to look for
jobs
-Xenophobia: Locals hatred of foreigners brings conflicts in host countries
-Contagious diseases-Spread of diseases like HIV/AIDS, swine flu etc.
-Collapse of development projects-infrastructure would be affected
negatively in the source areas
-Poverty-Some dependents may starve since their breadwinners would have
left them to other countries for greener pastures

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 -Cultural erosion-People who move to other countries are likely to lose their
culture eg. Language
-Cultural enrichment-locals and foreigners exchange ideas and skills
- Increase in social ills- if some of the migrants do not find jobs in those
foreign counties they do criminal activities e.g. prostitution
-Economic liability-Countries which receive skilled migrants have to create
recruitment packages and other benefits for them
-Good expertise-If many of the migrants in the receiving country are skilled
personnel they are likely to improve the service delivery in that country
-Terrorism-There can an increased risk of insecurity eg. Spy migrants
-Promotion of international relations- Trade brings foreign exchange

THE IMPORTANCE OF POPULATION POLICY

-Maintain equilibrium-A controlled population will ensure a balance
between population and available resources
-Population forecasts-It would permit population projections which are
needed for development planning and thus helps in prioritizing development
funds for projects
-It can be used to increase or decrease population for budgeting purposes
-Policy Making-Relevant legislations will be put in place so as to help in
population regulations eg. A law on marriage age and the number of children
per couple
-Population control-It enables all stakeholders to work towards achieving a
common goal e.g. Population increase or decrease
-Contraception-Calls for spacing of children which promote good health for
the mother and children
-Pool of market-In terms of increasing the population it would increase the
market
-Democracy-It enhances political stability because of control measures put in
place

POPULATION POLICY IN BOTSWANA

-It is based on the balance between the population size and the available
resources needed to be consumed
-Botswana has high birth rates and a high dependent population which needs
more resources
-As a result the government is trying to contain this scenario by;
i) Promotion of gender equality between men and women
ii) Educating individuals for their personal development
iii) Encouragement of self employment
iv) Respect of family unit
v) Improved health and family health care

THE TREND OF RURAL- URBAN MIGRATION

-Sex-Both men and women move to towns for different reasons, usually to
look for jobs to support their families in rural areas

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 -Age-Most people who migrate to urban areas are able-bodied men and
women (the productive population)
-Destination-Most people move to mining towns like Orapa, Jwaneng etc and
industrial towns like Gaborone and Francistown
-Volume-able-bodied move in large numbers

THE ROLE PLAYED BY DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN ADDRESSING

PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM RURAL-URBARN MIGRATION

1) The Youth
-Formation of youth associations- in rural areas the youth guide, entertain
and assist other in order to prevent some from going to urban areas
-Formation of cultural groups- They keep others busy during their spare
times entertaining, educating and helping the young and adults to earn some
money in villages and towns e.g. Drama, traditional dance troupes, scouts etc
-Participation in different sport codes -the youth play during tournaments
and competitions between or among villages, these help to keep them in
villages
-Self-employment- They set their own businesses in rural settlements by
getting some funds in the form grants and loans from CEDA and the
department of Youth and Culture, these help them create employment in their
communities
-Voluntary service- They join organizations such internship programme,
community policing, Tirelo Sechaba etc.
-Join Public Works-Change of negative attitudes towards manual jobs e.g.
ipelegeng
-Involvement in community activism-Active participation in decision
making .g. VDC, councilors, MPs

2) The Government
-Outreach services-Decentralization of government services to local district
offices e.g. Rural Administration Centers (RAC`s)
-Electrification-Some villages have been electrified
-Infrastructure development-The government has provided social amenities
in villages such as schools, clinics, post offices etc
-Provision of water-Most villages have been provided with clean drinking
water from dams and boreholes
-Telecommunication networks-Some rural areas are provided with telephone
lines and cellular phone networks
-Media reception-More villages have good reception of electronic media like
Btv and Radio Botswana
-Good transportation-A lot of villages are networked/connected with tarred
roads and a railway line
-Provision of serviced land-More villages are provided with a conducive
environment for potential investors to start businesses eg provision of
electricity and water.

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 -Education-Some people in rural areas have been trained on new approaches
to projects in the agricultural sector, in order to improve their lives e.g.
National Master Plan on Arable Agriculture and Diary Development
(NAMPAAD)
-Community based resource management-Local communities are
encouraged to participate in projects that they would benefit something from
such as eco-tourism and game farming
-Volunteerism-There is an encouragement for the spirit of self-reliance in
rural areas, that people should be involved in community development
projects like building a community hall, houses for rentals, bridges,
classrooms etc. through ipelegeng programme

3) NGO’s
-Environmental management-Provide technical support for the effective use
of natural resources
-Employment creation- have branches in the rural areas and this helps in
terms of development and creating employment.
-Infrastructure development-They develop projects
-Community mobilization-They protect fauna and flora through
encouragement of Eco-tourism, game farming and cultural villages through
Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) like the
Sankoyo Tshwaragano Management Trust, Kuru Development Trust etc
-Financial assistance-Provide financial support for the establishment of
businesses

4) Others
-Participation-Elders can encourage the youth through the media like Radio
Botswana to visit rural areas so that they can engage them in the development
of their communities
-Decision making-Community leaders like village chiefs address kgotla
meetings and ask for suggestions from the youth on how the villages can be
developed so as to contain them in the villages
-Role playing-Community members with the help of Social workers organize
drama/plays in order to demonstrate about the social ills of living in towns
when one is unemployed, without proper accommodation, such social ills
include street kids, prostitution, crime, HIV/Aids, drug taking etc.

CAUSES OF CONFLICT OVER THE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES

-Overpopulation- when the population increases it leads to people exceeding
the available resources. These include land, sandy soil, firewood and clean
drinking water etc. This can result in the encroachment of settlements on state
lands
- Increased demand for firewood/fuel-Most people depend on firewood for
cooking. As a result some people cut live trees to collect firewood for sale

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 -Establishment of mining areas-When minerals are discovered in a certain
area the occupants of such an area usually the farming communities have to be
removed e.g. Some people at Morupule, Jwaneng, Orapa, Sua pan etc
-Industrialization/Urbanization-When many industries are built in towns;
with many vehicles they produce smoke and other waste materials which
pollute air, land and water. When most people migrate to towns they build
shanty towns which are not environmentally friendly because they can’t get
proper accommodation
-Land use- In most cases, farming communities have problems with wildlife
authorities. People who live in areas where there are lots of wild animals
complain that predators kill their livestock while some animals destroy their
crops and the government gives them little money as compensation (phimolo
dikeledi)
-Ownership/ancestral land-Some communities have some problems with
government authorities over the ownership and use of land. Some people
around Shoshong village are having conflicts with the Botswana Defense
Force (BDF) over land use. The community says the land is the pasture to
their livestock while the BDF say it is their training ground
-Denial-Some communities have problems with the department of Land
Board, they say the land board is denying them the right to own such piece of
land e.g. Jamataka area along Francistown-Orapa road
-Accessibility- Some communities fight because they are not given access to
land together with its natural resources like animals and fruits e.g. Relocation
of Basarwa from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) to New Xade
by the government
-Backlog of unprocessed applications- The delay in the processing of
applications for plots would force some people to allocate themselves land
illegally
-Corruption: Un-procedural allocation of land basing on favouritism can
brew some misunderstandings
-No benefits for the community-some communities argue that since they live
in some areas endowed with natural resources, they should have share from
the benefits/profits generated by such resources, like royalties from the mining
rights and tourism, etc.
-Forced removals- Some people have conflict with the government when
they are removed from their residential areas to pave way for new
developments e.g. some residents in the Botshabelo ward in Maun were asked
to move out in order to increase the space for the expansion of the Airport.
Some communities were forcefully removed from Mogoditshane, Old Naledi,
and Somerset in Francistown

WAYS OF RESOLVING CONFLICTS ARISING FROM THE USE OF

SCARCE RESOURCES
-Legislation by the government- The government should make laws to
protect natural resources. There must be the law which regulates and controls

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the harvesting of veld products such as phane, sengaparile, firewood,
thatching grass etc
-Education- Communities should be given enough education through
workshops, seminars and kgotla meetings on the importance of conserving
natural resources and preserve them for future generations
-Cooperation between stakeholders-They include Communities, NGO`s,
Private sector, Individuals and the Government. They must work together on
issues that affect them all and make informed decisions on the use of natural
resources
-Negotiation and Consultation (Dialogue) -There should be direct
communication between the government and all stakeholders. Decisions
should not be imposed on people concerning the use of natural resources but
they should be involved e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment
-Resolving the case at the kgotla-Some cases over the use of natural
resources should be solved at the kgotla where communities would feel free to
express their views, concerns and suggestions regarding a certain
environmental issue
-Strict Government Policies- enforce anti-pollution laws and punish those
who pollute

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