Is this worth fighting for?
 

Racism and ill-treatment claims haunt tourism

See the Ngami times: http://ngamitimes.com/

I have to say this newspaper has some good articles from time to time. I have said it for a long time that if local people are not going to benefit more the safari industry won't be sustainable in the long run. This is a very touchy issue but worth to tackle.

I have good friends working for various companies who talked about these issues in private to me ... and yes, they were afraid to be fired if they spoke about it openly.

Cheers,

Johan

Hi,

I followed the link. I read the first piece about a baby's head being brought home by a dog.

Then I read about a drowned body being found after 3 days.

Getting a bit depressed I skimmed down the headlines, "Human - elephant conflict far from over"; "Racism should be condemned"; "3 arrested for Hunting"; "Okavango management plan published".

Which is you the article you want us to read and what is the point you are trying to make?

I think it was Nelson Mandela who said that the safari industry would not survive if it didn't involve local people. I read that at a very expensive lodge in South AFrica.
I think he had a point, but he was a bit more succint than you, Johan. :-)

The tourism industry, particularly in the Okavango delta and Chobe areas, has for too long been marred by allegations that industry workers are being ill-treated on the basis of their race.

"This is claimed to be happening in the safari camps and lodges where the workers' superiors would be expats (usually Whites). It has been alleged that citizen managers or local managers are paid far less than what their White counterparts earn and it has also been alleged that these managers often come with no experience at all. The industry has consistently denied the alleged incidents, with government officials also claiming to that they have no concrete evidence on the matter. "

Didn't we notice that in all Southern African countries?

The worst in my opinion in that regard are SA and Nam. We ourselves were embarrassed at a Nam petrol station where a black behind the sales counter was treated like sh$$ by a white Nam so that we interfered but without much success except being told to stay where we belong to it's a Nam matter.

I am wondering as e.g. even Papua NewGuinea has a law which allows expats to run an operation for x years in which they have to train local staff in order to take over 90% of the employees on a dive vessel, dive lodge etc.

I would have assumed BOT has similar laws.

((@))

In Botswana and namibia I have stayed at camps completely run by (non-white) locals.

They seemed to manage OK. In fact, better than OK.

I have been saying for a long time that I find it incongruous that Wilderness Safaris (for example) parachute South African managers in to Namibian and Botswanan camps, when they know little about the country. I've been told that Rand is the currency in Namibia, and the manager has been unable to give me directions to the next camp as they don't know the roads....

Almost right - NAM$ is the correct currency WITHING NAM but the ZAR is equally accepted. Actually all money transfers to NAM need to be done in ZAR or the (Windhoek) bank even exchanges the NAM$ into ZAR for NAM accounts making it much more expensive for MT.

((@))

Got your thread pulled?

What a shame!

That was a real interesting thread providing valuable info!

WHAT A SHAME!

It's really becoming a kindergarten!

((@))

I did read that article yesterday in the latest online version of the Ngami TImes.

Racism is usually the result of people who are in-secure with their surroundings. It should have no place, and ofcourse not in an enviornment like safari camps and lodges where people interaction is most critical. Yet, ofcourse it is happening ........

Good on the Ngami TImes for bringing this serious issue to light in their news streams ..... they ought to keep at the good work!

In response to McWomble's post, I have no problem if the managers are Batswana or South Africans - as long as they are efficient, friendly, caring for the staff and know what they are doing. Have had some fantastic managers over the years who were South African. With regards to Batswana managers, camps like Lagoon and Little Kwara are the perfect example of PERFECTION.