For some time, Lapalala management has embarked on various initiatives with local communities in a bid to address land relocation programmes currently underway in the Waterberg. This workshop, held in October, was a great success. Roger Collinson, General Manager at Lapalala, chaired the gathering.
The main objectives for the day were to identify and discuss the communities’ expectations and visions for the land that they will soon be acquiring through the land reform process. All discussions were translated into local dialect, as this ensures that no member of the local groups is excluded from the information sharing process.
After initial discussions with the group as a whole, the main group was split into three – men older than 50, men younger than 50 and women – as each generation and gender have differing ideals and visions about the land they will soon acquire. Under the guidance of senior community members and workshop coordinators, discussions got underway.
Once the group discussions were over, each individual groups’ thoughts regarding the benefits and visions of land acquisition were then presented and discussed with the group as a whole.
As a collective, the community members highlighted the importance of maintaining current conservation areas and initiatives. This bodes well for maintaining and encouraging tourism and conservation, as local communities see the value of preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the area.
