III.

People and Economy

The sparsely populated Kalahari is inhabited by the Khoisan-speaking San people, the Bantu-speaking Tswana, Kgalagadi, and Herero, and a small number of European settlers. Most San live in reserves and villages in and around the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, in northeastern Namibia, or in northern South Africa. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, the San are increasingly involved in cattle farming, often as laborers. Today, less than 5 percent of the San people still practice their traditional hunter-gatherer economy and lifestyle. The Bantu-speaking people of the Kalahari generally raise livestock for a living. This activity is concentrated in the eastern Namibian and Botswana portions of the desert.

In Botswana, major towns in the Kalahari include Ghanzi, Tshane, Tshabong, and Orapa. In the Namibian portion of the Kalahari, the villages of Gobabis and Mariental are important regional centers. Rietfontein, Noenieput, and Severn are important South African towns in the desert.

Tourism is an important and growing industry in the Kalahari, although the remote location of many game reserves and the generally poor transport and hospitality infrastructure are limiting factors. The Kalahari is rich in minerals, particularly in Botswana. The Orapa diamond mine opened there in 1971 and diamond mining soon became a key part of the Botswana economy.

A sparse network of roads and tracks serves the Kalahari. In Botswana, the paved Trans-Kalahari Highway connects all major mining, commercial, and farming areas. Other roads are gravel or sand. In Namibia, the urban areas are served by paved roads, and the smaller settlements by gravel and sand roads.