Conservation, displacement and social injustice at the South African section of Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier

This study presents the case of the creation and expansion of Mapungubwe National Park and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation area (GMTFCA) to highlight the paradoxes between biodiversity conservation and local livelihoods. The paper highlights the role played by the South African National Parks, wealthy individuals and powerful environmental organizations in supporting the creation and expansion of the park. Two broad questions structure this paper. First, what are the implications of the creation and expansion of Mapungubwe National Park and the GMTFCA on the lives and livelihoods of commercial farm workers and dwellers? Second, what is the future of commercial farm workers and dwellers who are still working on the farms in Mapungubwe? The study argues that the creation and expansion of Mapungubwe National Park and the GMTFCA depended on forceful management techniques that involved displacement of commercial farm workers and dwellers. To substantiate this argument, the study draws on fieldwork material from the South African section of the GMTFCA.