S.Africa's Khoisan evicted from govt HQ after 6-year protest

South African authorities on Monday cleared a camp of the Khoisan community squatting on the grounds of the government headquarters in Pretoria for six years to demand recognition as the country's first indigenous people.

The Khoi and the San people, or Khoisan as they are collectively known, were referred to as bushmen in the past and are famous for the clicks in their languages.

Their presence in South Africa has been dated by archaeologists to thousands of years.

They are demanding the same benefits as the country's black majority enjoy under policies which give certain population groups preference for jobs and government contracts, official recognition as the country's oldest indigenous people and the inclusion of their language in South Africa's current official list of 12 languages.

They also want the word "coloured" -- the mixed-race tag they have been carrying since apartheid and which is still largely used in official documents -- to be abolished.

The group came to the site in 2018, walking 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), in a bid to secure an audience with the authorities.

The makeshift structures were removed from the undulating lawns of the Union Buildings, the majestic seat of government that adjoins the presidential palace, television images showed.

The public works ministry said in a statement that "following an eviction order granted by the Pretoria High Court on 11 December 2024" it evicted the Khoisan squatters on Monday.

"It should be noted that no appeal or opposition has been received against this court order by any interested parties," a statement said.

"While the Department expresses its sympathy with the serious grievances of the Khoi-San community, no single person has the right to claim or occupy public space intended to be used and enjoyed by all South Africans," it added.

The Khoisan also want their land taken during white-minority rule to be returned to them.

An eviction due in January was deferred as the Khoisan queen, who along with the king was camping on the grounds of the Union Buildings, died in a car accident while returning to Pretoria. The king sustained serious injuries.