this Tuesday July 15, 2003, SABC 3 at 9h30 pm -

Lohatla is best known as a weapons test site. The Khosis community was forced out by the state when the battle school was established in 1977. Eleven years ago, the Khosis lodged a joint application with the Gatlose and Maremane Tswana communities for the restitution of almost half the battle school. Despite promises from the ANC that the land would be restored, the community is still waiting.

The Khosis with their leader Joseph Free now occupy the area they say is theirs. The other claimants are camped outside protesting.

As far as the SANDF is concerned, the Khosis people are illegal occupants and must leave. For the three claimants, the battleground is the heartland of their claim. An oasis in the Kalahari, the area has abundant water from natural springs, and unlike the rest of the land which used to make up the Gatlose and Maremane reserves, it is uncontaminated with the ammunition which military operations leave behind.

This is a compelling story about the complexities of land restitution and a community's determination to get back what the apartheid government took from them. It is directed by Nicole Turner, filmed by Jan de Klerk and edited by Nathi Kentane.