A/HRC/31/59/Add.1 of the Ombudsperson and of a national human rights institution. The Special Rapporteur noted the regrets expressed by some members of civil society with regard to the poor consultation process leading up to the decision to establish the institution and the lack of ownership that it may entail. C. General context 7. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the efforts and achievements by Botswana in the area of development and poverty reduction, especially through important safety nets for vulnerable populations across the country, and its commitment to providing services in the areas of health, education and water to all. The country has managed to meet substantial challenges, although its population is scattered, including in some places with very low population densities. The State policy to bring essential services to villages and settlements with a minimum of 150 people is appreciated. The challenge is to avoid a significant proportion of the population becoming permanently dependent on welfare. 8. Botswana is home to many ethnic groups that fall primarily into five linguistic-tribal groups: Tswana, Basarwa, Bakgalagadi, Wayeyi and Hambukushu.1 In addition, according to official estimates, there are some 28 languages in Botswana.2 9. The Tswana are comprised of eight subgroups — Bakgatla, Bakwena, Balete, Bangwaketse, Bangwato, Barolong, Batawana and Batlokwa — that use mutually intelligible dialects collectively known as Setswana. They are politically dominant in Botswana, as during colonization, the British powers negotiated primarily with the dominant Tswana tribes. The legacy of this prioritization of Tswana interests and culture over marginalized tribes persists in the social and political dynamics of Botswana,3 influencing the realization of cultural rights in the country. 10. While it is generally considered that the Tswana are numerically dominant, some estimates contend that, taken together, non-Tswana groups represent the majority.4 The last population census, in 2011, disaggregated language groups; however, it has been stressed that data collected through the questionnaire — which asked for language spoken at home and not for mother tongue — could not be relied upon to determine ethnicity. The 2011 census indicated that 77.3 per cent of the population spoke Setswana at home and that, while minority languages were widely used, their usage had declined by 2.6 per cent since the 2001 census. The dominance of minority language usage continues to be circumscribed in the districts of their origin. 5 11. The Basarwa, also known as the San people, encompasses several groups estimated as comprising 50,000 to 60,000 people. They are usually referred to as the indigenous peoples of Southern Africa. While Botswana voted in favour of adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it does not recognize any particular indigenous people on its territory, based on the view that all groups in Botswana are indigenous to the country. 1 2 3 4 5 4 A/HRC/15/37/Add.2, para. 6. Botswana, Population and housing census 2011, Analytical report, p. 266. A/HRC/15/37/Add.2, para. 6. Lydia Nyati-Ramahobo, Minority Tribes in Botswana: the Politics of Recognition Briefing (Minority Rights Group International, December 2008), available at http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/496dc0c82.pdf. Botswana, Population and housing census 2011, Analytical report, pp. 266 and 274.