Since 1985 the Botswana authorities have relocated thousands of San people to settlements outside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Officials say the programme is for the San's own good.

Water, health and education services are provided in the 63 resettlement villages, where most of the Kalahari San people have already been moved.

Cut services

Only a few hundred San now live in the 52,000 km� game reserve.

Many have been moved to resettlement villages

In January the government told them that water and other services would be terminated.

In recent weeks water tanks have been removed from the six San settlements that remain there.

The special game permits which enabled the San, the last remaining hunter-gatherers in Africa, to hunt a limited quota of wild animals and gather veldt foods and fruits, have been withdrawn.

Hidden wealth

Botswana's Government denies it is forcing the San people to move. Officials say the San have been consulted and offered generous compensation.

Some San say they'd rather die than leave the reserve

But the BBC's Carolyn Dempster says many of the San who have been relocated tell a different story.

They speak of an impoverished existence in resettlement villages, and say they depend on government food rations for survival.

The central Kalahari is rich in diamond and other mineral deposits.

Our correspondent says a successful land claim by the San might make it more difficult for the government to exploit any mineral finds.