This paper investigates the model through which the government of Botswana seeks to integrate Basarwa into the mainstream of Botswana society. This model is inherent in the Remote Area Development Programme (RADP) which aims at uplifting citizens who reside in those parts of the country that are defined by the state as "remote". Despite a non-ethnic definition of the RADP's intended beneficiaries, research has shown that a majority of RADs are Basarwa. The main argument presented in the paper is that meaningful integration of Basarwa into the mainstream of Botswana society requires definitional changes regarding the intended beneficiaries. The changes should require that the beneficiaries are disaggregated to a level where ethnicity is used as an explanatory variable in understanding the marginalisation of the Basarwa, and therefore a variable in the planning of their integration. Through a case study of two settlements, Manxotae and Mabesekwa, it is concluded that, as currently constituted, the RADP offers only limited opportunities towards any meaningful integration of the Basarwa. The limits of the RADP's integration model are presented as revolving around two related factors, non-discriminatory development programmes that fail to take on board local variations, and the limited nature of extension service available to marginalized communities. The contention is that development programmes and projects implemented in marginalized communities should be predicated on an appreciation of the factors behind the marginalisation of those communities.
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