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Mabolwe is a village in the Central District of Botswana located in the eastern tip of Botswana's border with Zimbabwe. With a population of about 3,000 as of 2019, the village has a single primary school, and 30 out of the 3,000 residents of Mabolwe are employed. [1]
The village of Mabolwe has abundant wildlife, ancestral hills, and unique trees. It is home to the Colophospermum mopane , the primary food source of the mopane worm, and the Imbrasia belina moth caterpillar. The sale of roasted or dried mopane worms contributes significantly to its rural economy.
In 2008, the government of Botswana approved a border post in Mabolwe Mmamabaka, which links both Botswana and Zimbabwe. The border post was opened in 2016 and has become the major attraction of the village. [2]
The primary inhabitants of Mabolwe are the Babirwa people who were nomadic before permanently settling in their present settlements. Bobirwa is the area that lies between the Shashe River Tuli Block and a north-south line approximately 28 0 15 ' E. The area encompasses villages of Bobonong, Gobojango, Mabolwe, Lentswe-Ie-Moriti, Mathathane, Molaladau, Mothabaneng, and Tsetsebjwe.
The Babirwa people originated in Nareng, which lies in the south of Bolobedi in Letswalo country around Phalaborwa. The Babirwa peoples' presence at Nareng dates back to between 1510 and 1599. Babirwa moved from Nareng under their chief, Tshukudu, to the Blaauwberg area in the former Transvaal. It was while they were at Blaauwberg that they began to split up around the 1820s. The group which left Blaauwberg headed for Zimbabwe under the leadership of Dauyatswala and his brother Makhure(a). This group was not welcomed in Mambo's country.
The two brothers decided to leave the place to seek refuge somewhere else. At the last moment, Makhure refused to go with Dauyatswala. Dauyatswala together with his followers, moved back to the Transvaal. Makhure was given a piece of land in Zimbabwe to live with his followers. They lived for a while before they were attacked by the Ndebele of Mzilikazi, running away from Shaka's rule in 1837. They fled to present-day Botswana led by Sekoba, one of Makhure's sons. Sekoba was accompanied by his brothers Makala, Mbalane, and Bolamba, who, in most traditions, are mentioned alongside Sekoba as the group leader. Among the group were also Sekoba's uncles, Serumola, Legong, Mphago, and Maunatlala. It is not clear from the sources whether these men were real brothers or half brothers of Makhure. This group broke up with Sekoba and his followers, settling at Lephokwe while the Bolamba's group settled in the present Tuli Block.
Some sources claim that Sekoba's group settled first at Gubadwe Hill near Gobajango.[ dubious ] That is where Babirwa began spreading over the area today called Bobirwa, including the Tuli Block. Babirwa did not live under the authority of Sekoba for long. They broke from Sekoba and lived in illssttered, isolated settlements. Only those who were loyal to Sekoba remained with him. Sekoba's group went to settle at Majweng Hills. Bolamba and his followers settled at Zembefonyi near the present-day Lentswe-le-Moriti. Maunatlala settled his people in Lepoko1e Hills in the northern part of Bobonong. Serumola moved his people and settled at Lephale Hills in the Tuli Block, and Makala settled East of Mapungubwe. The people of Kgwatalala and Mbalane settled on the hill called Lekhubu-la-Mbalane in the present-day Semolale. In their settlements, Babirwa were continually attacked by the Ndebele forces raiding and looting their cattle. In the 1860s, Khama sent his newly formed age regiment of Mafolosa and Matshosa to Bobirwa. These age-regiments were to group Babirwa in one place(centralization). Because of the attacks and resentment of Khama's rule, Babirwa migrated to the Transvaal and joined other Babirwa people there. They stayed in the Transvaal until 1894, when the Boers attacked them, after which Babirwa returned to their settlements in Botswana. Sekoba's group, led by his son Madikwe, settled at Majweng Hills in the present-day northeastern Bobonong.
In the 1890s, Malema became the leader of the people of Bolamba who settled in the region now called the Tuli Block in Zembefonyi; next to it was Mmadema at Pitseng near Ghadi Pan, and within the same region Serumola and his followers settled at Lephale Hill. The people of Serumola must have been the ancestors of the Mathathane people. According to oral information, Mathathane village was established in the 1930s under the leadership of Serumola (M. Mangogo1a, personal communication). To this day, they are still ruled by Serumola's grandson, Richard Serumola. Before their occupation of Mathathane, these people were among the Malema people forced to leave the Tuli Block by Khama III in 1920. In 1906, Khama III had sent his son-in-law Modisaotsile Mokomane (one primary school in Bobonong is named after him) as a chief representative to group Babirwa people and placed them in one village. Modisaotsile established the present Bobonong in 1909 and was joined by other small groups loyal to Khama III.
In 1919, Khama sent Modisaotsile to remove Malema's people from the Tuli Block to make way for the British South Africa Company's white settlers. Khama had ceded the area of Tuli Block in 1895 to the British government, who had passed it to the BSA Company. Malema refused to leave the place, reasoning that he had already plowed, and as a result of it Modisaotsile used force. His regiments burnt the fields of Malema's people. At some point, Malema was summoned to Serowe in chains, and Babirwa cattle were also confiscated. Malema was sentenced to death and everyone was ordered to kill him with a spear if he was spotted.
Interestingly, Malema filed a case in a court of law demanding his ancestral land back and claiming $40,000 in damages. He was represented by a Mafikeng-based lawyer named Glucksman, whom Malema promised payment of 1000 heads of cattle if he emerged victoriously. The interpreter during the hearing of the case was Ramaeba Kwada (the writer's great grandfather). Khama died before the issue was settled, but his son Sekgoma II was installed as a kgosi, admitted that his father acted harshly. In the end, British interests managed to dismiss the case. In protest, Malema fled with his people to Transvaal and returned later. Upon their return, Malema settled at Molaladau in 1944 and died peacefully in 1959 as an old man. Serumola settled at Lephale Hills (present-day Mathathane) Malema in Semolale, Mokgethi in Gobajango, Phole in Tsetsetjwe.
One of Malema's sons Ngala and his elder brother Kgoboko decided to move some miles away from their father's kingdom and finally landed in Mabolwe. On the other side was Madome Mabidi Sebola, followed by his brothers Makgasane Sebola and Moseki Sebola. His sisters, Molebowe Mankona Mathora, Makale Sebola, including his half brothers Jack Sebola, Sezoo Sebola, and Mosholombe. These two groups of relatives and other families who came along settled far apart but would eventually unite to form one community. The Great Ngala eventually became Mosada, meaning chief in the deep Sebirwa language. It is still unclear why the place was named Mabolwe, with people inventing unending stories to explain what led to the naming. Those who love it are affectionately known as Mothabeng due to its soils, mostly with little sand.
Tradition is deeply embedded as elderly people here still hold on to their traditional way of life. South Africa is closer to Mabolwe than to other parts of Botswana, and this is evidenced by the culture and strong bond that Mabolwe people share with South Africans who live on the other side of the border. The Babirwa people are believed to have originated from South Africa, where most of their relatives still live. Most of their means of survival, such as medical help, are centered in South Africa. Mabolwe people, like other Babirwa, speak Sebirwa, a language from the Bantu family with around 10,000 speakers in Botswana and South Africa. [3] Apart from language, their dances, food, and traditional clothing are similar to their South African counterparts.
Formed in 1978 as Mabolwe Traditional Troupe before renaming themselves the following year, BDF X1 is a traditional dance troupe comprising 40 women in their late fifties. The name is derived from the celebrations in which President Ian Khama was installed as the paramount chief of Bangwato in Serowe in 1979, where it was hired to perform. Due to the name—BDF being the acronym for the Botswana Defence Force, also shared with the BDF X1 football club—some people incorrectly presume the group is related to Major Bright's boys or Matshwenyego Fisher's platoon. The name is a tribute to Khama when he parted ways with the Botswana Defence Force, and the group still cherishes the day they performed for him in 1979. The group has become well known in Bobirwa, and the strategic name often draws a huge audience and attracts cash prizes when they perform.
Alongside the ZEBRAS troupe from Mathathane, BDF X1 provides entertainment not only in Bobirwa but throughout the country. The troupes are hired to perform at various occasions, from weddings to political rallies.
In 2004, the group spent a month in China, where they had been selected to perform and display Setswana culture. The group leader stressed that it broadened their horizons. “To be honest, everybody was impressed by our performance, and we left them with a good image of our country. We are now flexible even if BDF X1 football club could invite us to interact with them after the league, we are okay.” BDF X1 has also been to Zimbabwe.
Despite their age, troupe member Falala Ngala maintains that the time they spend at rehearsals does not in any way overstretch their schedules. “We have adjusted well to doing our things and going for practice.” She adds that the spirit of cooperation, commitment, and a thirst to keep their culture alive is the only force behind the group's 27 years of success. However, the traditional singing is often put on hold during plowing season as it is against the Sebirwa culture to beat drums at a time when rain is needed most. During such seasons, they only prepare if they had been hired to perform somewhere outside the area. During practices, every one of them strictly abides by the command from the leader. The songs they emphasize are the ones used to pray for the rain, plowing season, and sung during nights out. Troupe members believe that their meaningful songs, combined with beautiful dance techniques, appeal to audiences. Youth have found it difficult to join the troupe as they often fail to withstand the intense cultural practices maintained by the group.
The group also conducts initiation on young girls and gives them advice on how to handle their husbands once they are married. “We do not allow a situation where a girl can have more than one man and there is no revenge if a man is playing around. Re ba ruta gore monona ha tshwarwe madeudeu.”
The group subsists on income from performances, and members weave their own dance gear that includes beads and matlhowa. Members go as far as South Africa to fetch indigenous tree fruits that they use in dance gear. They have expressed worry that the money is too little for the 40 of them to share. They appealed to the general public to donate anything that could help them survive in their endeavor to maintain Sebirwa cultural practices. “Even a roll of material to make a uniform is more than welcome because our uniform is now torn and we are not working yet we have a passion for our tradition.” BDF X1 troupe's main concern is that they have been the backbone of the Bobirwa Trade Fair since its inception, but they say the government has done nothing so far to acknowledge their presence. “We are desperately in need of donors and the government has turned a deaf ear to us.”
Even though they are very attached to their name, BDF X1 has forwarded the name and two others to the registrar of societies to select a suitable one for them. Members foresee a situation where they will be allocated a different name in their certificate but admit that it will take them centuries to cut the umbilical cord with BDF X1. “All the names we submitted were suggested by Mabolwe residents and we hope we will adjust to any outcome of the Registrar of Societies. But before we change the name we wish the vice president could come to Mabolwe, where he is assured of royal treatment.” [4]
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Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE was a Botswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980.
The Kingdom of Mapungubwe was a medieval state in South Africa located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, south of Great Zimbabwe. The name is derived from either TjiKalanga and Tshivenda. The name might mean "Hill of Jackals". The kingdom was the first stage in a development that would culminate in the creation of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe in the 13th century, and with gold trading links to Rhapta and Kilwa Kisiwani on the African east coast. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe lasted about 80 years, and at its height the capital's population was about 5000 people.
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The Botswana Defence Force, the military of Botswana, was formed in 1977. The commander-in-chief is Mokgweetsi Masisi. The main force is the army; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 Panther airboats and 2 Boston Whaler Raider class.
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Lieutenant General Dr. Seretse Khama Ian Khama is a Motswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, he entered politics and was Vice-President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008, then succeeded Festus Mogae as President on 1 April 2008. He won a full term in the 2009 election and was re-elected in October 2014.
Bobirwa Subdistrict is a jurisdiction in Botswana. It is populated by the Babirwa (Ba-Birwa) people who came from Transvaal in present-day South Africa.
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Gobojango, locally known as Gobas is a village in the Central District, Botswana; more specifically in the Bobirwa Sub-District.
