The Bangwaketse (also known as the BaNgwaketse, or Ngwaketse) are one of the eight principal tribes in
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
, and are ethnic
Tswana
Tswana may refer to:
* Tswana people, the Bantu languages, Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions
* Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people
* Tswanaland, ...
. (The "Ba" or "Bo" prefix in African tribal names in southern Africa means "people of" or "people who speak". "Ma" means "person of".)
Kanye is the original Bangwaketse village located in the
Southern District settled in 1853, originally called Ntsweng Hill. The king of the tribe is King Malope II, son of Seepapitso IV. The Bangwaketse people live in the arid mountainous region of Southern Botswana mentioned in the book ''Cherub: Guardian Angel''. It is bordered by
Moshupa,
Lobatse
Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...
, and
Jwaneng, and it is a 45-minute drive from
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...
, the capital city of Botswana. The village is served by
Kanye Airport.
A documentary on the Bangwaketse royal family was filmed in 2003–2005: "The Queen's Courtyard".
Villages
Notable people
*
Quett Masire –
former President of Botswana
*
Bathoen Gaseitsiwe – ''
Kgosi
A (; ) is the title for a hereditary leader of a Batswana and South Africa peoples tribe.
Usage
The word "kgosi" is a Setswana term for "king" or "chief". Various affixes can be added to the word to change its meaning: adding the prefix ''di- ...
'' of the BaNgwaketse and
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
*
Archibald Mogwe – former Botswana foreign minister and former Ambassador.
*
Mpule Kwelagobe – investor, businesswoman, model and beauty queen from Gaborone, Botswana who was crowned Miss Universe in May 1999.
See also
*
List of rulers of the Bangwaketse
References
External links
"Khunwana: A history of the Bangwaketse (Part XII)" ''Sunday Standard''
Ethnic groups in Botswana
Southern District (Botswana)
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