Chief Gaborone
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Gaborone (c. 1825 – 1931) was a ''
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- ...
'' (King) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger
Tswana people The Batswana (, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group native to Southern Africa that are descendants of King Looe (Lowe) who established the Hurutshi tribe in Southern Africa (linguistic ...
in what is now
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 ...
. He became the tribe's King around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smallest independent tribal unit" in the
Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...
. He gave his name to the city of Gaborone, Botswana's current capital.


Early life and family

Gaborone's exact year of birth is unknown, but 1825 has been suggested as a likely date. His father was Matlapeng, who was the youngest of the four sons of Chief Kgosi, and his designated heir. He is the great grandson of Bogatsu. Upon Kgosi's death, Matlapeng was too young to succeed, and his older brother Lesage acted as chief in his place, subsequently leading the Tlokwa into an alliance with
Sebetwane Sebetwane (between about 1790 and 1800 – July 7, 1851) was chief of the Patsa branch of the Bafokeng clan. He established the large and powerful Makololo nation in what is now southwestern Zambia after an arduous migration of over 1200 ...
(the leader of the Makololo). However, Basha (one of Matlapeng's other brothers) was dissatisfied with Lesage's leadership, and the Tlokwa split into two groups. The first, led by Lesage, travelled north with Sebetwane to the
Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...
, while the second, led by Basha, travelled south to Letlhakeng (now located in Kweneng District). Matlapeng sided with Basha, and Letlhakeng consequently became the birthplace of Gaborone, his first son. Matlapeng succeeded Basha as King of the Tlokwa in 1835, and moved the tribe's village to Lepalong. Fearing attacks from the
Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...
s and the Matabele, they relocated two years later to Thaba Ntsho. However, they were soon subjected to a Boer attack, and the survivors fled back to Letlhakeng. Matlapeng subsequently allied the Tlokwa with the Kwena tribe (led by Setshele), and his people moved to the Kwena capital, Molepolole. However, Setshele soon accused the Tlokwa of cowardice in a battle against the Ngwato, and Matlapeng ended the alliance (on non-violent terms) and led his people to Tshwene-Tshwene (near Vleischfontein in present-day South Africa). In 1875, the Tlokwa and the Kgatla combined to attack the Kwena at Molepolole, but were driven.
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, ...
himself was responsible for rescue of the Kgatla chief, Lentswe, who had been abandoned by his fleeing tribesmen.


Kingdom

Matlapeng died around 1880, and Gaborone, who was "already over sixty years of age", succeeded him as ''kgosi''. Four years after his accession to the Kingdom, three of his brothers left the tribe to make their own ways in the world, although this was not an unusual occurrence amongst the
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, ...
. Around the same time as his brothers left, Gaborone moved the tribe to what is now called Tlokweng, on the
Notwane River The Notwane River (or Ngotwane River) is a river in southeastern Botswana. Certain sections of its course form the international boundary with South Africa. Its mouth is at the head of the Limpopo River. It has a catchment area of . Course The ...
. That land fell within the nominal territory of the Kwena, but Gaborone erased the previous ill-will between the tribes by sending Setshele a gift of money and cattle. In 1895, Setshele's successor, Sebele, surrendered a strip of his land to the British, to be used for the construction of a railway by the
British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expecte ...
(BSAC). The land surrendered included Tlokweng. Rather than see their aging chief lose his land, the rest of the tribe determined that they would instead rent the land from the company until his death, at a rate of £150 per year. The company agreed that "the old chief should not be disturbed in his lifetime". Gaborone eventually died in 1931, at the estimated age of 106. He was succeeded by his grandson, his eldest son having predeceased him.


Legacy

After Gaborone's death, the
Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...
negotiated the return of the Tlokwa land from the BSAC, and created the Batlokwa Reserve. From the 1890s, Tlokweng had become known to British settlers as simply "Gaborone's Village", and the area on the opposite (western) bank to Tlokweng was given the name "Gaborone's Block". The name subsequently spread to the administrative headquarters of the area, and was corrupted from "Gaborone's" to "Gaberones". The town which developed retained the name "Gaberones" until 1969, when it was changed to
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, ...
. Three years earlier, it had become the capital of the newly independent country of
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 ...
.


See also

* List of rulers of Tlôkwa


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaborone, Kgosi 1820s births 1931 deaths Botswana chiefs Botswana men centenarians