Nswazwi: The cradle of Kalanga history
Patricia Edwin | Friday May 16, 2014 16:55
It certainly is a natural boulevard with long dark trees lining the road as it weaves and curves, as if endlessly, though a mere nine kilometres from the junction towards the Tutume turn-off.
It is only after my rollercoaster ride into the village where I am going to tap into the exciting history of the village, that I realise that the road is so unique.
It has a certain atmosphere to it, which I cannot readily put my finger on. Could the lush vegetation that cushions the road and the expansively hilly surrounding bring about this feeling?
Once you drive into the village, the first thing you see is the Maibe River, a tributary of the mighty Shashe river, and a bridge. Two other streams, Mashawe and Motswaibe also flow into Shashe, which occupies the eastern side of the village.
Nswazwi village is in the Central District, approximately 100 kilometres from Francistown, near Tutume and Goshwe.
It is one of the villages in Botswana with a complicated and rich history.
Arrival into the village is greeted by a signboard indicating the direction of the Kgotla with its impressive stonewall that encloses several offices. In fact, it has more offices than I have seen in many villages.
When talking about the history of the village, it becomes apparent that the villagers are passionate, with love and pride of Nswazwi. It starts off with feigned reticence from the grey haired men I encounter at the Kgotla.
But once they get talking, there is no stopping them.
Take one of the oldest men that I am reverentially referred to.
He is Mohabala Masalila, who says he was born in 1914.
Masalila is ramrod straight for a man who has clocked a century in years. But it is when he opens his mouth to speak of the village, the way he gesticulates, pausing for a well-thought out response, the way he treats the facts, with utmost delicacy that you realise that you are sitting by the fountain of wisdom.
I meet him at one of the complexes in the village and once people hear that he is going to talk about the history of the village, they gravitate towards us and with undeniable interest, prick their ears to literally eat out of his hand.
As he comes to sit down, Masalila is sporting a ‘Stapora’ cap on a head bereft of tresses. Perhaps on a charm offensive as if to meet a damsel in distress, he is all decked out in a trendy brown jacket.
Masalila says he was told the version of the village history when he was still a youngster. Though he is self-effacing about it, talk in the village is that Masalila is one of the people who were in venerated Chief John Madawu Nswazwi’s inner circles.
He (Masalila) was a police officer and later chairman of the Village Development Committee (VDC).
Like a grandfather telling a fairytale to his grandchildren around a bonfire, Masalila says baka Nswazwi came from a place called Tswetla in Venda and on their way here, they met up with the Bapedi.
He says the two groups, which merged into one, first settled in Tswapong before moving on to Shoshong. Then they migrated to Mosu in the Boteti sub-district. They later settled near Palapye before moving on to Nshindingwe, which was later, renamed Nshakazhogwe.
“After that they went to Nekati near Nata and then to Serowe and later to Banitjena near Maitengwe,” he states.
The old man further relates an interesting story of how the village came to be known as Nswazwi after a hunting trip.
“Nswazwi (the Chief) was hunting alongside other men when he saw a wild animal that he yearned to kill. He made a bow and arrow from the branch of a tree called Nswazwi in Kalanga (Mokabi in Setswana or Russet Bush-willow in English).
“When he realised the sticks had killed the animal, the village was euphemistically called Nswazwi Wa Pomba Ngombe (Nswazwi, the tree has subdued the cow),” Masalila says with a chuckle, revealing a toothful mouth for someone of his age.
He says that Nswazwi was friends with his father and at times he would visit and stay for some time.
“He was from Nswazwi ward of course, and we were from a ward called Thema and we lived side by side with people from Nsengathekwe ward. He loved us so much that he would come and stay for several days with us,” he says.
At the Kgotla, the headman of record, Batshani Monyatsi Nswazwi, 62, a direct descendant of Nswazwi and the chairman of the Village Development Committee (VDC), Stephen Bontsi Nthaba takes over relating the history of the village.
Bontsi is also tasked with talking about the current state of the village.
Once again one cannot help appreciating the fact that the people of Nswazwi are proud of their history. It certainly is not something that they take lightly.
Headman Nswazwi says people of his village are originally Bapedi from Petersburg in South Africa.
He says they settled in Shoshong near Bangwato and later moved to Sebina whereupon they moved again to Pandamatenga. They then moved all the way to Changate Village near Maitengwe and then to Zimbabwe.
“Madawu later came to stay in Botswana. Originally Nswazwi was with his brothers,” says Nswazwi.
He says that in 1947 a quarrel erupted between Madawu Nswazwi and the Bangwato Regent, Tshekedi Khama over the issue of taxes and he (Madawu) decided to go back to Jetjeni.
“Conflicts erupted because of the taxes as Nswazwi wanted his taxes to stay in Nswazwi and be used to develop the village instead of being sent to Serowe. That’s how the historical conflict was born.
“Nswazwi decided to go back to Jetjeni,” he says, of his forebear who started his reign in 1910. (History books say Tshekedi actually banished a rebellious Nswazwi to Jetjeni).
He relates that Madawu’s lineage started with Shabalume who sired Mashaka, who bore Kuswani who in turn was the father of Madawu.
After Madawu had been banished, uncles ruled in his stead and these are Kombani Lesetedi, then Matsapa Motingwa followed by Khimbini Moalosi who was followed by the rightful heir in Mathafeni Nswazwi who was succeeded by the present headman of records in Batshani Nswazwi.
Nswazwi says that most of the names are Setswana or Sepedi because these people were not Kalanga originally as he had mentioned that they were originally Bapedi from South Africa.
Presently the village has nine wards and these are Nswazwi, Mokelebela, Mposi, Mabunde, Mokgopo, Mangole, Sesinyi, Thibatsela and Nsengathekgwe.
“Most of the wards are Baperi whose totem is Khupe (a hare/rabbit), but there are others who are Moyo (heart) and these originated from Mengwe (Maitengwe) Village. The Khupe’s have two branches, namely Khupe Bachilalu and Khupe Bangawadi,” he says.
The story of the two Khupes is an interesting one. Batshani says the clan had only a few people, hence they devised a plan that would help them multiply. They divided themselves into Bachilalu and Bangawadi and engaged in intermarriages, which helped to increase their population.
He further explained that were it not for politics, Nswazwi would be a big village on the same level as Serowe or Molepolole by now. But baka-Nswazwi people were scattered in many villages such as Marapong, Masunga, Mosetse, Dukwi, Serowe (in Mhaswa Ward), Chilagwane, Tutume and others.
“People in the villages I have mentioned are our kith and kin. We are the same people with them. They have relatives and descendants here,” he says.
Serenity is the order of the day next to the Kgotla where the tomb of John Madawu Nswazwi stands majestically.
The burial place is well taken care of. It is fenced and the background is spotlessly clean. John Madawu’s tomb is placed alongside that if his son and successor, Chief Mathafeni Nswazwi.
John Madawu’s remains were exhumed in Jetjeni and moved to Nswazwi in 2002 where he was re-buried with much pomp and ceremony. He died and was buried in 1960 in Jetjeni.
His children who had remained in Jetjeni then followed suit in 2006 and were integrated amongst their relatives.