The Gaborone Village Fort
Sandy Grant | Wednesday August 31, 2016 15:51
Its presumed purpose was to protect the fledgling settlement and to achieve control over the ford across the river and the key roads, which splayed outwards from it. In the event, the Fort had a short and inglorious existence.
In 1899 the South African War broke out, and with the Boers about to over-run both the new settlement and the railway station, the Fort was precipitously abandoned without a shot being fired. Ellenberger provided a first hand account.
‘The camp was surrounded on more than one side by very thick bush, much of which has since been cleared. Its only water supply was from a Police well on the fringe of dense bush on the river-flat and it had to be carted in a tank on wheels, drawn by oxen.
The fort had been sand-bagged afresh It was obvious that, had we been attacked at Gaberone’s our position would have been utterly hopeless after a couple of days without water.
Further down the line the Boers on Sepitsi started shelling the armoured train as soon as they caught sight of it. We were therefore not surprised when the Police were ordered by their Headquarters in Bulawayo to retire northwards. The Assistant Commissioner and I had no option but to do likewise.
If I remember correctly, it was on October 24 that we evacuated Gaberone’s. It was about 2pm when we rode out of the Camp, making for the village of Morwa, on the Metsimotlhaba river and in the Bakgatla Reserve.
Two men had been left behind with instructions to set fire to the Police stores half an hour after our departure and then to catch up with us, which they did in due course. We saw the smoke going up in the air. The Boers also saw it and entered the camp very shortly afterwards as we subsequently learnt from our friends the Natives.’
It may be noted that whilst Ellenberger refers to police, the police well and to police stores, he make no mention of troops or any form of heavy weaponry. The supposition may be that the Fort was never properly equipped. Nothing of any significance is left today of this historical oddity.
Unfortunately, there still appears to be no information as to the Fort’s subsequent fate. Was it demolished or, unused and unwanted, allowed to disintegrate bit by bit? The signposted information provided by the National Museum is hopelessly misleading.
It was never intended to protect the railway line, as must be obvious to even the most casual of visitors. Nor did it have any connection with Cecil Rhodes. Reference to the Pioneer Column is an unexplained distraction because this never came anywhere near Gaborone.