Manyana village has a rich history

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer | Friday January 13, 2012 00:00

 

Just a few kilometres from Mmankgodi along the road leading to Manyana lies a very important historical site, a place where the Battle of Dimawe between Batswana tribes and the Boers was fought in the 1850s just a few years after Bahurutshe settled in the area from Groot Marico in South Africa.

But Dimawe is not the only place of historical importance in Manyana. There is the Mmasechele cave, about a kilometre from the village Kgotla on the edge of the hill in the village.

Just nearby is also the Livingstone Tree, which has stood there for more than a century. According to historical accounts, both oral and documented, that was where the British missionary and Dr. David Livingstone, conducted lessons.

Perhaps not as interesting as the other sites, the Lutheran Church ruins, along the road leading to the Kgotla, also tell a story of how the village developed from a religious point of view.

The ruins of baked clay bricks are what is left of the first Lutheran Church in the village. This place also holds bitter memories of a protracted battle for ownership of the 'newer' building next to the ruins. After 1966 when members of the congregation, who used their contributions to build the modern structure, tried to win freedom from the South African headquarters, a fierce battle erupted between them and their superiors in South Africa.

However, it is reported that the whole thing turned ugly when the South African synod claimed ownership and held onto the building; and when the High Court in Lobatse ruled against the congregation many were left devastated especially that fellow countrymen decided to testify against them.

Listening to the retired village chief Mareko Mosielele narrate the story one is simply captivating. However, it is only a few residents of this village who know the value of all these historical monuments surrounding them let alone the significance of their village in the history of this country.

According to Mosielele, another very important site was a place called Boswelakgosi where his great, great grandfather Manyana Magope died and was buried in the 1850s.

Very few people, especially youngsters, know why the secondary school in the village was named Boswelakgosi.Born in 1924, Mosielele's memory is still very good for someone his age as he recounted the historical events that contributed in shaping the future of this country with much ease.

'Dimawe was a one-day battle between Batswana tribes of Bakwena, Balete, Bahurutshe and Bakgatla ba-ga-Mmanaana and the Boers of South Africa. The Boers were using these kgobela guns while our tribes were using stones, spears and an assortments of weapons but they still managed to repel the invaders,' he said.

Mosielele went on to explain why these places earned their current names. According to him even the name of Bakwena leader Sechele was a 'misinterpretation' of the word sitshele, a Ndelebe word for 'tell us'.

'It was during one of those wars between Matebele and Bakwena that they (Matebele) captured some members of the tribe and tried to force them to tell where the chief was and because it was two people who could not understand each other, it resulted in the misinterpretation, hence the chief was called Sechele,' he said.

The Mmasechele cave, according to historians and Mareko, was the place where the wife of Sechele was hidden during the troubled time of Matebele wars. Although there are accounts that she was also pregnant at the time, Mosielele said he had not heard of that but emphasised that 'women were respected hence it was very important to hide her there.'

The irony that only a few recognise these historical sites let alone the role they could play in attracting tourism business does not sit well with the retired kgosi. He has always taken keen interest in the preservation of heritage and culture.

He recalled an incident in the 60s, just a decade after assuming the responsibility of tribal leader, he sentenced a man to four months imprisonment for cutting a branch from the Livingstone tree, but the kgosi was left frustrated when the district commissioner released the man.

Perhaps it is worth noting that the tribal leadership of Bahurutshe in South Africa originated from this village.

Former Bophuthatswana president Lucas Mangope who is a cousin to Kgosi Mosielele and so was Kgosi Suping of Suping, are descendents of Manyana Mangope who settled in Manyana in 1851.

Today, there are several efforts to utilise the sites. Manyana Community Development Trust set up in 2006 is working towards preserving the treasures and turning them into profit-making ventures.

Chairman Tlhagiso Sethibe told Arts and Culture that together with other stakeholders like the national museum, they were working on strategies to ensure that the residents of Manyana benefit from these sites.

'There are a lot of artefacts like some beads which are reported to have been brought from the Indian Ocean and some pieces of broken clay pots most of which have remained undisturbed due to a myth that there are big snakes which swallow anyone who gets closer to those things,' Sethibe said.

He noted that they were also aiming to raise awareness among the youth in the area to preserve the site.'A lot of money can be generated if these historical sites are properly managed,' Sethibe said.