Palapye: From a shanty to a modern town

Gasebalwe Seretse
Correspondent | Friday October 12, 2012 00:00

 

'In the olden days, Palapye used to be called Kwa-Dikotoiseng. There was a certain businessman called Pagewood in Serowe in the 1930s and his contract workers used to hold some boxing matches in the makeshift homes constructed in the area and that is how the place became popular,' says the respected Shashane. The senior citizen says he is an age-mate of the first president of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama.

The World War II veteran says that the original Palapye was situated in the present-day industrial site and was nothing to write home about. When many people started to settle in the village, Bangwato regent, Tshekedi Khama sent in the Nwako brothers, Segotso and Kediretswe in the early 1940s and the former became the first Kgosi of the village.

When Shashane returned from the war in 1946, he decided to relocate to Palapye where he worked for the Blackbeard family as a receiving and forwarding agent.

'Back then, Palapye was one of the few stations in the country where one could receive and send goods and most of the central district got its goods from the settlement,' asserts Shashane.

He says Palapye started to thrive under the leadership of Kgosi Gaehalale Sebeso, popularly known as GG. It was Sebeso who moved the village from the present day industrial site and sub-divided it into wards where he installed headmen.   Sebeso instructed  his people to construct the Kgotla that still stands today. Ungwang Nwako became the headman of Boikago ward, Orapeleng Manyapetsa oversaw Madiba, Odisitse Kolobe was given Serorome while Otaata Shashane got Lotsane.

As Palapye started to thrive under Sebeso, some white traders settled in the village and set up shops. The likes of TW Shaw, RA Bailey and Flattery became businessmen of note in the village. 'The stores of these men used to supply the whole of central district with food, wares and cattle feed and this attracted more and more people to the village,' says Shashane. As the village grew, a health post with a dispensary was set up and a primary school under the leadership of Ranna Ramojababo was established.

Shashane reminisces that the white men had their own court under a tree to try suspected wrong-doers. 'One of the most famous trials held under the tree was that of Ngwato royal uncle, Phethu Mphoeng, who stood accused of having  caused grievous bodily harm to another man by castrating him. Although the alleged victim was a relative of mine, I became a witness on Mphoeng's behalf and the man was acquitted as there was no evidence to convict him,' says Shashane.

Interestingly, Mphoeng was implicated in the harsh treatment of the Bakalanga-ba-Nswazwi during their uprising against the rule of the Bangwato. The first police station in Palapye is one of the oldest buildings in the village. It still stands next to the current police station.

Having honed his business acumen while working for the Blackbeards, Shashane started his own business. Today, he is one of the most respected business people in the village.

Under Shashane's leadership, Lotsane ward grew and produced two wards - Khurumela which was under Baki Kanyama and Thomadithotse ruled by the father of former president, Festus Mogae.

Shashane says Palapye has been under the leadership of the Nwako brothers, Majashango, GG Sebeso, Molwa Sekgoma and Raditanka Ntebele. Interestingly, there has never been a dispute over bogosi in the village. Most of the dikgosi are appointed by the main Bangwato Kgotla in Serowe.

Although the Palapye Kgotla has a sculpture of the duiker - phuti - the totem of the Bangwato people, the village has been largely accepted as a melting pot of all cultures.

Shashane says that he is proud to say that he is one of the few people alive today to see the village grow from a shanty to a modern urban centre. He says that as the village grew, there was need to have more schools. That is how Palapye Secondary School, Mmaphula Junior Secondary School, Central Primary School, Serorome Primary School, Boipuso Primary School, Kediretswe Primary School and Ratsie Setlhako Primary School among others were built.

Ratsie Setlhako Primary School was named after the legendary folk artist at the insistence of old Shashane who believed that the old man needed to be honoured for his contribution to the arts in the country.

Tertiary institutions in the village include the second university, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) and Palapye Technical College.

The village boasts top class facilities such as the newly built, Majestic Five, Botsalo and Dessert Sand Motel. Some famous eateries in the centre are Nandos, Chicken Licken and Bimbos. Supermarket giants like Spar, Shoppers and Choppies are thriving in Palapye. So are banks such as FNB, Standard Chartered, Barclays and Stanbic.

A modern police station has been built near the industrial site and plans are underway to build a big hospital in the area. There is an array of government offices that offer services to the people in the village and its outskirts.

Thanks to builders of our nation like old Shashane, Palapye has become one of the most important urban centres in Botswana.