The rescue of the ancient shrine comes at the expense of a multi-million Pula internal road infrastructure project that had already resulted in other affected home and business owners being paid out to pave way for the planned road, before the department of monument halted the whole process.The multi-million Pula internal roads project in Mafatshwa ward was scheduled to pass through the old Batlokwa Kgotla where the shrine, used by Kgosi Gaborone in rain-making rituals, still lay unscathed and has survived for over 100 years.
Head of the Archaeology and Monuments Division at the Botswana National Museum Dr Phillip Segadika explains that as with all major developments the intended road project was preceded by an archaeological impact assessment that identified this shrine and the Old Batlokwa Kgotla as one of the potential casualties of the proposed road alignment. "By virtue of the fact that its use is known to predate 1902, it is, by law, protected as an ancient monument in accordance with the law.So we entrenched the recommendation that the road will have to circumnavigate these very important archaeological and historical monuments," Segadika explained to The Monitor over the weekend.
