Molepolole

Molepolole is one of the largest villages in Botswana and the Bakwena capital, spread over a wide area below a scarp on the edge of the Kalahari. It is where David Livingstone worked with Chief Sechele in the 1840s before moving to Kolobeng, and the Kgosi Sechele I Museum, in a stone building from the colonial era, covers that history and the Bakwena. Kobokwe Cave nearby carries a long-standing local tradition and is a short walk from the road.

Background

The village is named after the Molepolole River, and its people are the Bakwena, one of the eight major tribes of Botswana. With over 74,674 residents in 2022, it counts among the largest traditional villages in Africa, and at an elevation of 1189 metres it serves as a gateway for trips into the Kalahari Desert. The Scottish Livingstone Hospital is here. Molepolole has stood at Borakalalo since 1899/1900, where there is an LMS church and an Anglican church built in 1916. Sechele I, Sebele I and Sebele II lie under burial cairns on the kraal of the old village site, and Legaga La Ga Kabokwe, called Livingstone and Sechele's Cave, is about 2 miles away on the Molepolole-Thamaga road.

Source: Wikipedia, "Molepolole"

Highlights

• The Kgosi Sechele I Museum - Bakwena history in an old stone building.
• Kobokwe Cave - a cave in the scarp with a long-standing local tradition attached.
• The scarp - the ridge above the village marking the edge of the Kalahari.
• The kgotla - the traditional meeting place at the centre of the village.

When to go

April to September is the dry season and most comfortable. The museum keeps weekday hours. Summer afternoons are hot with storms.

Things to know

The village is very spread out and getting between points needs a vehicle. Museum hours are unreliable. The cave is unlit and access is on a rough path.

Nearby

Thamaga is south, and Gaborone is southeast.

Key facts