Shoshong

Shoshong was the Bangwato capital through much of the nineteenth century, a substantial town in the hills that missionaries and traders visited before the move to Palapye in 1889 and then Serowe. What remains of that period is largely on the ground rather than standing: mission foundations, graves, and the shape of the old town in the hills above the present village. Gorges cut back into the hills behind, with springs and walking routes into them.

History

The BaPhaleng first lived here, joined by the Bakaa and then the BaNgwato under King Sekgoma I, who chose the site because it was easy to defend, and as a meeting place of trade routes it drew explorers such as David Livingstone; a station of the London Missionary Society was founded in 1862, where John Mackenzie lived until 1876, and in 1875 Sekgoma was overthrown here by his son Khama. By 1885 Shoshong had 20,000 to 30,000 people, but after some forty years on one site its water ran short, and in 1888-1889 Khama and most of his people moved to Old Palapye, 95 kilometres away, leaving about 800 people here by 1911 (Wikipedia, Shoshong).

What's there

• The gorges - rock valleys cutting into the hills above the village.
• The old capital site - foundations and graves from the nineteenth-century town.
• The springs - water sources in the hills that supported the settlement.
• The hills - the range the village is built against.

When to go

April to September is the dry season and the most comfortable for walking the gorges. Summer heat is severe and the rocks hold it. Grass is high after the rains.

What to expect

Little is standing from the historic capital and the site needs a guide to read. There is no interpretation and no facilities. The road in from Mahalapye is rough.

Nearby

Mahalapye is east, and Serowe is north.

Key facts