How Chadibe came into being

PINI BOTHOKO
Correspondent | Wednesday January 9, 2013 00:00

 

CHADIBE: Chadibe is a small village located approximately 25 kilometres west of Francistown and a few kilometres north of the sprawling Borolong Village on the Francistown-Orapa Road. Its 5,000 people are proud of their origins and treasure their village's rich history.

This was amply demonstrated during Chadibe's cultural day celebrations on 29 December 2012, which was organised by the village leadership. The purpose of the event was to celebrate the origin and history of the village and educate the villagers, especially the youth, about how Chadibe had come into being.

Chadibe is now a fully-fledged and 'cosmopolitan' village made up of a number of Botswana's tribal groupings, among them Barotsi, Bakalaka, Bazezuru, Bakwena and Bangwato.

Despite its ethnic diversity, Chadibe has  forged a solid unity that makes it no different from more homogeneous villages in Botswana. According to folklore and a local oral historian, Wena Namakando, the village was first settled by Barotsi who came to Botswana from Zambia in 1810, mainly to purchase pots and guns.

White-haired Namakando, who was born in Chadibe around 1916, held fort at the podium on the cultural day to narrate the story of how the Barotsi settled in Chadibe. The first Barotsi to come to Botswana were men in search of pots and guns. As fate would have it, the men ended up being so enamoured of Batswana women that they decided to settle and marry the captivating maidens.

Namakando quipped: 'Barotsi ba itsege ka go rata basadi (The libidinous nature of Barotsi men is legendary!')Namakando told how Chadibe was thus established as the Barotsi men grew their roots and prospered at the fields.

'The chieftainship of this village belongs to us, the Barotsi tribe,' he intoned. 'The first Kgosi of the village was Kajata Sengongi from Sesheke in Zambia.' The chieftainship continued among Barotsi until today when they are living side by side with other tribes.

Another predominant tribe in the village is that of Bazezuru whose womenfolk are always picturesque in their white dresses and the men distinct with their shaven heads and generous goatees. Whereupon Bazezuru picked up the cue: Lavishly bearded and gleamingly baldheaded Simon Mangageni (83) took to the podium as the spiritual leader of Bazezuru in Botswana.

They came to Botswana to preach the word of God to Batswana under the leadership of Johane Masowe from Zimbabwe back in 1951, all in fulfilment of prophecy received a year before, the 83-year old geezer began. 'That is when and how I was selected with others,' said Manganani. 'We first settled at Natale Village but did not stay for long before their chief chased us away.

'The elders of the village had complained that we were praying too much, even at night, and that we were also working on Sundays, which day they considered as their Sabbath.'  They were chased up to Tlhalogang River, which separates Chadibe and Borolong, and the stragglers decided to settle across the river.

A word of prophecy came and instructed them to seek a place of permanent abode. Manganani continued: 'We then approached Radipitse Radipitse, the Senior Sub-Tribal Authority at Tonota, about establishing such a place.

'Since the prophecy had instructed us to settle near a hill, we told Radipitse that we had found a suitable place at Shashe at the point of entry into Tonota. It is for that reason that most of the Zezuru tribe in Botswana is found there today.'But Manganani returned to settle among Barotsi in Chadibe were the two ethnic groups live happily side by side. He noted that in addition to common humanity, Barotsi and Bazezuru are both tradespeople who work with their hands.