Visiting Botswana 5

Lobatse

It's a pretty, little town.

Lobatse is near the South African border. Its history began with early Bakwena and Bangwaketse settlements before its establishment by colonialists in the 1890s as a railway and administrative hub. Initially considered for the national capital, it instead became a significant political and legal centre, hosting the Bechuanaland Legislative Council which drafted Botswana's constitution, and serving as a refuge for political dissidents like Nelson Mandela and Samora Machel.

Today, it remains a key economic centre, particularly for the Botswana Meat Commission, and is home to the Botswana High Court. (I saw both).

The modern town was officially founded in 1896 by the British colonial administration.

It served as a strategic location for administration and as a construction camp for the railway line built from Mafikeng to Bulawayo.

Other institutions include the S'brana psychiatric hospital. (I saw this too).

PS: I took all these photos myself.