📰 Gaborone

Gaborone (/UKˌɡæbəˈroʊni,_ˌhæb-/ GAB-ə-ROH-nee-,_-HAB,[8][9] /USˌɡɑːbəˈroʊni,_-neɪ/ GAH-bə-ROH-nee-,_--,[8] χabʊˈrʊnɛ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana corpus.1 It was formerly spelled as Gaberones during the colonial era, a name occasionally used in older English texts and maps.[10]2 With a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census,[4] about 10% of the total population of Botswana.[11]3 Its metropolitan area is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022 census.[12]4

Gaborone is situated between Kgale Hill and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the Notwane River and Segoditshane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, within 15 km from the South African border.[13]5 The city is served by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.6 It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding South-East District.[14]7 Locals often refer to the city as GC or Motse-Mshate.[15]8

The city of Gaborone is named after Chief Gaborone of the Tlokwa people, who once controlled land nearby.[16]9 Because it was not affiliated with any specific indigenous group and was close to fresh water, the city was planned to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became an independent nation.[16]10 The centre of the city comprises a long strip of commercial businesses, called "Main Mall", with a semi-circular area of government offices to its east.11 Gaborone was once one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and this has created problems with housing and illegal settlements.12 The city also dealt with conflicts spilling into the country from Zimbabwe corpus and South Africa corpus during the 1980s.13

Gaborone is the political and economic capital of Botswana, home to its largest companies and the Botswana Stock Exchange.14 It also serves as the headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).[17]15 The main spoken languages in the city include Setswana (Tswana), English, Kalanga, and Kgalagadi.16

History

Main article: History of Gaborone, Timeline of Gaborone

Evidence shows that there have been inhabitants along the Notwane River for centuries.17 In more recent history, the Tlokwa left the Magaliesberg ranges to settle in the area around 1880, and called the settlement Moshaweng.18 The word "Gaborone" literally means "it does not fit badly" or "it is not unbecoming".[18]19 The city was then called "Gaberones" by early European colonizers.[19]20 Gaberones, a shortening of "Gaborone's Village", was named after Chief Gaborone of the Tlokwa,[13] whose home village (now called Tlokweng) was across the river from the Government Camp, the name of the colonial government headquarters.21 The nickname, "GC", comes from the name "Government Camp".[15]22 In 1890, Cecil John Rhodes picked Gaberones to house a colonial fort.[20]23 The fort was where Rhodes planned the Jameson Raid.[19]24 The city changed its name from Gaberones to Gaborone in 1969.[21][22]25

The modern town was only founded in 1964, after a decision was taken to establish a capital for Botswana, which became a self governing territory in 1965, before becoming a fully independent republic on 30 September 1966.26

In 1965, the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate moved from Mafeking to Gaberones.[23]27 When Botswana gained its independence, Lobatse was the first choice as the nation's capital.[24]28 However, Lobatse was deemed too limited, and instead, a new capital city would be created next to Gaberones.[15]29 The city was chosen because of its proximity to a fresh water source, its proximity to the railway to Pretoria corpus, its central location among the central tribes, and its lack of association with those surrounding tribes.[25]30

The city was planned under Garden city principles with numerous pedestrian walkways and open spaces.[26]31 Building of Gaborone started in mid-1964.32 During the city's construction, the chairman of Gaberones Township Authority, Geoffrey Cornish, likened the layout of the city to a "brandy glass" with the government offices in the base of the glass and businesses in the "mall", a strip of land extending from the base.[27]33

Most of the early town was built within three years, as a small town designed to accommodate 20,000 people – only to later develop after independence into a modern city.34 Buildings in early Gaborone include assembly buildings, government offices, a power station, a hospital, schools, a radio station, a telephone exchange, police stations, a post office, and more than 1,000 houses.[28]35 Because the town was built so quickly, there was a massive influx of labourers who had built illegal settlements on the new city's southern industrial development zone.36 These settlements were named Naledi.37 The latter term literally means "the star", but could also mean "under the open sky" or "a community that stands out from all others".38 In 1971, because of the growth of illegal settlements, the Gaborone Town Council and the Ministry of Local Government and Lands surveyed an area called Bontleng, which would contain low-income housing.39 However, Naledi still grew, and the demand for housing was greater than ever.40 In 1973, the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) built a "New Naledi" across the road from the "Old Naledi".41 Residents from Old Naledi would be moved to New Naledi.42 However, the demand for housing increased yet again; moreover, the residents who relocated to New Naledi disliked the houses.43 The problem was solved in 1975 when Sir Seretse Khama, the president of Botswana, rezoned Naledi from an industrial zone to a low-income housing area.[29]44

On 30 September 1966, Bechuanaland became the eleventh British dependency in Africa to become independent.45 The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend Derek Jones.[30]46 The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new Gaborone, and is now known as "the Village".[15]47

In the mid-1980s, South Africa attacked Botswana and conducted raids on Gaborone and other border towns.48 The Raid on Gaborone resulted in twelve deaths.49

After the 1994 General Elections, riots started in Gaborone because of high unemployment and other issues.[31]50

Today, Gaborone is growing very rapidly.51 In 1964, Gaborone only had 3,855 citizens;[32] seven years later, the city had almost 18,000 residents.[33]52 The city originally planned on 20,000 citizens, but by 1992, the city had 138,000 people.53 This has led to many squatter settlements on undeveloped land.[34]54 Former mayor Veronica Lesole has stated that Gaborone's development problems were caused by the original city planners.[35]55 6756

Geography

See also: Geography of Botswana

Gaborone is situated at 24°39′29″S 25°54′44″E between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the south-eastern corner of Botswana, and 15 km from the South African border.[13]57 The city lies at an elevation of 1010 m above sea level.58 Gaborone is surrounded by the following cities: Ramotswa to the southwest, Mogoditshane to the northwest, and Mochudi to the east, and Tlokweng across the river.59 Most of them are commuter towns for Gaborone.60 Suburbs in Gaborone include Broadhurst, Gaborone West, The Village, Naledi.[13]61 Phakalane, an affluent suburb, lies about 13 km north of the city center.[36]62

In the centre of the city lies the Main Mall which houses many diplomatic missions.63 At the eastern end of the Mall, one can find the Civic Centre along with the Pula Arch that commemorates Botswana's independence.64 The Botswana Stock Exchange, National Museum and Art Gallery, and the main campus of the University of Botswana also lie near the Main Mall.65 To the west of the Main Mall is the Government Enclave.66 This area contains the governmental buildings such as the National Assembly of Botswana and Ntlo ya Dikgosi buildings.67 The National Archives building is also found here.68

Climate

Gaborone has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).69 Most of the year, Gaborone is very sunny.70 The summers are usually hot.71 The nights are cool.72 Usually, the summers with little rainfall are warmer than summers with regular rainfall.73 If there is a drought, the hottest temperatures of the year are usually in January or February.74 If there is normal rainfall, the hottest temperatures are usually in October, right before the rain starts.75 During the winter, days are still warm, and the nights are cold.[37]76

There are on average seventy-four days per year with temperatures above 32 °C. There are on average 196 days per year with temperatures above 26 °C. There are on average fifty-one days per year with temperatures below 7 °C. There is on average one day per year with temperatures below 0 °C.[38] The average dew point peaks around January and February at 16 °C and hits the lowest levels in July at 2 °C. The average dew point in a given year is 10 °C.[38] The record high temperature ever registered in Gaborone was 43.9 °C.[39] The lowest temperature registered in Gaborone was -6.5 °C.[39]77

Precipitation in Gaborone is scanty and erratic.78 Most of the rainfall in Gaborone falls during the summer months, between October and April.[37]79 There are on average forty days of thunderstorms per year, most of them happening during the summer months, and four days of fog, usually happening during the winter months.[38]80 Gaborone has been affected by three floods based on records going back to 1995, one in 2000, one in 2001 that caused an estimated 5,000,000 Botswana pula worth of damage, and one in 2006.[40]81 On average the city receives 3328.4 sunshine hours a year.82 The highest temperature ever record in the city was measured at 43.3 °C on January 6, 1995, and the lowest of -5.8 °C on June 14, 1971.[41]83

The highest relative humidity occurs in June at 90% while the lowest is in September at 28%.[37]84

Solar irradiance ranges from 4.1 kWh m−2 d−1 in June to 7.3 kWh m−2 d−1 in December.[37]85

It is windier from September to November at 14 km/h, and it is calmer from May to August at 8 km/h.86 The average wind speed in a given year is 12 km/h.[38]87

[42] |source 2 = Climate Data [43]88

Demographics

The population, based on the 2022 census, is 246,325.89 There are 118,727 males and 127,598 females in the city.[4]90 There are 58,476 households in Gaborone.[44]91 In 2001, the average household size was 3.11 people.92 The city of Gaborone is home to over 10% of the population of Botswana.[11][31]93 Almost half of Botswana citizens live within 100 km of Gaborone.[45]94

The population growth rate of Gaborone is 3.4%, the highest in the country.95 This is most likely because the city has a more developed infrastructure, making it more livable.[46]96 Gaborone is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.[13]97 Much of the growth is based on net in migration from the rest of Botswana.[47]98

The sex ratio of Gaborone is 96.3, meaning that there are 963 men for every 1,000 women.[48]99 About 15% of all marriages in Botswana were registered in Gaborone in 2007; this is more than any other district.[49]100 On average, there are 3.3 persons per household in Gaborone.101 This is a low number compared to the rest of Botswana.[11]102

Places of worship

See also: Religion in Botswana

Among places of worship, Christian churches and temples predominate.103 These include houses of worship affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana (Lutheran World Federation), Assemblies of God, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Christ Embassy, Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone (Catholic Church).[50]104 Accompanying a significant community of ethnic Serbs in the city, there are also two Serbian Orthodox churches within Gaborone; the St. Nicholas Church and the St. Sava Church.105