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Why Visit Kanye

mmakgodumo_dam

- BANGWAKETSE MAIN KGOTLA

- KGOSI BATHOENG II STATUE

- DIFALANA

- MMALEKWA ROYAL CEMETRY

- PHARING GORGE

- MMAKGODUMO DAM

- BATHOENG BIRD SANTUARY

- MMAMOKHASI DAM

Bangwaketse Main Kgotla

It is located at Kgosing in Ntsweng. It was built in 1914 by Kgosi Seepapitso III. The kgotla has full interesting historical buildings, including the former residence of Kgosi Bathoen I and the original tribal offices.​

Kgosi Bathoeng II Statue

The son of Kgosi Seepapitso II, Kgosi Bathoen II is the most celebrated ruler in the history of Bangwaketse if not the entire nation because of his progressive thinking. He brought forward so many developments that became very instrumental in the lives of not only his subjects but other Batswana as leaders started benchmarking from what he did. He promoted the building of schools such as Seepapitso Secondary School, introduced the first agricultural show in Botswana and supported sports organisation since he was an avid sports person. He was also very instrumental in the preservation of customary matrimonial law which has been widely adopted by many Batswana tribes. He was the first chairman of the House of Chiefs just to mention a few of his accolades as the leader of Bangwaketse. Hence, him being immortalised with a bronze statue from a long bloodline of about 22 rulers that have ruled the Bangwaketse tribe for the past 270 years.

Difalana

We consider them our “Soweto Towers”, built over (period) years ago they served a totally different purpose to that of the original Soweto Towers. They were traditionally used to store grains such as sorghum and maize for redistribution during times of drought or emergencies. The needy and those who had fallen on hard times were also fed from Difalana with authorization of Kgosi. Today, they are not used for the latter purpose. However, they still stand and have been maintained to remind us of our heritage and history.

Mmalekwa Royal Cemetry

Founded in (year), these cemeteries hold more of a historical significance than anything else.

They were used to lay to rest the community’s pillars and upper echelon; a group of people ranging from royal family members, missionaries and prominent business peoples.

Pharing Gorge

The gorge was formed among highly jointed rocks. There is a yearly flow of water that encourages the growth of so many plants and supports the livelihood of so many animals ranging from velvet monkeys (dikgabo), rock rabbits (dipela) and a wide variety of birds. It is also associated with rich history from the Mfecane era as it is said that the Bangwaketse hid around it from Mzilikazi’s Ndebele raids. Because of its ever-flowing waters it doesn’t go without its myths and legends, stories of shape shifting creatures that can change into anything, either to terrify witnesses or bestow them with some kind of luck, folktales or truth everyone is yet to discover that for themselves, some things cannot be fully narrated they have to be personally experienced.

Mmakgodumo Dam

The dam stretches over a distance of (distance) and surrounded by (type of trees). Mmakgodumo can be clearly seen from the top of the Pharing Gorge cliff edges. Its brownish waters confidently displaying its majestic strait all the way to the edges of its banks. Activities permitted in this area include; fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, photography and events hosting when the waters are not overflowing. The dam is under the custodianship of Bathoen 11 Trust.

Bathoeng Bird Santuary

The sanctuary is located next to Pharing Gorge and it is home to a variety of bird species. If tapped into and taken into consideration, it could immensely contribute to Avitourism, a sub-sector of tourism that offers an opportunity for birdwatching. This form of tourism is still undiscovered yet has the potential to diversity the tourism product especially for a developing tourism destination like Kanye.

Mmamokhasi Dam

This perennial dam is located in the south-western outskirts of the village at Mmamokhasi ward. The communal dam is key to supporting subsistence agriculture as its waters are used for livestock drinking as well as for watering small scale agricultural projects. Recently, efforts to use the dam for tourism purposes has gained momentum with multiple tourism and hospitality facilities and services being developed and provided around and within the dam as a quest to diversify the country’s economy and empowering locals to participate in tourism.

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