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Bobirwa

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The Bobirwa Subdistrict in Botswana is an area populated by the Babirwa (Ba-Birwa) people who came from Transvaal in present-day South Africa.

Sebirwa, which is spoken by Babirwa, is one of the dialects of Northern Sotho like Bididi, Lobedu, Kgaga, Hananwa, Pedi, Phalaborwa, Pulana, Tshwapong, Kutswe, Phahladira, Pai, Kopa, Kubu, etc. Northern Sotho is one of the three Sesotho subgroups of Basotho and the two others are Western Sotho (better known as Setswana, which is largely spoken in Botswana), North West Province, small number of people in Matebeland Province of Zimbabwe and Southern Sotho (spoken in Lesotho, Free State and Vaal). Basotho came from Ntswanatsatsi and Masilo is the founding father of Basotho. After moving away from the rest of the Basotho in Ntswanatsatsi, like other Basotho who were part of Northern Basotho subgroup the likes of Bapedi, Batlokwa etc the Babirwa settled in Nareng in Letswalo area near Tzaneen in present-day South Africa and from there they trecked further up North and settled in Blauwberg in present day Limpopo Province in South Africa were started to separate others remained in Blauwberg, living in the surrounding areas like Senwabarwana others left ended up in the southern part of present day Zimbabwe around the district of Gwanda in Matebeleland South. Gwanda was a place for Jahunda speaking people which is a dialect of Kalanga. Some Zimbabwean consider all Basotho of Zimbabwe as Babirwa. They are two types of Basotho in Zimbabwe, the Babirwa and the other Basothos who left Transvaal around 1890s and early 1900 because they were displaced by the Boers and most of those Basothos came from Polokwane area, places like Moletse, Potgieterrus. Other Zimbabwean Sothos got Venda and Tsonga roots from Northern Transvaal present day Limpopo Province. The Sotho of Zimbabwe which is similar to the Sesotho that is spoken in Messina and surrounding area is a corrupted Kubu and it is similar to Selobedu. From the above it is clear that the Babirwa people also lived along the confluence of the Limpopo River and the Shashi River, the area that today includes the Mapungubjwe Ruins.

The Babirwa in South Africa reside in areas north of the Bochum area, north of Polokwane. There are more than 40 Babirwa surnames in South Africa which include Sebone, Malema, Makhura, Makwati, Makhurane, Maphala, Nare, Tau, Tlou-Serope, Choshi, Mmamadi, Legong (Lehong), Mangale, Taueatswala, Molefe, Mogano, Jibula (Tjibula) (Muhanu), Machete, Lehomo, Raphahlelo, Raseokgo (Sebola), Phooko, Ramalepe, Boikanyo, Selema, Morerwa (Murerwa) Makgatho, Maruatona, Monekwe (Monengwe), Madema Morebeng (Phosa) and many more. The word Bobirwa therefore means the land of (Babirwa) Ba-Birwa people.

Template:Infobox settlement' A large number of Babirwa left the northern South African shore and ended up living in what is today called The Bobirwa Sub District which is an administrative region in eastern Botswana, part of the Central District. Bobonong is the largest town and the headquarters of the sub-district. The sub-district is bounded by Zimbabwe to the northeast and South Africa to the southeast. The Limpopo River forms the boundary with South Africa.[1]

The Bobirwa Sub-district has an average annual rainfall of 300 to 400 millimetres (12 to 16 in). Soils are mainly loams to sandy clay loams. Bobirwa is the lowest part of Botswana, varying from 590 to 886 metres (1,936 to 2,907 ft) above sea level. It is intersected by a network of channels that drain into the Limpopo. Villages include Mathathane, Motlhabaneng, Tsetsebjwe, Kobojango, Bobonong, Molalatau, Tobane, Mabolwe, Semolale, Lepokole, Zanzibar, Moletemane, Sefophe and Lentswelemoriti.[2]

The sub-district has been heavily degraded by agricultural activities and is susceptible to drought. Large areas in and around the villages are bare earth, due in part to clearing of grasses to keep away snakes and insects, in part to overgrazing by sheep, goats, donkeys and even cattle.[2] A study showed a substantial reduction in natural land cover between 1970 and 2010, combined with a significant increase in population.[3]

In addition to livestock, the sub-district is home to abundant wildlife; in 2000 there was a herd of around 200 elephants.[4]

In 2011, it was reported that the government had approved establishment of service centres in Tsetsebjwe, Mathathane and Gobojango as well as other large infrastructure development projects such as road improvements, bridges and electrification. This followed rapid economic growth in the previous three years. The local people could now shop and bank in Bobonong, rather than having to travel to Selebi-Phikwe, and the new centers were expected to further improve access to services.[5]

In 2012, there was a sharp increase in stock theft. This may have been caused in part by drought, which was forcing livestock to travel long distances to find grazing and water, making them vulnerable to rustlers.[6]

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Drought impact mitigation and prevention in the Limpopo River Basin". www.fao.org. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b Botswana College of Agriculture 2004, pp. 5–7.
  3. ^ Botswana College of Agriculture 2004, pp. 9–10.
  4. ^ Botswana College of Agriculture 2004, p. 12.
  5. ^ Modikwa 2009.
  6. ^ Mazwiduma 2012.

Sources

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