02 Aug 2016

Government has secured P6 million to build a museum at Ntsweng Heritage site in Molepolole.

Ntsweng will be among the six sites to be developed through the Economic Stimulus Programme with the aim of protecting and preserving heritage and culture.

Speaking during the inception of the project in Molepolole on Saturday, national museum and monuments director Gaogakwe Phorano explained that the project will be undertaken during the next financial year. 

He said they have already consulted with the district commissioner and his team and preparing to host a kgotla meeting as part of the procedure. “The project will hire 50 locals on short and long term contracts,” he said. 

He also commended government initiative of 100 monuments, saying the National Museum alone could not have managed to develop the sites alone. Phorano noted that as part of the pre-development procedures, archeologists were at the site carrying out some excavations for impact assessment to ensure that the museum was of a perfect structure.

For his part, curator I in the department of national museum Ontlametse Ntebang said they had conducted 30 test pits as part of the excavations, sufficient to represent what could be the findings at Ntsweng.

Earlier on, those who attended the briefing were taken on site visit at Ntsweng where it showed that archeologists had already excavated six test pits to be 30 in total, which had different findings like ostrich shells, ashes, different colored beats, an axe head, animal bones and a briefcase log written `British Make’ as well as bullets  and parts of a gun among others.

Ntsweng is said to be a site inwhich Bakwena first settled during the migration of the Bantu groups. 

Ntebang said through the findings it was estimated that they occupied the place for a period of 73 years, between 1864 and 1937 before settling in the present Molepolole.

He said through findings like animal bones, it could be assumed that back then, Bakwena liked meat and that by the `British Make` log one could say they had trade linkages with colonies.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Sechele Museum director Power Kwaina was glad that Ntsweng site had been recognised as one of those that deserved to be developed. He said among eight regional museums Ntsweng would serve as a regional museum, serving as a cultural centre in Kweneng.

Kwaina said the museum would have a potential to diversify the economy in Molepolole, promoting the livelihoods of community members, adding that the museum would have a craft shop where people marketed their artifacts.

Principal curator at national museum Vasco Baitseng highlighted that other sites among the six picked were Livingstone Kolobeng in Kumakwane, Baratani Hill, Matsieng in Rasesa Old Palapye and Domboshaba. 

He said the projects would be done according to needs including refurbishment, as well as construction of gate houses and offices. ENDS