11 Mar 2020

Bobirwa Sub-district has potential to host other forms of tourism projects and events that promote culture and heritage tourism to broaden the country’s product base. Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Machana Shamakuni, told Parliament that the on-going Thune Dam Tourism development project once operational, was envisaged to bring further to the district, tourism offering, adventure and leisure activities.

Mr Shamukuni said, “The Bobirwa area is one of those rich in numerous forms of cultural heritage expressions - from crafts and artifacts, food, song and dance as well as sacred landscapes.

To this end, the envisaged consolidated cultural heritage trail will include key products and community mobilisation to take advantage of the trail.”

He informed the House that some of the sites were sensitive and would need not only brochures and marketing strategies, but also conservation management plans for sustainable utilisation.

Regarding adventure tourism in the Bobirwa area, the assistant minister said that type of tourism tended to be associated with high levels of outdoor activities, citing the Tour De Tuli as an example.

Mr Shamukuni further explained that some of what might be termed cultural heritage sites were found on hills and might be referred to heritage and religious sites, depending on the value placed on the area by the resident or pilgrimage communities.

He added that the differentiation of the tourism products into cultural, heritage and religious might have been essential in the past, but now it was losing meaning because tourists were moving more towards a heritage trail or circuit approach than to individual destinations or isolated events.

Under culture and heritage, he cited the Lepokole natural and cultural landscape, Motlhabaneng Rock Art Sites, Majande 13th Century Iron Age Site, Fort Motloutse, Solomon’s Wall, Semolale and Mzilikomo Iron Age Sites, Thune Dam Nature and Cultural Trail and Lentsweletau as well as other sites linked to the Mapungubwe and the Shashe-Limpopo Iron Age Kingdom.

Further, he explained that for future plans, Rock Art condition survey was underway at Motlhabaneng Rock Art, adding that after that the site would be gazetted as a national monument and marketed as a heritage destination that offers both adventure hikes and cultural tourism.

“The same is envisaged for Lepokole, whose landscape is ideal for adventure and hikes while it offers cultural relics such as rock art and stone wall,” he said.

Mr Shamukuni said Lepokole caves and crevices were used by some for religious purposes.

The assistant minister was responding to a question by Member of Parliament for Bobonong, Mr Taolo Lucas, who had asked the Minister of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism to state progress made in Bobirwa with regard to cultural, heritage, religious and adventure tourism. He also wanted to know if there were any plans to expand each of the tourism products stated above. ENDS