14 Oct 2025

The forefathers of Balete and Bangwaketse have established a foundation of a long-standing relationship between the two communities.

Kgosi Mosadi Seboko of Balete said this at the inaugural Kike Cultural Migration Festival on Friday, and highlighted how Kike was originally part of the Bangwaketse territory under Kgosi Bathoen I. The festival was held under the theme: Modi wa ko re go tswang and highlighted the history of Ntlhantlhe community in the Southern Region of Ngwaketse.

She revealed that the two dikgosi, Balete and Bangwaketse, agreed following negotiations to designate Kike as a grazing area for Balete, thereby moving Bangwaketse further west to Ntlhantlhe.

Kgosi Seboko emphasised that celebrations like Kike Migration Cultural Festival promoted community cohesion and fostered positive relationships between tribes. She further urged that the cultural festival should go an extra mile and incorporate cultural exchanges of both Balete and Bangwaketse.

Chief Executive Officer at Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), Keitumetse Setlang in relating the festival to tourism, said tourism does not refer only to the fauna rather to anything that could be done or placed for people to behold. Setlang said as tourism was being diversified world-wide and locally, it had come to attention that culture had been left behind.

“As we communed to find out what could be lacking in the aspect of culture,” she said, adding that United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) research findings reflected that music, native foods, dress, dance, culture, arts and others generated billions of dollars in the tourism sector world-wide.

Setlang said when BTO looked amongst the local tourism activities, it had been found that such activities were worth millions of Pula. She said it implied that the local tourism activities were viable.

Regarding the southern region, especially the migration of Bangwaketse from Kike to Ntlhantlhe, she said, the community settled in a location encompassed by abundance of natural resources such as hills. She encouraged Ntlhantlhe residents to maximise the hills on hiking activities as well as available water springs.

“Empower the heritage guides and monetise the resources within the environment,” she advised.On the same note, Setlang advised them to monetise their resources which she said could be through establishing a trust.She said with trusts, the community selected their board to manage and it was often headed by the district commissioner.

She said BTO worked with various community trusts nation-wide and that trusts like the one at Goo Moremi, managed the gorge on their behalf, adding the trust had also established 14 accommodation structures.

She said it had six self-catering rooms and some executive tents suits. Moreover, she commended their management and cited them worth to be emulated.

Kgosi Malepa Orekeng of Ntlhantlhe highlighted that Kike Migration Cultural Festival commemorates a pivotal moment when residents of Ntlhantlhe migrated from Kike to Ntlhantlhe in the 1950s after negotiations between the Bangwaketse and Balete tribal leaders to designate Kike as a grazing area. ENDS