History
There is evidences that demonstrate the existence of residents along the Notwane River for centuries. The city was founded around the year 1890 by Gaborone Matlapin, an African chief. Gaborones, derived from the Village of Gaborone, was named after the Gaborone chief of the BaTlokwa, whose hometown, now called Tlokweng, was across the river from the government field, named after the seat of colonial government. The nickname, GC, comes from the name of Government Camp.
In 1890, Cecil John Rhodes took Gaberones to house a colonial fortress. The fortress was where Rhodes planned the Jameson Raid. The city was called Gaberones by the first European settlers. The city changed its name from Gaberones to Gaborone in 1969. In 1965, the capital of the Protectorate of Bechuanaland passed from Mafeking to Gaberones. When Botswana gained its independence, Lobatse was the first choice as the capital of the country. However, Lobatse was deemed too limited, and instead, a new capital city was created alongside Gaberones. The city was chosen because of its proximity to a fresh water source, its proximity to the Pretoria train station, its central location among the central tribes, and its lack of association with neighboring tribes.
At first the city was planned as a garden city with numerous pedestrian areas and open spaces. The Building of Gaborone began in mid- 1964 – During the construction of the city, the president of the Gaberones Township Authority, Geoffrey Cornish, compared the layout of the city to a “glass of brandy” with the government offices at the base of the glass. and businesses in the “mall”, a strip of land that extends from the base.
Most of the city was built in three years. Buildings in early Gaborone include assembly buildings, government offices, a power station, a hospital, schools, a radio station, a telephone exchange, police stations, a post office, and more than 1,000 houses. Because the city was built so quickly, there was a massive influx of workers who had built illegal settlements in the industrial development zone south of the new city. These settlements were named Naledi. Naledi literally means the star, but it could also mean out in the open or in a community that stands out from all the rest.
In 1971, due to the growth of illegal settlements, the Gaborone City Council and the Ministry of Local Government and Lands surveyed an area called Bontleng, which would contain affordable housing. However, Naledi continued to grow and the demand for housing was greater than ever. In 1973, the Botswana Housing Corporation built a “New Naledi” across the street from the “Old Naledi”. Old Naledi residents moved to New Naledi. However, the demand for housing increased once again, on the other hand, residents who moved to New Nadeli liked the houses. The problem was solved in 1975, when Sir Seretse Khama, President of Botswana, rezoned Naledi from an industrial zone to a low-income housing area.
On September 30, 1966 Bechuania became the eleventh British dependency in Africa to be independent. The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend Derek Jones. The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new Gaborone, and is now known as “the village”. In the mid- 1980s, South Africa attacked Botswana and carried out raids in Gaborone and other border towns. The Gaborone Raid resulted in twelve deaths. After the 1994 general elections, riots began in Gaborone due to high unemployment and other issues.
Today, Gaborone is growing very rapidly. In 1964, Gaborone only had 3,855 residents, seven years later, the city had almost eighteen thousand residents. The city was originally planned at 20,000 residents, but in 1992, the city had 138,000 residents. This has led to many illegal settlements on undeveloped land. The former mayor of Veronica Lesole has claimed that Gaborone’s development problems were caused by the original city planners.
Health
According to youremailverifier, the Botswana Red Cross, established in 1968, is based in Gaborone. The Marina Hospital Princess is the main referral hospital in Gaborone and currently houses 500 beds.
The Botswana Cancer Association is a voluntary non-governmental organization established as a trust in 1998 – The Association is a leading provider of services to complement existing services by providing health promotion and cancer prevention programs, which facilitates access to health services for cancer patients and offers support and advice to those affected. Its headquarters are at Diktlhakore Way, extension 12, Gaborone.
The AIDS is a very serious problem in Gaborone. 17,773 Gaborone citizens, 17.1% of the total Gaborone population, have tested positive for HIV. There is a higher prevalence of HIV among women, 20.5% of women have tested positive compared to 13.6% of men. The population between 45-49 years of age are more likely to have AIDS, with 35.4% of residents of that age group test positive.
HIV / AIDS education is somewhat limited in Gaborone. 14.5% of Gaborone residents aged 10 to 64 who have heard of HIV / AIDS believe that HIV can be transmitted through witchcraft, and 31.3% of residents believe that HIV can be transmitted to through mosquito bites.
