Mathathane: Local Culture, Regional Heritage

Mathathane and its immediate surroundings

Mathathane has a specific local cultural connection: a study published in 2014 describes a zebra dance group in the village whose dancers are women. This directly associates the group with Mathathane. It is geographically distinct from the cultural sites in the surrounding area, which are near the Thune Dam and form part of the Bobirwa cultural sites. For orientation, you can distinguish the local dance group from the cultural heritage of the surrounding area.

The Thune Dam is in the Kalahari near Mathathane. The Thune Rock Art sites are located near the dam. Their protection under the Monuments and Relics Act of 2001 was reported in 2016. The years have different roles: 2001 refers to the law, while 2016 is when the protection was reported. Thus, the immediate surroundings combine a landscape connection to the Kalahari with a cultural connection to the Bobirwa sites. When you consider this area, you can view its landscape and cultural heritage as two distinct topics that are close to each other geographically.

In the wider regional area, Molema is a joint venture involving the three villages of Motlhabaneng, Lentswe le Moriti and Mathathane, and the two tour operators Tuli Safari Lodge and Talana Farms. Mathathane is therefore part of a partnership that extends beyond the individual village and brings villages together with tour operators. This community partnership offers a different perspective on the region from the individual cultural sites: the focus here is on cooperation between the participating villages and operators.

Landscapes and gorges in the Central District

In the wider destination of the Central District, the Tswapong Hills offer another perspective on the landscape. The Tswapong Hills Cultural Landscape encompasses a mountain range about 70 kilometres long and about 15 kilometres wide, rising around 400 metres above its surroundings. Deep gorges have formed in the hills. Natural freshwater springs feed seasonal rivers and streams; when there is heavier rainfall, waterfalls form and collect in lagoons. Streams and waterfalls also form deep, moss-fringed pools.

Moremi Gorge is also in the Tswapong Hills in the Central District. It can be reached on foot by a steep climb and is the source of three permanent waterfalls. The first two form large waterholes; the uppermost waterfall is 10 metres high and plunges over rocky outcrops into a densely vegetated lagoon. The gorge is of great religious and spiritual significance to the local community and was declared a National Monument by the Department of National Museums and Monuments. The permanent waterfalls of Moremi Gorge differ from the seasonal rivers and rain-dependent waterfalls of the Tswapong Hills.

As a courtesy, visitors are advised to ask the local headman for permission before entering the Tswapong Hills. If you would like to visit this landscape, you can take this recommendation into account as part of your visitor guidance.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Palapye, Nata, Letlhakane, Lentswelemoriti, Mahalapye, Selibe-Phikwe.

Return to the wider travel overview: Central District.