Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Botswana
Politics • Historical Archive • 🇧🇼 Botswana • 0 views

Gaseitsiwe I 🇧🇼

Gaseitsiwe a Tshosa (Known as "Kgosi Gaseitsiwe")
Paramount Kgosi of the Bangwaketse (1845–1889), Military Defender Against Boer Expansion
Born c. 1815 🇧🇼 Kanye, Botswana
Passed Away 1889-07-01 Kanye, Botswana
Lifespan 74 years old
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Notice / Correction
"Our hills are high and our spears are sharp; we shall defend our cattle and people against all invaders."

Archival Overview

Paramount Kgosi of the Bangwaketse for 44 years who established the royal capital at Kanye and allied with neighboring chiefs to defeat Boer commando incursions at the 1852 Battle of Dimawe.

Biographical Record

Kgosi Gaseitsiwe I was born circa 1815, ascending the paramount leadership of the Bangwaketse in 1845. In the 1850s, he permanently fortified the hilltop fortress of Kanye, creating the modern capital of the southern Batswana people.

In August 1852, when Boer commandos under Pieter Scholtz invaded the region to disarm Batswana tribes and attacked David Livingstone's mission, Gaseitsiwe formed a military coalition with Kgosi Setshele I of the Bakwena at the Battle of Dimawe, repelling the invaders. Gaseitsiwe's fatherly leadership paved the way for his son Bathoen I to secure imperial protectorate status in 1885.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Kanye Royal Hill Cemetery
Kanye, Botswana
GPS: -24.9665, 25.3330
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