29 Apr 2015

Lying 15 kilometres south of the country’s second city, Francistown, Tati-Siding is one of the numerous villages that make up the tiny North East District.

The village that started from humble beginnings as a mere settlement for some people who worked in the construction of Shashe Dam has developed rapidly to become one of the major villages in the district.

Ms Elina Dume, 87, saw the village transforming from a few scattered homesteads to a fully-fledged village it is today. “Back then, this area was so isolated and dispersed; there were only very few households and very few people,” she said, adding that some of the residents settled in the village because of the development of the Shashe Dam.

She said there was literally nothing in terms of developments such as schools, water reticulation clinics, and electricity, among others, and that they depended a lot on farming and hunting for survival; as for drinking water they used wells and local rivers.

However, today, Tati-Siding prides itself as a fast growing village with two primary schools, a junior secondary school, and a 24-hour service clinic with a maternity wing. Other notable developments include tarred internal roads with street names, street lights, public transport and others.

Tati-Siding also acts as a service centre for its peripheral villages such as Shashe-Bridge, Patayamatebele and Ditladi. Ms Dume said the other factor in the growth of the village was the fact that it served as brief passenger train halt; as such some people settled in to try their luck in trading.

The elder said most of modern developments have now replaced the muddy traditional huts that used to dot the village. The village Kgosi Simon Nkgageng also attested that his village was developing so rapidly that today, it is home to more than 10 000 people.
“We really appreciate these developments, they have immensely contributed to the growth and transformation of the village and, today we have five wards that make up Tati-Siding,” he said.

Kgosi Nkgageng also noted that Tati-Siding’s dependency on other villages for some of the services was now a thing of the past. “We now have our own social welfare officer, agricultural extension officer, a 24-hours service clinic with a maternity wing and some police officers, and we no longer depend on other villages for these things,” he pointed out.

He also said the police officers based at the village came as a blessing because back then, they had to wait the police from Francistown, thereby compromising the security of evidence while waiting for the police.

Kgosi Nkgageng happily noted that their village had been connected to the national electricity and water grid and that almost all residents enjoyed connectivity. He also highlighted that although people still travelled to Francistown for some commodities, there were general dealers dotted throughout the village for other basic supplies.

Tati-Siding, just like other villages countrywide, has not been left out in as far as government’s poverty eradication initiatives are concerned. “Our people here continue to receive poverty eradication packages depending on their needs, and these initiatives have played a meaningful role as these people now have a means of survival,” said the traditional leader.

He also appreciated some developments such as the local guest houses and other developments that are privately owned, which have considerably addressed the shortage of employment opportunities within the village. Ends