05 Oct 2020

A walk through Borotsi, one of the fairly small villages in the southern part of the Tswapong region, gives a picture typical of most villages in the country.

There is not much activity in the village and as for developments, only government institutions like a clinic and primary school stand out.

However, to the northern part of the rather sleepy village, towards the stretch of hills that the village leans against, a large expanse of stones spawns out, right from behind the village kgotla, stretching towards the hills.

With mankind’s ability to adapt to the environment and make do with what exists in any given locality, Borotsi residents did not retreat to the other side when offered residential plots at the foot of the hills, but they instead fully embraced the large bed of stones that takes up a fair part of their village.

Some residents have been able to clear up their homesteads, piling up the stones that had previously littered their yards into heaps outside, leaving the part of the village with some sporadic patches of uncovered ground.

Some, like Ms Thalosang Kebopetswe of Bothoka ward, derive their livelihood from the stones. Ms Kebopetswe and many other residents in the neighbourhood, gather the smaller stones and sell to those who need concrete for construction and their target market is customers both from within and outside the village.

While some of the customers buy the concrete for personal use, others buy for resale and it is the latter who often buy in larger quantities and often have to buy from a number of residents in order to get the quantity they need. Further to that, the stones have yet another use.

“Re a a tsaya re bo re a tlhatlaganya sentle go kgabaganya jarata gore pula fa e na metsi a seka a gogola mmu,” Ms Kebopetswe says, explaining how she has used the stones to make some ridges across her homestead to prevent rain water from the hills from sweeping away the soil in her yard, a process which gives her yard a somewhat aesthetic look.

To Mr Gaboitsiwe Mompe, the stones are pure gold as they enable him to earn a living and not be dependent on anyone for his livelihood.

“We survive on these stones. We are able to feed ourselves because of the proceeds we get from selling them,” he notes.

An elderly man of Kgosing ward, Mr Bafetoleng Mantswe also speaks highly of the value of the stones littering Borotsi.

Like many of his fellow residents, the stones serve a special purpose and it is pleasing that residents have not let them go to waste.

“If you want your house to have a strong foundation, simply use the larger stones in the foundation trenches of your slab.

That way, your house will not develop cracks later on,” he said.

Mr Mantswe has also seen some residents use the stones to make hedges around their homes by meticulously stacking the stones atop each other and enclosing their houses within.

A stone’s throw away in Chadibe, a similar situation ensues. The wall encompassing Chadibe kgotla is a marvel, built using the stones years ago.

A village elder and uncle to the local kgosi, Mr Gokuamang Rabojang recounts how Chadibe residents also make use of the stones by using them when building.

Mr Rabojang has however not heard of any of the residents selling the stones. “Nnyaa, ba kwano ga ba rekise. Tota ga gona gore ba ka rekisa, mme kgosi a tlhoka go itse,” he wraps up. ENDS