11 Jul 2023

Kgosi Kelebetse Keasheta of Tsodilo has raised a concern about some churches and traditional healers who perform rituals UP Tsodilo Hills.

The practice, he said had the potential to contaminate and destroy the beauty of the cultural resource.

Apprising employees from departments under the Ministry for State President about the history of the hills during a cultural night held at Tsodilo Campsite on Saturday Kgosi Keasheta complained that some churches frequented the heritage site to fetch ‘holy’ water while some performed rituals, leaving some money and candles all over the place.

The churches and healers, he said, believed that the water found there could exorcise evil omens.

In the past, he said no one had access to use the water as elders advised visitors to just pray at the foot of the hill without taking or using the objects found there.

“This hill is the pride of the nation because it stands out as a beautiful prominent feature and we should be seen to be preserving its image,” he added.

Kgosi Keasheta urged congregations to engage professional guides if they wanted to pray at the site. He however appreciated that the drawings were still intact and attracting a lot of attention from the international tourists.

Tsodilo, a world heritage cultural landscape, is situated in the Ngamiland District in the northwest corner of Botswana and is the highest peak in Botswana with an elevation of 1 395 metres above sea level.

Narrating its history, Kgosi Keasheta said the features around the hill were believed to have been deposited by ancestors.

Inspired by the variations in height and shape, the local people named the hills male, female, child and grandchild hills.

The rocks of Tsodilo had provided the early settlers with different resources ranging from iron ore, stone tools and water.

Kgosi also admitted that their forefathers had strong traditional beliefs that involved respect for Tsodilo Hills as a place of worship and ancestral spirit.

Kgosi Keasheta cited water hole on the female hill where two large pythons lived as one of the prominent features.

He also appreciated that the locals were developing interest in travelling to the area to appreciate its beauty, saying that would help in marketing the resource.

North West District commissioner, Mr Thabang Waloka concurred that protecting heritage sites was important as they were part of the tourism package.

He said Tsodilo Hills and Gchwihaba Caves were prone to veld fires and urged both public employees and the community to protect the resources from the fires, which he observed were common in winter.

If left unchecked, he said the cultural resources would lose value and integrity, which would in turn  affect tourism.

Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after being listed as such in 2001 because of its unique religious and spiritual significance to the local people as well as its unique record of human settlement over ages. It also has over 4 500 rock paintings.

Meanwhile, Mr Waloka acknowledged the organisers of the team building exercise, saying ‘team building exercise improves communication, motivates, boosts confidence levels and creates a positive work environment. ENDS