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Batlokwa-ba-Gaborone Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Ant-bear / aardvark (thakadu in Setswana) - distinctive to this Tlokwa branch; other Tlokwa use the wild cat (nkwe/tholo)
History & origin
A Tlokwa (Batlokwa) group that migrated from the Tshwane area in South Africa and arrived in present-day Botswana in 1887, led by Kgosi Gaborone, settling at Moshaweng on the Notwane River on land granted by Kgosi Sechele of the Bakwena (whose overlordship they acknowledged). Botswana's capital, Gaborone, is named after Kgosi Gaborone. Tradition holds that this branch changed its totem to the thakadu (ant-bear/aardvark) after the animal's dug water-holes saved the group from thirst in the wilderness - distinguishing them from other Tlokwa whose totem is the wild cat.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Gaborone, Tlokwa surnames, Matlapeng.
We publish the full diboko (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.