Mathangwane is a village in the Central District of Botswana administered under Tutume Sub-district Council. The village is located at the confluence of Shashe and Vukwi rivers, 25 kilometres west of the City of Francistown along the A3 highway and almost entirely on the left bank of Shashe River. The population of the village was 5,075 in the 2011 national population and housing census. The village is characterised by many river valleys, mostly tributaries to Shashe River and used for identifying the village community wards (dikgotlana) boundaries.
History
The village is originally an ethnic kalanga and is currently ruled by She Itekeng Mongwaketsi Mathangwane. In 2008, Mathangwane planned celebrations for its centenary anniversary.
In the 1980s, Mathangwane was known for persistent vehicle accidents that occurred at the Shashe River single-lane bridge linking the village to the City of Francistown. At the time, there were rumours that there was a resident evil ghost at the bridge which deceived drivers into driving off the bridge at night causing those mostly fatal vehicle accidents. The old single-track road bridge was replaced in the mid 1990s with a new dual-track single carriageway bridge and those historic vehicle accidents at the bridge river crossing ended.
With the emergence of Francistown as a city in 1997 and the political and economic instability in Zimbabwe, Mathangwane saw an influx of migrants from other tribes of Botswana who couldn't afford accommodation rentals in the new city and illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe who had fled economic collapse and political persecution causing rapid growth to the village population. These influx led to indigenous villagers being made to forfeit their farmland around the village to government for allocation to newcomers for residential use.
In 2003, Mathangwane was made the headquarters of the newly established Tonota-North Constituency following a constitutional amendment which increased the number of constituencies in Botswana from 40 to the current 57 elected seats. The Constituency has since been renamed Shahe-West following a number of heated high level Kgotla meetings in Mathangwane where the majority of residents pointed out their detest of the former name.
Climate
Climate Chart
Tropical Cyclone Dineo
In February 2017, Tropical Cyclone Dineo triggered destructive floods in and around Mathangwane, badly damaging the A3 highway between the City of Francistown and Sebina Junction and further north from the village of Nata to Gweta, badly disrupting traffic with some parts of the road having to be temporarily closed for safety. The damages to the A3 highway later became some kind of death trap, causing a rise in fatal vehicle accidents in and around Mathangwane following delays by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in effecting repairs.
Infrastructure
Schools
There are two primary schools in the Village namely Mathangwane Primary School and Mpatane Primary School, one junior secondary school called Chamabona Junior Secondary School - formally Chamabona Community Junior Secondary School before being completely taken over by the Government, and two day-care centres in Mathangwane. There is no senior secondary school in the Village. After attaining junior certificate, children are often admitted to either Shashe River School, Mater Spei College, Tutume McConnell Community College or Masunga Senior Secondary School. This arrangement long proved strenuous to underprivileged families with their children dropping from school or performing badly in form five examinations due to the economic pressure.
Roads
With the exception of A3 highway passing through the village, all village internal roads are dirt roads mostly impassable after heavy rains; existing un-bridged river valley crossings within the village long presented a challenge to villagers' free movement during rainy seasons due to this streams regular flooding. Villagers eagerly approved plans for the construction of Mmandunyane-Shashe Mooke-Borolong-Chadibe-Mathangwane road in early 2007 which they viewed as the only hope for the improvement of the village internal roads infrastructures. Arup Botswana was appointed to do the construction of the road which was said to be 70 km in length. It later emerged that in light of the revenue constraints due to then ongoing global economic and financial crisis, the Central District Council (CDC) had to prioritise on its projects and the road was never constructed.