Although Botswana is a major tourist destination, its capital Gaborone, affectionately known as Gabs, would never make it to a Most Interesting City list! It is not as vibrant as Dar es Salaam, as historic as Istanbul, as modern as Dubai, as beautiful as Cape Town or as captivating as London. In all honesty, I did not truly appreciate its appeal until I started running. But over the last few years, I’ve grown to love its disjointed layout, interesting nooks, hidden art and quiet charm. I’ve taken you on several runs around the city – from the Main Mall to The Village to Marapoathutlwa. But I’ve never taken you through the African Mall. So, I took advantage of Sir Seretse Khama Day (1st July) to take some footage of the African Mall. Starting at the Daily Grind Cafe & Kitchen, I ran on Independence Avenue passing the Red Cross Society, Christ the King Cathedral, and the Main Mall entrance, all on my right, and in less than a kilometre, I had reached the understated entrance of the African Mall.
At this intersection, sits St. Paul’s Faith Mission on the left and the Lutheran Church on the right. This is the Church I was confirmed in when I was 15 years old. I am still drawn to its unique structure, to how beautiful the cross looks even in its simplicity and to the old bell with its dull hue against the blue sky.
The history of the African Mall is not well documented. After a dismal online search, I knew I had only one option – to tap into my father’s vast knowledge of the city. First, some context. On the road to Botswana’s independence from Great Britain, it was decided that the seat of Government would be formed in Gaborone and in a couple of years new government offices, a hospital, post office, schools, and shops were set up. Remember the Main Mall? Well, it was shortly after this that the African Mall was built. Although not stated officially, the common understanding was that the Main Mall was for the more affluent members of Gabs society such as top Government officials and the expatriate community living in the area (Ext. 5, 9, 11 etc). My father adds that this area was referred to as Tshaba Ntsa (“Beware of the Dog”) as these signs hung prominently on several gates to ward off unwanted intruders). But I digress.
With the Main Mall being considered for the affluent, this inadvertently excluded others, including the construction workers building the city, from nearby neighbourhoods like Bontleng and White City. Not to mention, other more “lowly” members of society. So, the African Mall was seen as a way to serve “the people”. It quickly grew into a hive of activity bustling with colourful characters and entrepreneurs looking to provide services to this fledgling city.
My father recalls that in the early days there was a general dealer, a hardware store, some food stalls/ markets, a clothing store as well as a butchery. Can’t you just feel the infectious optimism that would have been there at the time as people built their businesses from scratch and Gaborone’s growing population started having access to goods they never would have dreamt of before? One store my father distinctly recalls is Holly Radio – Peter Holly started off by selling and repairing small electronic items like irons and kettles. Eventually, this became a huge hardware store selling “everything you can think of” from pots to washing machines to microwaves. Arma Trading also started here as a men’s boutique selling clothes and shoes tailored for professionals “who took themselves seriously”. Another store which deserves special mention is Timba Trading established in 1970 by Ayoob and Hajira Bibi Khan, first, as a general dealer and then as a reliable supplier of quality fabrics, a title it proudly holds to this day. Mrs Khan believed there was enough creative talent within the local community to encourage activities such as garment making, clothing and fashion business to help grow the young economy.
And she was right. Today, several other textiles and fabrics businesses exist in the area, and in fact, the majority of stores are linked to this industry. This area is usually the first stop when we have to design traditional dresses for weddings and other festivities. Amongst all the fabric and textile stores are a few other businesses. The first KFC in Gaborone was established here and when we lived in Lobatse in the eighties, this is what we always looked forward to when we visited the “big” city. This KFC long closed down but there are a few other restaurants I spotted on my run – a Chinese place called Tai Pan, an Indian restaurant Ashoka Palace, a family restaurant Turara, the ever-present Nando’s as well as a few bottle stores, a flower shop and the Logan Business College.
Running through the African Mall only takes a few minutes but is well worth it when you know its story and how it played such a critical role in the early business exploits of the capital. I am so grateful for my father’s amazing memory. Not enough of our history is accessible – perhaps it exists in the archives but not much has been captured online for my (and younger) generations to appreciate. So, my father is an invaluable resource to me and I’m so happy I could share this little piece of Gaborone’s history with you.
What did you think of this run through the African Mall? Did you learn something new about Gaborone?
I’m joining two amazing runners, Kim from Running on the Fly and Deborah from Confessions from a Mother Runner for their link up, the “Weekly Run Down