Mmadinare

Mmadinare is a small village that is located in the central district of Botswana, 15 kilometers from Selibe Phikwe and less than 500 km from the capital city. The village is slowly growing into a town, with a population estimate of about 13 000 (estimates from the 2004 census) people of different tribes including Bangwato, Batalaote, Babirwa and others. The village was started in the late 1800s by a group of different tribes, somewhere from Senyawe in the far north east of the country, while others were from south Africa in Seleka. Those from Senyawe lived near the Makome hill and occupy the Kelele and Seboo wards. Those from South Africa are presently staying at Manga and Matabi wards, where they stayed near Maretemagolo hill, according to village elders and historians.

The people of Mmadinare prefer a very quiet life and low profile lifestyle and like their customs and traditions like eating traditional food (mabele) while at the same time trying to develop into a small town without losing its past as it gets a major influence from the neighbor town of Selibe Phikwe. Mmadinare is located in the center of hills; like other villages in southern Africa it was started during wars and hills were used as a form of protection from enemies, as they were able to see them from a distance.

There are a number of developments that are already visible in the village including a police station, senior secondary school and letsibogo, which are expected to help improve the economy of Mmadinare and Selibe Phikwe, a nearby town where people of this village get most of the things they need including groceries.

The area also has a high potential for tourism and wildlife resources, as there are lots of animals in the surrounding areas especially elephants that give the locals lots of trouble especially during drought season. They go around destroying people's crops and properties and sometimes lives are lost in the process. On the accommodation side, little is there in the village, as there are not many established lodges in the village. Most visitors get their accommodation at Selibe Phikwe.

There is a big river that passes on the northern part of the village called Motloutse River, which supplies the Letsibogo dam with water, on its way to Shashe River down further east. The river is partly depleted as a result of sand mining by the copper mine in Selibe Phikwe, which gets sand from the river to wash their copper ores.

One activity that the people of Mmadinare have neglected is the fishing industry in the area, as there is a dam nearby but they do not use it to catch fish and sell them to improve their lives. The village has two junior secondary schools (Makome and Meremintsi) and one senior secondary school. There is also one primary hospital and one clinic. There are numerous places of entertainment in the village which include camping at the dam and various bars in the village. There is an annual 10 km race that takes place in the village held on Christmas Day and is one of the main attraction of visitors to the village especially in December.

When all is said Mmadinare is a small village that is very interesting to visit at times especially in December, when the children of the village are back from town to come visit their parents, as most of the youth are working in towns like Franstown and Gaborone City.

Coordinates: 21°57′S 27°37′E / 21.95°S 27.617°E / -21.95; 27.617