Mogoditshane

Mogoditshane is officially a village, which is a stretch. The 2022 census counted 88,004 people, more than any other village in Botswana and up from 58,079 in 2011. In 1981 there were about 3,000. It belongs to Kweneng District but sits hard against the north-west edge of Gaborone, and most visitors drive through without knowing they have left the city. Nobody comes for sights. People stay here because it is on the way west and because the capital is a few minutes down the road.

Getting there

Two main roads leave Gaborone through Mogoditshane. The A12 runs north-west to Molepolole, about 50 km on, and that is the way into the Kalahari. The A10 heads south-west through Gabane to Thamaga and Kanye. Work to widen the A10 to a dual carriageway from Mogoditshane to Mmankgodi was planned for 2024 and was held up in 2025, so allow for roadworks on that side.

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is north of the city. Greater Gaborone gets around by combi (white minibuses on fixed lines) and shared taxis with blue number plates. There are no route maps. Ask the driver.

When to go

The weather is Gaborone’s. Rain falls between October and April, with January the wettest month. Summer days average 32°C. Winter is dry and bright, with days around 22°C and July nights down to 4°C, so pack something warm for June to August.

What to do

Not much in the village itself, and I would not pretend otherwise. The big draw nearby is the Grand Palm on Molepolole Road, a resort with two hotels (the four-star Peermont Walmont and the three-star Metcourt Inn), a casino and the Gaborone International Convention Centre. It gives its address as Gaborone, which tells you how blurred the boundary is.

Football people may know the name from Mogoditshane Fighters, nicknamed The Brazilians, who won the national league in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

For Kgale Hill, the Three Dikgosi Monument and the game reserve, see our Gaborone page. Heading west, the remains of Livingstone’s Kolobeng mission are about 25 km from Gaborone, off the A10 past Kumakwane.

Good to know

The Botswana Defence Force barracks lie just north-west of the city, on the Mogoditshane side. South African forces attacked them by helicopter on 19 May 1986. Taking photographs near military sites is illegal in Botswana, so leave the camera in the bag along that stretch.

Kweneng is one of the districts where the US CDC reports only rare malaria cases, and Gaborone next door has none. The advice is to avoid bites, with no tablets.

Britain’s travel advice says violent crime is rising in Gaborone and that thieves may target cars waiting at traffic lights. Keep doors locked and bags out of sight on the run in and out of town. Outside the built-up area livestock strays onto the roads, and the same advice says the risk is worst after dark.

If you are driving on into the Kalahari, fill the tank and buy water here or in Molepolole.

Last updated 12 October 2026. Sources: Statistics Botswana, 2022 Population and Housing Census, population of cities, towns and villages (large villages table), Statistics Botswana, 2022 Population and Housing Census Preliminary Results (2011 figure, ranking of large villages), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Botswana traveller health (malaria areas), UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Botswana safety and security (crime, photography near military sites, livestock on roads), Wikipedia (German), Mogoditshane (1981 population, A10 and A12 roads, 50 km to Molepolole, football club), Wikipedia, Mogoditshane Fighters, Wikipedia, History of Gaborone (1986 attack on the barracks towards Mogoditshane), Wikipedia, Gaborone (neighbouring settlements, climate table), Wikipedia, A10 road (Botswana), dual carriageway upgrade from Mogoditshane, Wikipedia, Molepolole (50 km from Gaborone, gateway to the Kalahari), Wikipedia, Kolobeng Mission (25 km west of Gaborone, near Kumakwane), Wikivoyage, Gaborone (airport, combis and taxis, Grand Palm hotels on Molepolole Road), The Grand Palm Hotel Casino Convention Resort, home and contact pages (address, hotels on the property).