In 1885 three tribal chiefs representing the people of the then Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana), Sebele I, Bathoen I, and Khama III, traveled from their African nation to plead with the Queen of England. At the time Botswana was in danger of being incorporated in the exploitative British South Africa Company (BSAC) under the leadership of Cecil John Rhodes, and the tribal leaders set out to do something about it. Rhodes hoped BSAC would promote colonisation and economic exploitation across much of south-central Africa, as part of the "Scramble for Africa". Traveling to Britain, the tribal chiefs pled their case and the nation was put under the control of the crown. It was not exactly freedom, but it was more appealing than the alternative. Botswana remained under direct British rule until independence in the 1960s.
In June 1964, the United Kingdom accepted proposals for a democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved in 1965 from Mafikeng in South Africa, to the newly established Gaborone. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence on 30 September 1966.
While their role in Botswana’s history is a controversial one, the leaders were commemorated in 2005 with the Three Dikgosi monument. Each of the leaders is depicted in regal bronze, 18 feet tall. Their granite stands bear their names and informational plaques tell of their achievements. The monument also includes panels featuring carvings of national virtues, including ‘Botshabelo’ (refuge), ‘Bogaka’ (heroism), ‘Boitshoko’ (endurance), ‘Maikarabelo’ (global responsibility) and ‘Boipuso’ (independence).
Adding to the controversial legacy of the leaders, the monument also drew criticism for the North Korean labor used in its creation instead of a local Botswana construction company.
The monument is open daily between 07h30-18h00 with guides available between 07h30-16h00. DO NOT be tempted to attempt outside of these hours, there is security nearby and they will notice you. It is the most visited site in Botswana and as such will be busy on public holidays and is generally well frequented.
In order to find the cache location you will need to visit each of the six plaques.
A: Botshabelo: number of letters in the last word on the plaque
B: Bogaka: number of letters in the second last word on the plaque
C: Tshireletso: the first letter of the first word on the last line on the plaque (A=1, B=2, C=3,….)
D: Boitshoko: number of letters in the last word on the plaque
E: Maikarabelo: number of letters in the last word on the plaque
F: Boipuso: 2nd last digit of the year mentioned in the text
Cache location: S24 38.F(B+1)C E25 54.DE(A+1)
Extreme stealth is required to retrieve the cache. BYOP