Gaborone, Botswana Transportation

The city of Gaborone is the capital of the government as well as the economic capital and is home to numerous companies and the Botswana Stock Exchange. Gaborone is also home to the Southern African Development Community for a supranational organization, hoping to increase economic unity.

Transportation

The railway that served for the founding of the city is still important, dividing the city in a north-south direction. Botswana Railways runs a line from Cape Town through Harare Bulawayo. The train station in Gaborone is south of the Parliament House in the city center. The line stops in the following cities in and near Botswana: Ramatlabama on the South African border, Lobatse, Gaborone, Palapye, Serule, Francistown, Ramokgwebana and Plumtree, Zimbabwe. The line became a single cargo line from As April 1 as 2009.

According to Harvardshoes, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is located 25 kilometers north of the city and has flights to Johannesburg, Harare, Francistown and Maun with connections to Kasane and Livingstone. It is the headquarters of Air Botswana, the national airline of Botswana. Since August 2010, Air Botswana has direct flights to Lusaka International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia and flights to Lusaka via Kasane. The airline plans to create a route from Gaborone to Luanda, Angola in the future.

In 2008, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport handled 15,844 aircraft movements, second only to the air traffic at Maun Gaborone Airport has decreased since 2006 – However, Gaborone has the most air passenger traffic, accounting for 51, 6% of all passenger movement in Botswana. International passengers amount to 244,073 passengers, while the domestic air passenger movement approaches 333,390 passengers.. Gaborone International Airport terminal was rebuilt into a modern terminal in 2010.

Gaborone press turned its attention in October 1999 due to the death of Chris Phatswe. Phatswe was an Air Botswana pilot who committed suicide by crashing his plane on the runway at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Before his death, Phatswe relied because he was unable to pass the physical exam. Also, it was later discovered that he had AIDS. Although he never stated it, these obstacles may have caused him to choose to kill himself. He crashed his plane into two other planes on the runway. This nearly crushed Air Botswana as it had only one plane left after the incident. Airdisaster.com has photos of the aftermath.

Roads in and around Gaborone include the Trans-Kalahari Highway, Highway A1 and the Cape Town – Cairo highway. There are five main roads in Gaborone going to Lobatse, Kanye, Molepolole, Francistown through Mochudi and Tlokweng.

Gaborone has several vehicle registration stations. 15,538 new passenger cars, representing 46.5% of Botswana’s total new vehicle registrations, were registered in Gaborone in 2008, of which 8,440 were passenger cars, 440 were minibuses, 204 were motorcycles and 181 were tractors.. The total has increased from 12,690 new vehicle registrations in 2007 – Gaborone also has the highest number of vehicle registration renewals at 73,206 in 2008.

Public transport in the city is generally reliable, compared to major African cities. Kombis and taxis ply the routes within the city, while buses serve to surrounding towns and other cities in Botswana.

Sports

There are several soccer fields located in and around Gaborone. These include SSKB Stadium, Mochudi Stadium, and Botswana National Stadium. There are also several teams representing Gaborone including but not limited to Botswana Defense Force XI, Gaborone United, Notwane FC, Police XI, Township Rollers and Uniao Flamengo Santos FC, which is based in nearby Gabane, they all play in Botswana Premier League. The Botswana National Soccer Team play in the National Stadium, but it has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, despite the fact that it qualified for the African Cup of Nations, which was held in Gabon in January 2012.

The Botswana Cricket Association, the governing body for cricket in Botswana, is based in Gaborone.

The Steinmetz Gaborone Marathon, the second marathon in Botswana, was held April 18, 2010 – The tour started at the Phakalane Golf Estate in Phakalane, north of the city, and went through Gaborone, passing the Assembly building National. The marathon is expected to be held annually and by one of its sponsors, Tourism Botswana, hopes to be a tourist attraction for the global masses.

Important personalities

• Alec Campbell, archaeologist and museum curator
• Kgosi Gaborone, Motswana chief, after which the city got its name
• Mpule Kwelagobe, Miss Universe and Miss Universe Botswana 1999
• Sumaiyah Marope, Miss Botswana 2009
• Matsieng, a traditional Setswana music group, formed in Gaborone
• Thamsanga Mnyele, member of the African National Congress and artist
• Dirang Moloi, member of the Botswana national soccer team
• Joel Mogorosi, soccer player
• Vernon Nkadimeng, member of the African National Congress, was killed in Gaborone by apartheid police
• Abednico Powell, soccer player
• Dipsy Selolwane, soccer player
• Bonifacio Tshosa Setlalekgosi, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Gaborone, Botswana since 1981
• Alister Walker, squash player
• Emma Wareus, first runner-up in Miss World 2010