Gabscity.com all about Gaborone

It was in 1965 that Gaborone took over from Mafikeng as the capital city of what was then Bechuanaland Protectorate. Before this time, Mafikeng (situated in present day Northwest Province of South Africa), was the administrative capital of Botswana who was then a British Protectorate. This change was part of the transition process towards the declaration of independence which came on 30th September, 1966 after the first general election (1965) which was won by the BDP.
When the location of the new capital was finally announced, the name Gaborone was adopted in honor of the Paramount Chief of the Batlokwa tribe, on whose land the new city would eventually be situated. Affectionately called ‘Gabs’, ‘Gabz’ or ‘G.C.’, Gaborone has witnessed numerous, rapid developments since independence in 1966. The city centre was constructed just before the independence celebrations and it comprised of the National Assembly buildings, government offices, a hospital, a radio station, a police station, post office, a power station and residential houses. The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend J. D. Jones, whose town council led the planning and development of the town in preparation for Independence celebrations.
With a larger portion of the budget allocated annually for the infrastructural development of the city, Gaborone was at one point declared the fastest growing city in the world and is still considered the fastest growing in Africa. These developments have left the city with modern high rise buildings of steel, glass and bricks especially as you move towards the city centre. The modernist city is surrounded by lower-rise developments that have not been subject to the same planning as the city centre. But the city is surrounded by villages- Ramotswa on the south-east, Mogoditshane on the north-west, Mochudi on the north and Tlokweng on the east. A lot of people live in these villages and work in Gaborone.