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There are very few written records on the Makgabeng area and as a result,
the subject of written interpretation of what the word “Makgabeng” actually
means, is virtually limited. However, besides the scanty written
interpretations, there are also different views on the name which were
obtained from oral evidence. According to Eric Setumu, the name
Makgabeng derives from a potato-like plant which is peculiar to that area,
known as “mogaba” 3 . He further explained that the bulb of this plant is
edible, and when the Matebele arrived in that area during their raids,
probably during the Mfecane/Difaqane, they enjoyed that potato-like bulb 4 .
According to Setumu, the Matebele then began to refer to the area as
“Mogabeng” (the place of the “mogaba” plant), and according to him, the
name gradually slid to “Makgabeng” 5 . This explanation is doubtful,
especially the reasoning that the word “mogaba”, became “mogabeng” and
eventually became “Makgabeng”. No grammatical explanation is there for
such a transformation in which the word suddenly acquired the letters “-a-”
and “-k-” (as in “Makgabeng”) in the place of “-o-” (as in “mogabeng”).
In her radio cultural programme, Thobela FM presenter Mmanoko
Semenya, described the name as having originated from the “round, yellow,
sweet fruits” found in the Makgabeng area 6 . Apparently, she was referring to
3 Interview, 26 July 2002, Early Dawn village.
4 Interview, 26 July 2002.
5 Ibid.
6 Radio Programme, “Ma-Afrika Tumelong”, 12 August 2002.
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