Three Dikgosi Monument

The Three Dikgosi Monument is one of Botswana’s most significant national landmarks, located in the Central Business District of Gaborone. Officially unveiled on 29 September 2005, the monument commemorates Kgosi Khama III, Kgosi Sebele I, and Kgosi Bathoen I, the three traditional leaders who travelled to Britain in 1895 to petition Queen Victoria and the British Government to protect the Bechuanaland Protectorate from incorporation into Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company. Their diplomatic mission played a pivotal role in preserving Botswana’s territorial integrity and laid the foundations for the country’s eventual independence in 1966.

The monument consists of three imposing bronze statues mounted on a raised plinth, accompanied by a series of interpretive panels that recount Botswana’s journey from the pre-colonial era through independence and nation-building. Today, the Three Dikgosi Monument is a popular cultural attraction, educational site, and photographic landmark, symbolising leadership, unity, resilience and Botswana’s peaceful democratic heritage. It forms a focal point within Gaborone’s modern CBD and is one of the country’s most photographed monuments.