“Mmadinare” means mother of buffalo. If there was one final selling point, this would have been the clincher for Dr. Scholtz. He has a soft spot for these beasts, hence the buffalo cow on the logo of Selebi Phikwe Citrus. The SPC farm is situated on a portion of the Mannaesi farm in the district of Mmadinare in Botswana.
When looking at a map, Mmadinare is a village situated close to the Letsibogo Dam to the west, while Selebi-Phikwe is about 15 kilometres to the east, and the Motloutse River lies on the northern side. The Motloutse River feeds the Letsibogo Dam and flows east to join the Limpopo River, which creates the northern border of South Africa.
Mmadinare village was founded in 1900 by the Ba Taloate, an ethnic group of people indigenous to the central district of Botswana and southwestern parts of Zimbabwe. They adopted Kalanga as their language, which is also spoken by the Bangwato tribe, one of Botswana’s other native tribes.
The people of Mmadinare prefer a very quiet and low-profile lifestyle. They are fond of their customs and traditions, like eating traditional food (mabele). Nevertheless, they feel the pressures of modern life from the neighboring town of Selebi Phikwe and are attempting to develop their village into a small town without losing its past and unique character. Mmadinare Senior Secondary School is on the edge of the village and is visible from a good distance. There are also two junior secondary schools, six primary schools, a police station, and a government hospital close to the center of the village. An annual 10 km race that takes place on Christmas Day is one of the main attractions that brings visitors to the village each year.
