In the 18th century, the Bangwaketse tribe settled in the valleys of the Lobatse Region, naming it after their leader, Kgosi Molebatsi. In 1895 the village formed part of the Lobatse Block, an area set aside by the British Government to establish a railway line running from Cape Town to Cairo. With the establishment of the railway station in 1897, the village expanded rapidly, eventually becoming a cattle trading post with its own abattoir. The village was the principal town in British Bechuanaland until 1966 when Gaborone became the new capital of independent Botswana. Today it has a population of almost 30 000 people.