World-renowned painter Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993) was born and spent his early years in Botshabelo. The village was built around a mission created here in 1865 by two Germans. A house that belonged to Alexandre Merensky, one of the two original missionaries, the temple and the fort survive from this period. A reconstruction of a traditional Ndebele hamlet 200m from the dwellings is well worth a visit.