In the quiet arms of eastern Botswana, where copper once shaped every breath of daily life, lies a town learning to sing a new song of hope. Selebi-Phikwe, once a mining giant, is gently growing into a cute paradise — a place where resilience meets reinvention, and where nature, people, and purpose are finding harmony again.
From Ore to Opportunity
Selebi-Phikwe’s story is one of courage and change.
Established in the 1970s to support copper and nickel mining, the town thrived for decades, powered by the BCL Mine, which at its peak employed thousands and gave rise to homes, schools, roads, and dreams.
But in 2016, the mine closed.
What could have become a ghost town is now becoming a garden of renewal — rooted in kindness, factfulness, and a quiet determination to build something better, slower, and greener.
A Community That Refuses to Rust
Selebi-Phikwe didn’t collapse. It adapted. Its people — teachers, nurses, former miners, and dreamers — began to imagine new futures:
- Agro-entrepreneurs turned old mining spaces into hydroponic farms.
- Artisans and youth launched cooperatives for pottery, solar cooking, and eco-crafts.
- The SPEDU (Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit) was born — supporting local innovation and ecological transition.
Today, this town is no longer defined by what it once dug up, but by what it now grows — from organic tomatoes to resilient hope.
Smart Innovation System: The Copper Leaf Network 🍃⚙️
Selebi-Phikwe is uniquely positioned to become Botswana’s prototype of a regenerative town — one that turns post-industrial infrastructure into eco-intelligent lifelines.
Here’s a joyful vision already taking shape:
1. The Copper Leaf Urban Forest
On former mine lands, native trees like mopane and morula are being planted in biomimetic patterns that imitate leaf veins. These green veins connect:
- Shaded footpaths lined with edible plants
- Solar tree hubs with WiFi, device charging, and story-listening benches
- Open classrooms where elders teach basket weaving, climate wisdom, and joy-making
2. Eco-Roof Cooperatives
Old mining dormitories are being transformed with living roofs — gardens of aloes, succulents, and pollinator-friendly herbs. These reduce heat, grow community food, and are managed by women-led micro-coops who earn by selling herbal teas and eco-tourist experiences.
3. The Harmony Grid
Selebi-Phikwe is piloting micro-energy grids powered by sun and story. Solar panels store energy not just for homes, but also to run:
- A small community-run FM radio station that shares local voices, weather alerts, and bedtime folktales.
- A solar cinema under the stars for weekend joy and documentaries on healing the Earth.
4. The Joyful Reuse Market
Inside a restored warehouse, a “kindness economy” exchange lets people trade repaired goods, time, or talents. A former welder might fix bicycles in exchange for tutoring sessions for his granddaughter. It is currency made of care.
Selebi-Phikwe’s Soft Power
There is something tenderly powerful about a town that refuses to give up, not with aggression, but with grace.
Selebi-Phikwe is a place that:
- Shows that post-mining life can be post-carbon and even post-worry.
- Believes children can learn coding next to compost bins, and both lessons matter.
- Turns abandoned railways into paths for bikes, dreams, and butterflies.
It is a place of quiet radicalism, where sustainability doesn’t shout but grows like a mango tree — strong, generous, and shade-giving.
A Paradise of Possible Tomorrows
Selebi-Phikwe is not perfect. But it honors its past without being trapped by it. It listens to birds and youth and ancestors. It waters the future, even when the rain is late.
It teaches us:
- That rebirth doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
- That a cute paradise is sometimes one quietly sewn from compost and courage.
- That harmonious living means repairing what was once broken — including hope.
Selebi-Phikwe is not just a place you visit.
It is a place you learn from — and carry with you like a song in your pocket.
Selebi-Phikwe — A Green Heart Rising from Copper Dust.
