By the mid-1800s Pandamatenga had emerged as the home of a mixed population of Basarwa, Bakalanga and Ndebele. Its importance grew in the second half of the 19th century when it became a commercial centre. This followed the arrival of an English trader in 1872 named George Cobb Westbeech who established a trading post that served as a strategic gateway for the trans-Zambezi commerce. During this period Pandamatenga also served as a springboard for European exploration and missionary efforts to evangelize central Africa.

In 1984 the Pandamatenga farming project commenced with the initial allocation of a total of 25,074 hectares, divided into plots of approximately 500 hectares each, for commercial farmers. The project was undertaken to boost Botswana’s food security in the context of the area’s superior rainfall and soils.