Gabatsholwe was born in 1955 in Gumare, Botswana. She is a single mother, with eight children. Her mother taught her to weave when she was 12 years old. At that time baskets were used for practical purposes such as storing grain and beer, rather than as decorative pieces. Her family survived by farming and fishing, but now Gabatsholwe can support them on her income from basket weaving.

Selected to represent Botswana in the international exhibition "Contained Spaces", Gabatsholwe will travel with her work through Scotland, India, Japan and Botswana during 2004. Although the travelling will be a novelty, she has won many prizes and been selected as one of Botswana's finest weavers on numerous occasions.

Gabatsholwe has an interesting style in basket weaving, as she often combines different types of stitching in one basket, which is unusual. She often includes stories in her designs.