Francistown is the second largest city in
Botswana, with a population of about 100,079 and 150,800 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2011 census
and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in
eastern Botswana, about 400 kilometres north-northeast from the
capital,
Gaborone. Francistown is located at the confluence of the
Tati and
Inchwe rivers, and near the
Shashe River (
tributary to the
Limpopo) and 90 kilometres from the international border with
Zimbabwe. Francistown was the centre of southern
Africa's first
gold rush, and is still surrounded by old and abandoned
mines.
The City of Francistown is an administrative district, separated from
North-East District. It is administered by Francistown City Council.
History
Although evidence of habitation by humans goes back around 10,000 years, written evidence is more recent. The
Ndebele came through the area in the 1830s on their way to
Bulawayo, bringing their culture and influence to the
Kalanga area of north-eastern Botswana. Reportedly,
Nyangabgwe was the nearest village to Francistown to have been visited by Europeans, when it was visited by
Robert Moffat. Moffat was followed in 1867 by a gold prospector,
Karl Mauch who found Bakalanga mining gold along the
Tati River.
The present town was founded in 1897,by bakalanga as a settlement near the
Monarch mine and named after Daniel Francis, an
English prospector who acquired prospecting licenses in the region in 1869. Francis was a director of the
Tati Concessions Company,
who stole all the land in the settlement. The center of the new town
was formed when the company sold off 300 lots in August of that year.
The Monarch mine was not the only mine in operation at that time, and it
was widely believed that Francistown would grow rapidly.
In the beginning, the town comprised one street east of, and parallel
to the railway line. This street featured a several companies,
including a
hotel, retail and wholesale shops and three banks. Behind these were the houses of the few white settlers.
Segregated
areas were made for mixed race and black people in the satellite
township and between the railway and the river respectively. Today this
very street, Tainton Avenue, still carries the white origins on its
back.
After
Botswana gained its independence in 1966, Francistown was no longer segregated.
In 1997 the town became a city, being the second largest city in Botswana.
Economy
Mining
Francistown is located on Botswana's main air and road transport routes;
mining and
agriculture are important. Principal mining companies include
Tati Nickel, owned by
Norilsk Nickel, which has operations at the
Selkirk Mine and
Phoenix Mine, producing principally
cobalt,
copper and
nickel.
Media
The city's media fraternity is still at its infant stage. The media includes Botswana's
The Voice newspaper, which was founded in 1993. This is a very much popular
tabloid newspaper that also has its wings spread to the capital city,
Gaborone
Demographics and health
Ever since the founding of Francistown as a gold mining and railway
centre in the nineteenth century, the city‟s population has consistently
shown a steady increase. Francistown is Botswana‟s second largest city
with 22.7% of the country‟s urban population in 1991. The growth of
Selebi-Phikwe, Orapa and Jwaneng since 1971, together with the very
rapid growth of Gaborone, has reduced Francistown‟s share of the total
urban population from a figure of 34.7% in 1971. In the same period
(1971-1991), the country‟s urban population grew by 427.2% from 54 411
to a population of 287 063. The
Bakalanga, the second largest
ethnic group in
Botswana are traditionally centred around the town and the surrounding area.
Culture and tourism
Francistown is home to the
Supa Ngwao Museum,
with exhibits related to the area's history and heritage. A new nature reserve,
Tachila,
has been established 5 kilometres from central Francistown on
an old Tati Company Farm, Lady Mary. The nature reserve is expected to
be a tourism turn-over for the already flourishing city which its
variety of wild animals.
Accommodation and Lifestyle
Francistown is home to several hotels and lodges like
Cresta Thapama Hotel,
Marang Hotel,
Adansonia Hotel,
Tati River Lodge which can provide stopover accommodation for tourist traveling through the city. With these are a variety of guest houses like
Francistown Guest House, also known as
Emoyo Villa. Emoyo Villa is located in the serene neighbourhood of Tati River South Molapo, in
Molapo Estates. It is, as many know it, the heart and soul of the city. There are several high class restaurants and eateries like
Spur's,
KFC,
Barcelos,
Debonairs Pizza,
Milky Lane
and many more. These provide a variety of cuisine for the different
taste buds of the city's visitors as well as inhabitants. Clubs like
Francistown Rugby Club
host different weekend events that are eye-catching to any age group.
There are also several night clubs in the city that cater for the city's
night revelers like
Lizard Entertainment.
Education
Francistown Institute of Health Sciences
Francistown Technical College
The Francistown Teacher Training College became one of the campuses of the
University of Botswana in 1973.
The Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education was officially opened on 10 October 2008. The college was built in order to accommodate 1,500
learners on technical and vocational courses and teacher-training
programmes. The city also hosts
the Institute of Health Sciences, which is located near the Nyangabwe
Referral Hospital. The institution, amongst others, offers courses in
nursing and health care.
Transport and Infrastructure
The city is a major transport hub. A railway line links the city with
Harare in
Zimbabwe via
Bulawayo. The same line links Francistown with the capital city
Gaborone and
Lobatse in the south. Surfaced roads link the city to
Ramokgwebana in the north, and to
Kazungula as well as
Kasane via
Nata.
The city is served by
Francistown Airport,
a domestic airport with two runways located around 2 kilometres from the city. In 2003, it had a total passenger throughput of
29,223. Another airport,
Francistown International Airport
was opened on the 9th of September 2011 after being built at a tune of
P596 million, officially opened by Minister of Transport,
Frank Ramsden.
With a terminal building designated for traffic forecast of up to 2025,
it has a larger capacity and has replaced the old airport, which is now
used by the
Botswana Defence Force's Air Arm.
Malls and Plazas
Sports
There are several football clubs that are based in Francistown. These include
Francistown Stadium is still under construction and will be complete soon.
The stadium will be the largest in the northern part of Botswana with
capacity of 27,000 and will be home ground to some of these teams. Other
stadiums in the city include the
Francistown City Council's Area S stadium.
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