Francistown - Culture

One of Botswana's industrial centers, Francistown's population has doubled in the last decade to more than 60,000 with the influx of mining and manufacturing jobs and a growing international corporate presence. The real boom came in the late 1970's, when Rhodesian interests fled across the border to set up shop in a safer territory within striking distance of their former holdings.

Born as a gold mining town at the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers, the city and its environs still host major mining interests, along with a variety of other industries, from slaughterhouses to knitwear factories.

The city's development has been relatively unchecked by planning, and, for visitors, there are few cultural attractions for tourism. Business rules here, and hotels and restaurants cater to the 9-to-5 clientele. The city is a major travel hub, with a railway station and airport serving as transit stops for those heading north and west to the safari-lands. The city is also linked by major roadways to the capital of Gaborone and to the Okavango Delta gateway of Maun.

Blue Jacket Square, Francistown is a must visit.

Industries established here include manufacture of gaskets, clothing, knitwear, shoes and accessories, textiles, ceramics and chemicals. Numerous service industries flourish, particularly those related to the construction and transport trades. Francis town's hinterland is a vast area stretching to the Okavango Swamps and the Zambian and Zimbabwean borders, with retail and wholesale traders stocking a wide range of goods to serve their far-flung customers.

The educational sector of Francistown is also receiving considerable attention. The Center for Continuing Education, a faculty of the University of Botswana, has always maintained a presence in Francistown. A construction project amalgamating the various facilities of the center includes two buildings specifically designed to house administration facilities, classrooms and a library resource center.

Situated at the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers, Francistown - whose population for 1991 was projected at over 59,000 - is also fortunate to possess an adequate supply of water from the Shashe Dam, a few kilometers to the south-west. Electricity is supplied via overhead lines from Selebi-Phikwe. Easy access by road to Lingstone, Bulawayo and Gaborone has been made possible by completion of an extensive roads programme.

Historically, Francistown has been a successful trading center and, to serve the various needs of a diverse group of consumers, it has to develop an extensive railway network to meet this demand. The construction of office blocks and shopping centers is often regarded as an accurate measure of a town's growth and prosperity. The changing skyline of Francistown is a testament to the activity which is consistently taking place, especially in the retail sector.

The largest and one of the most recent and impressive developments regarding the addition of retail and office space in Francistown has been Diagonal Plaza, which is set to become the hub of Francis town's retail trading. The project, completed in 1992, has already attracted major retailers such as Savell's and John Craig, with other tenants including Smart Center and Barclays Bank. The OK Center comprises Francis town's first Kentucky Fried Chicken as well as the OK Bazaar.

Developments in the center of town also include Noric House, a three-storey shopping and office complex, while the well known chain store of Woolworths has had a presence in the center of Francistown since 1990. Extension of the central business district is yet another indication of the rapid growth occurring in Francistown. Such extension includes the Bank of Botswana, while construction on the new Bank of Botswana building commenced in early 1993 with the 22 month contract scheduled for completion in late 1994.

To facilitate the extension of the C.B.D. a considerable amount of land has been subdivided to make way for new projects and ensure future development. One such project which has been completed is the addition of two three-storey shopping and office centers opposite Thapama Lodge. Extensive parking facilities are also under construction to cope with the increasing amount of traffic that Francistown is experiencing as it continues to serve its people and those to neighbouring towns such as Sowa and Orapa, as well as people from as far afield as Zambia and Zimbabwe who make use of the many facilities which are offered.