In many ways they are similar to third world cities in general. Furthermore any serious attempt to deal with the problems of Francistown South cannot be divorced from the national development strategy especially in so far as bridging the gap between town and countryside, industry and agriculture is concerned. A brief historical background of the city is imperative to put the argument in perspective. The primary focus is how Tati company, which still owns and controls most of the land in around Francistown, acquired the land. The company also owns blocks of offices in Francistown and continues to milk the people of Francistown of their pulas and thebes by dint of its colonial expropriation of the land of Batswana 43 years since we attained our independence. I then deal with the problems that bedevil Francistown South and how they may be solved in the context of an overarching strategy I characterize as a popular democratic and developmental or interventionist state.
Francistown was founded as a gold mining and railway centre by the colonial administration over 100 years ago. It is now a major commercial and administrative centre with government ministries, departments and district headquarters. From the outset it must be borne in mind that the British colonial administration declared Bechuanaland a 'protectorate' in 1885 primarily for purposes of protecting the Road to the North and keeping alive their grand imperialist dream of colonizing Africa from the Cape to Cairo. Earlier among the fortune-seekers who came in pursuit of Eldorado in the Tati area was an Englishman by the name of Daniel Francis, after whom Francistown was later named and still clings to this neo-colonial name to this very day. The BDP regime has defied Kwame Nkrumah's advice that the only good imperialist is a dead one by continuing to honour dead imperialists who mined gold and left over 40 holes in Francistown by naming not only the town, but several streets and roads after them such as Francis Street, Francis Avenue, Blue Jacket Street named after Blue Jacket Anderson, Haskins Street, Baines Avenue named after Thomas Baines. Today the face of the city centre has changed to a point where even the name 'Francistown' seems even more inappropriate. It is to all intents and purposes Chinatown, given the way in which Chinese shops toppled the few Batswana businesses that used operate in the city centre. According to the BDP regime this is progress that must be celebrated and for which they unashamedly seek re-election.
