Prior to independence Francistown was the largest commercial centre in Botswana. Founded by British prospector and miner Daniel Francis, who prospected for gold in the area in late 1800s. Initially, it was little more than a haphazard settlement built up around the vicinity of the gold mine, Monarch. Soon, the settlement developed one street with saloons and supply stores mushrooming, creating diverse economic activity. Francis, also a founding director of Tati Concessions Limited Company, owned almost all the land in modern day Francistown. In 1897, as the economy rapidly grew, Francis sold part of the land for residential and commercial purposes. A city was born!
Businessmen, engaged with the Monarch Mine and the surrounding gold mines settled in the city employing people in the process.
Cross-border trade that was done mostly with Zimbabwe – then – Rhodesia, boosted Francistown’s development. As years went by the town grew, more businesses came increasing the immediate economy. Attracted by the development Government offices as well as departments expanded to Francistown in later years which stimulated and grew the town even further.
Asmost of the gold mines died due to the recession in the 1920s, Anglo American Corporation (AAC) identified and commenced exploitation of the copper occurrences of Selkirk and Phoenix mines in 1929. Themines that became the backbone of Francistown, supporting the emergence of Dumela Industrial Site which gave further impetus tothe Francistown economy, that combined with Botswana Meat Commission to employ most of the 120 000 inhabitants of the city.
Anglo American Corporation (AAC) first identified the copper occurrences of Selkirk and Phoenix in 1929, though the first significant work was conducted in the mid 1960’s by the Tati Territory Exploration Company (TTE). The company went through a fluctuating cycle until it became one of the largest employers in the city and its surrounding areas.
The growth Francistown enjoyed from the mine sector, created a viable investment platform for the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) to build more houses, in order to accommodate local miners and migrant miners working in South African Mines who had disposable incomes. Residents of Francistown invested in houses, which were leased to both the mine itself and its employees. The mine workers spent their incomes in Francistown, buying clothes in retail outlets and drinking liqueurs reminiscent of the life styles of their South African counterparts. The mine’s improved fortunes were felt by almost everyone. Lodges like Tati River Lodge, Adansonia Hotel and Cresta Hotels accommodated the mine for its conferencing needs, as well as business guests.
Batswana businesses supplied Tati Nickel Mine with transportation, cleaning services, catering and many other services.
The Business Weekly &Review has established that Tati Nickel Mine, by this year, spent roughly P120 million per month in the procurement of services from suppliers, the bulk of which is spent in Francistown. Tati Nickel Mine kept the city’s economy alive, breathing and healthy. Across the different sectors of the town, everyone had a piece of the Tati Nickel action.
Companies like Ihawu Holdings, a trucks and logistics company owned by Francistown businessman Abel Khupe benefitted from transporting Tati Nickel mine material employing local denizens in the process. Its trucks were fuelled in Francistown filling stations, in turn creating revenue and income to the area. Other companies like Gamma, supplied mine plant consumables to Tati Nickel Mine further stimulating local development. The mine leased around 74 units of houses at Masa Flats, owned by a private property investor; general supplies were procured from retailers like Metro and Senn Foods for the Tati Nickel Club, Bar and Restaurant. A company called Anba Chemicals supplied chemicals worth millions to Tati Nickel monthly. AT & T Monnakgotla transported mine workers. Mascom provided postpaid network services to mine workers, while schools like John Mackenzie, Clifton English Medium and Mophato English Medium were paid just over P1.2 million monthly, as a subsidy to the school fees of mine workers children.
This last week when the government decided to liquidate BCL, the mother company, Tati Nickel has been shut down. And that has spelt doom for a town that does not know how to live without mining.
Now houses are lying empty in Francistown with no tenants. Goaba Sibanda owns several houses in Francistown especially around Selepa. The 62 year old said she made considerable investments in the property market because demand especially from Tati Nickel employees and its contractors was high. “Now I have no income, three of my houses, which gave me P3000 each per month do not have tenants,” she said, adding that she plans to cut the rentals drastically, or as a worst case scenario to sell them.
Her misery is shared by a car wash owner who had set up in front of Tati Mine Houses in Molapo Estates just close to Adansonia Hotel.
“For the past one week, I have not even washed one car, and my income is no more,” he decried, adding that he used to wash 15 cars daily from affluent employees of Tati Nickel. It seems they have all resorted to personally washing their cars, to save each and every penny.
Francistown’s sad decline is visible just as one enters the town.
When approaching the town from the south along the A1, through a village called Tonota just 40 kilometres before Francistown, the road immediately transforms into a dual carriage. City lights illuminate from afar. There are signs that a town is nearby, arousing excitement of entering into Botswana’s second largest town. A big city is approaching, so you tell yourself! But the excitement is brief. Suddenly, traffic comes to standstill, just as a big steel sign written ‘WELCOME TO FRANCISTOWN’ appears. Road access is obstructed by the construction of the infamous ‘Spaghetti intersection’ in the City Centre. The construction wont lift your spirits for the city is heaving under obvious impending economic ruin.
The first Mall from the town’s entrance, Nzano Centre, is no longer as exhilarating as it was. A few people roam around the mall, while a lot of outlets seem deserted. Most having relocated to nearby townships which now provide alternative routes into the town centre. People just sit around, under shades of trees, while some imbibe what appears to be toxic home brews. Just a drive through the townships, the unemployed loiter around aimlessly.
Too much hopelessness! Economic and socio-development is limited. And the lifestyle is gone, as the moneyed miners have become extinct. The town has three major malls, Nzano, Nswazi and Galo Mall. In these three malls eateries such as Nandos, Chicken Licken, Barcelos and Hungry Lion, offer limited variety to the hungry traveller . Unlike in Gaborone, where one can sit at a vast variety of malls with an array of eateries to enjoy a meal and then wash down with intoxicating (or not) liquids while dancing the night away.
Well, this is the new Francistown. So much detached from the olden days, when the town had life. Those are the days when it had famous joints like Rizma, close to Leseding Hall – a place where Francistowners enjoyed their night life, the likes of Pula Bar. There were also alternatives like Club 33, Blue Star which made the town “vibey”, while young stars flocked Cine 2000, to enjoy movies. The days when any Francistowner would not miss their daily dose at Chicken Run, the then famous fried chicken outlet. It too has closed shop! Just like all the night life spots. Just like Tati Nickel Mine. Just like several service providers who fed into the Tati Nickel Mine.
This town never imagined life without the mines, let alone without Tati Nickel Mine. And now all that is gone,by the stroke of a pen by some suit in Gaborone! The reverberations will soon reach everyone and the contagion promises to be shuttering. Commercial banks are going to lose out on monthly payments, worth millions in loan deductions from Tati Nickel Mine workers. Talk of unpaid credit cards, personal loans, car loans and mortgages. Insurance companies like Botswana Life Insurance Company (BLIL), Metropolitan, Botswana Insurance Company (BIC) will lose out. All suppliers of Tati Nickel Mine will lose their monthly income, and will retrench employees. Already, Ihawu Holdings in Francistown is in that process. Moolmans Mining Company, which was the contracted miner, has shut down, retrenching hundreds of employees. A bulky sum of the P120 million that circulated in Francistown will diminish the spending in the city, killing businesses, while unemployment will reach record lows. Only hopelessness shall remain. That is the new Francistown.