ABSTRACT
All countries throughout the world have experienced mass migrations from rural to urban areas, with virtually half the total population now living in urban areas. Informal settlements may be referred to in different ways in different regions of the world. When Botswana attained its independence in 1966 when it was one of the poorest countries in the world, its land administration was considered to be its only valuable asset other than cattle rearing. Francistown, as the first town in Botswana, has had a long history of informal or squatter settlements due to its attractiveness to migrants from neighbouring areas. A person is deemed to have secure tenure if he or she is protected from involuntary removal from their land or property, except in certain circumstances. Upgrading of informal settlements is dependent on many factors, which differ from country to country although the cause is always similar: rural to urban migration which may be influenced by many factors.
