10 Mar 2015

The Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology (MIST), Mr Nonofo Molefhi, says government is still assessing the public private partnership models. 

Responding to comments from MPs after they debated his ministry budget for 2015/16 financial year, the minister said government was still taking an understudy to see which mode was more suitable for the county. 

He further said his ministry was encouraging the development of green technology for new buildings saying such would be able to save on energy and help also to trap rain water.  The minister had asked Parliament to approve P411. 8 million as recurrent and P546. 3 million for development budget for 2015/16 financial year. 

Mr Molefhi said all government projects were done by the private sector hence it should be blamed for carrying out shoddy jobs, which ended up costing tax payers millions amounts of money. 

He said it was therefore important to establish bodies that would guide the engineers, quantity surveyors and architects to ensure they act professionally and action can be taken against those that fail to deliver as agreed. 

The minister said the government was concerned about Batswana who front for foreigners adding they were working on measures to close all the legal loopholes to guard against the practice. 

He said the government also wanted to attract more mathematics and science learners hence they are targeting primary school students adding the country has a shortage of teachers in these subjects. 

Earlier, responding to the proposals, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Duma Boko, said it was important for the government to ensure everything was in place rather than to react after problems surfaced especially in construction projects where millions have been spent on projects that are yet to be delivered.

He said it was important to have measures in place to ensure errors and defects do not occur saying there should be early warning mechanisms.  Mr Boko, who is the MP for Gaborone Bonnington-North said prisons were overcrowded, inhumane and unsanitary and violate international standards for treatment of prisoners. 

He said the minister talked about ‘demystifying mathematics and science’ when there is nothing mysterious about the subjects.  Education, he said, needed to be restructured to move from “encyclopedic superficiality to a more analytical education.” 

He said there was no need to have science and mathematics clubs but should be the lifeblood of the education system.  Mr Boko said he was also concerned that the minister said 60 youth owned construction companies have benefitted from youth empowerment scheme and awarded maintenance projects worth P44 553 066 creating 910 jobs. 

He said the amount of jobs created were not great given the high number of unemployed youths which he said stood at 170 000. 

For his part, Thamaga-Kumakwane MP Tshenolo Mabeo said he welcomed the registration of engineers, architects and quantity surveyors and that they will also regulate themselves and called for contractors to also have a similar process. 

MP Mabeo said there was a need to encourage those working for government to also register before the deadline elapses. ENDS