18 Jun 2015

Ghanzi District Council Chairman Thato Tshweneyagae has decried non performing contractors in the district. He said his council had to deliver projects under difficult circumstances whereby contractors fail to complete projects on time.

Mr Tshweneyagae said the council had a backlog of primary school projects saying there was acute shortage of classrooms. He said the delays were mainly caused by non performing contractors, noting that the contractors have an obligation to deliver quality projects on time and within the agreed specifications and budget.

Mr Tshweneyagae said in future the council will be more careful when awarding tenders. He cited the Ncojane road project which he said has been delayed by some court wrangling.

Mr Tshweneyagae said the council was willing to assist other institutions to deliver on their mandates as a way of promoting Local Economic Development, citing an agreement between the Ghanzi District Council and the Ministry of Health for the council to construct 22 nurses houses in the district.

He said over P29 million had been disbursed to the council to facilitate the projects and the Department of Architecture and Buildings has prepared necessary work and the tenders were being processed to start the work.

On other issues he said the council had formed the Ghanzi Economic Funding Company as the investment vehicle for the council.

He said the company would operate in a business environment, free from the bureaucratic processes and was expected to compete equally with other companies.

Mr Tshweneyagae said the finance committee had approved a startup capital of P2 million to assist in fast tracking the procurement processes for the investment activities.

He also said the council had partnered with the Ale municipality in Sweden, adding that the purpose of the partnership was to promote projects that adhere to democratic principles, youth development, social issues, citizen involvement and gender issues. 

Mr Tshweneyagae further reminded the council of the Ghanzi Agricultural Show, to be held from July 6th to 12th 2015 under the theme “practicing smart agriculture to combat effects of climate change”. ENDS