02 Sep 2015

Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Mr Nonofo Molefhi has handed over the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) to the ministry of Transport and Communications.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony in Gaborone on Tuesday (September 1), Mr Molefhi said they paid a huge cost to bring the facility to its current standard, while they regret delays caused due to contractual difficulties.

However, he said they were proud that they did not compromise on what was expected of them.

Minister Molefhi said they insisted on the right quality. Despite all the difficulties they encountered, they stayed focused to their goal and learnt their lessons in the process.

He noted that experience would be put to good use in the future so that they do not repeat the same mistakes and undertake reforms in both their procurement rules and project management including monitoring and evaluation. 

The minister said he expects professional partners in the private sector consisting of the consulting and contracting community to assist them achieve their objectives as he said they employ consultants as middle-persons who should remain impartial when presiding on contractual issues.

Contractors should be paid fairly for a job well done and on the same token, the employer, being government needs to be compensated accordingly for good execution in relation to time and workmanship as more often than not consultants have been caught napping at the cost of the employer.

Mr Molefhi said the SSKIA project and few others, which gave his ministry problems, were some of the projects that government through his ministry, has resolved to fast-track with a view to completing them in time for the 2010 FUFA World Cup that was held in South Africa.

He said these aspirations were not realised and they paid a huge price for this decision which was taken in good faith, stating that when they were entrusted with the responsibility to fast-track this project and a number of others for the 2010 World Cup they were conscious of their limitations and constraints especially with regard to their in-house manpower resources.

Mr Molefhi said they had to contend with the fact that they did not have adequate in-house capacity to effectively execute these assignments within the given time frame and they accordingly planned to step up their manpower resources by procuring professional services from the private sector subsequent to which they assisted them to procure what they believed to be a top grade contractor.

He said they have been in and out of legal wrangles with contractor and still have matters pending before domestic courts and before an ICC Arbitral Tribunals. However, he said he was convinced that they took the decision to terminate the previous contractor in public interest.

For his part, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo said airports are important and crucial contributor to the economy of any nation, and described them as gateways to locations near and far.

Mr Mabeo said airports are the place where so many components of aviation converge and said the importance of aviation to Botswana and the global economy whether big or small are part of the economic engine as they contribute to local, national and global economies alike.

He said their goal as the ministry and all stakeholders is to take aviation to the next level of safety and to leverage technology to make air travel more efficient and more sustainable.

The minister said safety remains government’s top priority and they would only allow the amount of air traffic they could handle safely to take off and land, stating that the SSKIA facility was designed to accommodate 976 passengers per peak hour and the runway was designed to accommodate Air Bus 380.

He said they were hopeful that phase III of the works according to the Master Plan would commence and be completed within the set time and on budget with inclusion of escalators, VIP lounges and other required facilities to make SSKIA  a modern facility and a key player in the international aviation business to reckon with. Ends