10 Aug 2016

Despite calls to provide transport to staff employed by the contractor of Kazungula Bridge project, councillors have complained that employees have been seen walking on foot from work despite wildlife infestation in the area.
This came to light at a recent stakeholder engagement meeting on Tuesday.
Deputy council chairperson for Chobe District council, Mr Paul Chabaesele noted that more needed to be done to ensure employees’ safety citing an incident some weeks back in which an employee of the project lost his life to an elephant attack in Kazungula.
Another councillor for Plateau, Mr Boitumelo Kanyetu called on the company to make transport a priority for its staff.
When responding to their concerns, Kazungula bridge project coordinator, Mr Pius Seone acknowledged this and highlighted that initially when the issue of transport was brought up, there was resistance from the contractor but noted that this has since been agreed upon.   
Councillors were also concerned about the benefit of the construction of the bridge to the locals and lack of employment opportunities.
Mr Kanyetu added that some residents had built houses with the expectation that they would rent them out to some of project employees.
 Mr Seone reminded them there were still business opportunities available outside housing and accommodation such as transport and supplies.
He noted that this ultimately was not a viable option for them as the rentals were too expensive.
“The asking price was too much so we opted to build temporary houses for our staff as that was much cheaper than paying high rentals,” he explained.
He highlighted that there was still need for housing as new contractors were coming in for the second phase of the project but advised that rentals should  be kept at reasonable prices.
Regarding employment opportunities, Mr Seone highlighted that some Batswana were their own worst enemies as they were sabotaging themselves by not taking employment seriously.
“For example, the contractor informed me that after the festive holidays, 98 Batswana employees did not turn up for work, this comes after we had advocated for hiring of more Batswana,” he said.
He added that comparatively on the Zambian side, only 11 of their employees did not show up. Additionally he added that some local Batswana contractors had tarnished Botswana’s name by failing to deliver such as Lead Masters.
As a solution, Seone said that they have decided to allocate the rest of the two remaining packages opting to hire locals based on where the phases will be carried out.
The stakeholder meeting brought together district leadership to appreciate the successes and challenges of the ongoing Kazungula Bridge project.
The upcoming 923 metre bridge is located at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers and is a joint project between the governments of Botswana and Zambia.
The project is currently a month behind schedule.ENDS