18 Sep 2016

A road network of 25.8 kilometres in Serowe will be paved using interlocking bricks at a cost of P50 million for 12 months.
Speaking during a kgotla meeting in Serowe on September 16, the Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, said government was responding to residents’ concerns about the poor state of the village’s internal roads.
Mr Masisi said the use of interlocking bricks would save costs and time as the same length of tarred roads would cost over P115 million with the project lasting a year and a half.
During construction of the roads that would avail job opportunities, the VP said the local producers would be engaged to provide interlocking bricks and other materials.
“I can assure you that these will be the best ever constructed roads in the country,” he said before warning potential contractors that the government would not entertain shoddy jobs.
He also stated that cost overruns would be avoided because nowadays government projects were expected to be delivered in time and within budget.
Mr Masisi assured the residents whose houses might be affected by construction work that assessments would be carried out for purposes of compensation.
Roads to be upgraded would include the road to Mogatsapoo and the one leading to Serowe Sports Complex.
On other issues, the VP promised that the Serowe-Palapye Road would be fenced during the current financial year; therefore, he urged farmers to control their livestock and avoid vandalising the fence meant to protect road users.
At the same meeting, the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Mr Eric Molale, said government was in the process of replacing street lights that use electricity with solar charged lights.
Mr Molale said the move would save government a lot of money since the solar street lights took five years to replace  while the current ones needed replacement after every two years.
For the smooth provision of the solar charged lights, Minister Molale said they were in talks with the Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Mr Nonofo Molefhi, to set up a solar light factory locally.
However, Mr Molale said he was concerned by the rate of vandalism of government property and pleaded with the residents to take good care of the lights upon installation because continued vandalism would only serve to drain government coffers.
The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen said projects would be monitored by his ministry’s technical services department.
He allayed fears as to the quality of the interlocking bricks saying they would be tested before being used. ENDS