07 Nov 2016

The Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse says the Mmakedibonye Dam is a new site which is yet to be constructed and is not going to be desilted.

Answering a question in Parliament, Mr Autlwetse said his ministry was operating with old machinery such as bulldozer, scraper, compactor, grader, wheel loader, fuel and water tankers.

He explained that due to financial challenges, most of the earth moving plants have not been replaced since they were bought in 1981-1998 as a result they were susceptible to continuos breakdowns.

He further said the primary reason why not only Mmakedibonye Dam could not be constructed as scheduled for 2014/15 was that continuous breakdowns have negatively affected the work schedule or plan resulting in serious delays.

He also noted that the machinery required in the Southern District for dam construction, rehabilitation and desilting include three scrapers, two bulldozers, one compactor, one grader, one backhoe, one fuel tanker, one water tanker and a seven tonne truck.

Kanye South MP, Mr Abram Kesupile had wanted to know reasons not to desilt the Mmakedibonye Dam in the Southern District in 2013 as was planned and subsequent failure to provide a new schedule, as well as the volume of machinery required and available for desilting dams in the Southern District and the condition of machines/tools available for use in the Southern District for the current unknown schedule of works. ENDS