07 Dec 2016

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen, says traffic congestion, lack of discipline by some drivers and potholes worsen the roads situation.

Giving a keynote address during a live demonstration of the Patchgabs initiative by Pro-Phalt Botswana in Gaborone, the assistant minister said potholes decreased road safety thus contributing to the escalating number of road accidents.

“Potholes have become a matter of public concern and a daily irritant to motorists, they damage vehicles and pose a danger to both pedestrians and motorists alike, “he said.

Mr Van Der Westhuizen said it was time for all stakeholders to act decisively to preserve Botswana's road network.

“Government cannot go at it alone hence the need for partnerships to augment and ease the burden on public funds, thus public private partnerships offer an alternative route for the government to develop infrastructure,” he said.

The assistant minister said it was gratifying to see that Gaborone City Council in partnership with Pro-Phalt Botswana and Yarona FM launched an aggressive campaign to repair potholes on city roads.

“This initiative will help improve the state of Botswana's road network, “he said.

For his part Pro Phalt Botswana director, Mr Kagiso Kwelagobe said the new pothole fixing method used a portable infra-red unit that was placed over a pothole to heat it up at 300 degree Celsius after which the surface of the road was raked together to fill up the hole and a small amount of new material is added just to level it before its compacted.

Mr Kwelagobe said the whole process took less time to finish.

“It takes us only 11 minutes to have a single pothole fixed, this is the most effective and fastest way to repair potholes,” he said.

Mr Kwelagobe said, through the Patchgabs initiative, people would alert their office of a particular pothole on the road via sms, WhatsApp and social media. After which they will attend to the pothole within 24 hours and it will be announced live on Yarona FM.

Mr Kwelagobe further said they had an 18 months warranty on all potholes and will do close to 1000 potholes around Gaborone at no charge.

South east council chairman , Mr Phenyo Segokgo pledged support to the initiative and encouraged other councils to follow suit as the initiative can help cut costs of road maintenance at the same time creating jobs for Batswana. ENDS