26 Jun 2017

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama on Saturday did the ground breaking of the historic multi million Pula Mohembo Bridge construction in Okavango. The bridge is expected to take 32 months to construct and will be completed in July 2019.

The artistic impression shows that the 1.2 km Mohembo Bridge is going to be a state of the art infrastructure and the only of its kind in the country.

President Khama told Okavango residents that government heeded their long time plea for the construction of the bridge, adding that whenever he visited the area, he was always asked when government would consider such a project.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila said construction of the bridge would see more developments coming to Okavango.

He said the project was a life changing infrastructure and Okavango people should be grateful for government efforts to better people’s lives.

Mr Mokaila said with the construction of the bridge, more lodges would emerge and the number of tourists visiting the area would also increase. He also said the bridge would make people’s movements easier since they depended on the pantoon to cross the river which operated from 6am to 6pm, hence limited movement.

Minister Mokaila also promised residents that the Sehithwa –Mohembo road that led to the bridge would be upgraded.

He said though the road was not included in the National Development Plan 11, government would use the P150 million from the transport levy to upgrade the road.

A project consultant, Mr Kobamelo Kgoboko said the construction would be done in a way that it would  not badly affect the ecosystem.

For employment opportunites, Mr Kgoboko said ITINERA, an Italian company, had so far employed more than 100 Batswana and that more would continue to be hired.

He also said the contractor had engaged other local companies such as Hawk Eye and Excavator Botswana among others. ENDS