06 Jul 2017

Design and construction of Thalamabele-Mosu road was the only project in the Boteti East constituency to be undertaken under both the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) and the National Development Plan (NDP) 11.

Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila told Parliament that the scope of the project covered the design of the 25-kilometre road between Thalamabele Veterinary Gate and Mosu, a 2.5-kilometre access road from the main road to the primary school, through the clinic and the kgotla; as well as 400 metres from the main road to Makgadikgadi Junior Secondary School.

He further told the house that the awarded cost or design and construction supervision was just under P13 million and that the estimated budget for construction was about P228.5 million .

The minister said the design phase commenced in October 2016 and was completed in May 2017, adding however that the approval of the design was delayed due to the pending completion of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), which was to be included in the plan.

He noted in addition that the tender for the EMP consultancy was currently under adjudication and was expected to be finalised and awarded this month.

He said finalisation of the EMP was expected to be completed in September, adding that construction of the road was therefore expected to commence in March 2018 and end in August 2019.

Minister Mokaila was responding to a question by Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe, who had asked him to inform Parliament on the ministry’s projects under ESP and NDP 11 that would be carried out in the constituency.

He had wanted the minister to provide a description of the scope of the projects; their budget as well as timelines; when the projects would start and end and the current progress in relation to the projects, as well as provide reasons for delays in cases where there were any.

Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Mr Moiseraele Goya told Parliament that the ministry was aware of the need for additional classrooms at Makgadikgadi Junior Secondary School in Mosu, but that due to competing priorities, the project would only be considered in the 2018/19 financial year.

MP Lelatisitswe had asked the minister to update Parliament on the two classrooms that were earmarked to be constructed at the school during the first phase of the ESP projcts. ENDS