20 Aug 2017

Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila has appealed to concerned residents of Pitsane, Rakhuna and Tlhareseleele to cooperate and make way for the construction of the 17.5 kilometre stretch of road that links the three villages.

Minister Mokaila said during kgotla meetings he addressed Thursday in the three villages within the Good Hope/Mabule constituency that refusal by some residents to make way for the construction of the bitumen standard road had proven a serious let-down.

He said as per the Output and Performance Road Contract (OPRC) agreement between government of Botswana and World Bank spanning 10 years, commencement of the construction of the road could only take place after negotiations with concerned parties were concluded.

“Some people have refused to move and in the process delayed commencement of the project,” he said.

To this end, Mr Mokaila pleaded with the residents to join hands with government by way of engaging those concerned to yield to the appeal by the latter so that the contractor could be mobilised forthwith.

Meanwhile, Minister Mokaila said there was a ray of hope especially that some residents took it upon themselves to sway others to appreciate the importance of the project in question.

For their part, residents received the news with happiness saying the long drawn out delay had gotten the better of them.

They however, were concerned the multi-national company that won the tender, namely Elsamex, to construct the road had gone back on its initial agreement to hire labourers from the three villages.

Whereas Tlhareseleele Village Development Committee chairperson, Ms Agnes Mmasa had asked for the construction of a post office in her village, Kgosi Tiego Leshomo decried congestion at Pitsane post office, something he attributed to the fact that the facility catered for other nearby villages.

Unscrupulous public transporters became another contentious issue with some residents calling on the ministry to revoke licenses of those caught on the wrongside of the law.

Responding, Minister Mokaila promised that the ministry would take up the issue of employment of labourers with the contractor.

On construction and extension of post offices in Tlhareseleele and Pitsane, Mr Mokaila told residents that his ministry had resolved to refurbish majority of the 90 post offices across the length and breadth of Botswana first before engaging on any new projects.

Such refurbishment according to the minister would go a long way in improving the efficiency of available facilities as well as enhancing their capacities especially the ICT aspect.

He also assured residents that the Ministry of Transport and Communication was at an advanced stage to device a tracking system that would effectively and efficiently help rid public transport of unwanted elements.

He conceded that for a long time, members of the public were given a raw deal by transport operators who violated willy-nilly terms and conditions of their licenses. ENDS