27 Sep 2017

Contractor of the 110 kilometre road between Charleshill and Ncojane in Ghanzi District, Zac Construction, is said to have stopped working with its project consultants due to conflict. 

Mr Thabo Moeti from project consultants Bothakga Burrow informed the Parliamentary Committee on Communications Works Transport and Technology during a site visit of the project on Tuesday that Zac Construction stopped dealing with his company’s head office this year in January. 

 Mr Moeti said this was after Zac Construction had asked government to terminate the consultant’s contract. However, he said works on site continued until June 2017 when the contractor finally ceased dealing with the consultant representatives on site. 

Mr Moeti said as supervision and monitoring should be done by consultants, the contractor was currently doing unsupervised work. He explained that the contractor had failed to submit requests for works inspection which is violation of the project contract. 

He said the project was behind schedule and the contractor has been given extension of 86 days, to December 3, 2018 to complete the project. The project was originally supposed to be completed next year in September. 

 Mr Moeti said factors such as the late approval of the contractor’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for borrow pits, and absence from site for a period of one month in May contributed to the project falling behind schedule. 

The Parliamentary Committee on Communications Works, Transport and  Technology expressed disappointment that the project was not progressing well and its quality compromised. 

The committee was also concerned that the consultant was not doing anything at the project site due to differences with the contractor. 

Member of Parliament for Gaborone Central Dr Phenyo Butale, who is part of the committee said the warring parties should be called to order so that the project could continue and be completed on time and to required standard.  Deputy director of Roads Mr Reason Lekutlane said his ministry was aware of the differences between the contractor and its consultant and was engaging the two parties to address their issues. 

On the issue of quality Mr Lekutlane said his department had the capacity to test and certify work done by the contractor at the site and if the work does not meet the specifications the contractor would do the work again at their own cost. ENDS