15 Jan 2018

Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Alfred Madigele says in the absence of bitumen standard road linking Gasita village with Selokolela, government will continue to grade current gravel road and ensure it is in a good condition.

Some residents had suggested during a kgotla meeting in Gasita on Tuesday that funds disbursed to conduct regular maintenance of the road should be accumulated and later used to tar the road.

Dr Madigele said funds permitting, government could have long tarred the Selokolela/Gasita road but the expensive nature of constructing a bitumen standard road currently at P5.5 million per kilometre remained a challenge.

Until such time when financial doldrums facing the nation abated, he maintained regular grading remained a better solution.

Dr Madigele was however not happy with the quality of the 10 kilometre access road from Motlhalawakgomo to Selokolela village.

He wondered whether the road would be able to withstand harsh climatic conditions.

Molapowabojang/Mmathethe lawmaker also hastened to explain to Gasita populace that tarring of Motlhalawakgomo/Selokolela was covered under government policy to tar every access road within a radius of 10km from the main road.

Area Councillor, Mr Simon Ramaphoi called on residents to remain upbeat that the road would be tarred in future.

On other issues, Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) official, Mr Michael Montsho assured residents of Gasita that the corporation was working round the clock to improve the supply of water in the village.

He said though that depletion of underground water due to prolonged dry spells and unavailability of funds remained challenges to attempts by WUC to normalise the situation.

“We have solicited funding to augment daily water yield from available boreholes,” he said.

Mr Montsho expressed disappointment that some farmers used potable drinking water meant for household consumption to water their livestock.

That, he said, had negative bearing on water supply required for household use on daily basis. ENDS