15 Mar 2018

 Kweneng District Council has reported challenges over the need for infrastructural maintenance, especially road network resulting with poor driving quality.

Delivering opening remarks at the Kweneng full council session, council chairperson, Mr Jeffery Sibisibi said in an effort to arrest the situation, they have resorted to buying two graders, one loader and one tipper truck with tenders already been awarded to Rola Botswana  and Barloworld Equipment.

“We are optimistic that with additional equipment we will be able to address some of the challenges facing our district,” said the council chairperson.

The situation, he said, was more evident on unpaved roads due to loss of gravel and development of corrugation due to untimely interventions.

Mr Sibisibi highlighted that the Molepolole Administration Authority (MAA) has deplorable state of roads owing to the constant breakdown of their grader in the past year. The appalling state of affairs, he said, led to outsourcing of multiple roads for dry grading with projects that were at different stages of procurement with some awaiting evaluation and adjudication of tenders.

He reiterated his concern over none compliance to planning and building standards in the villages of Molepolole and Mogoditshane.

The illegal developments, he said, included construction without building permits and the use of residential plots open spaces and road reserves for activities such as brick moulding, place of worship, motor dealers and garages.

“There is no doubt that these operations can have long-term detrimental impact on the amenity of our neighbourhoods in terms of public health, safety, good order and security.”

He said due to the growing trend of indiscriminate placement of bill boards within the district’s major centres, the council had started reviewing existing guidelines for regulating advertisement hoarding signs with the aim to close shortfalls that have been identified.

He said they intend to develop effective and efficient instruments to facilitate investment. The council chairperson further reported outstanding water bills of P123 million owed to Water Utilities Corporation by customers in Molepolole management centre.

He said P96 million was for government institutions, P2.4 million by business and commercial plots while the remaining P18 million was for individual customers.

The corporation, he said, had resorted to water disconnection because the concerned parties were failing to come forth and help the corporation to recover its dues.

The meeting was also briefed about the fact that although WUC was still challenged by the supply of water in areas of Molepolole, Thamaga and Thebephatswa BDF Camp due to water losses emanating from dilapidated infrastructure, drying of boreholes and limited storage capacity, efforts were underway to normalise the situation through various interventions.

He said as a way of optimising the network, they were considering short-term interventions aimed to improve the existing distribution network for both Molepolole and Thamaga that was expected to cost P5 million.

The long-term intervention according to the council chairperson would be through connecting six boreholes at Malwelwe/Botlhapatlou wellfield as part of the World Bank Funded project, and the upgrading and rehabilitation of the Molepolole network subsequently with the North South Carrier (NSC).

He also raised concern over delayed completion of repaired works for cracked houses during the Letlhakeng Infrastructure Development Project despite the fact that the project’s defects liability period was ending in May this year.

Meanwhile, the district has reported a high increase in the number of HIV infected babies with change of status of mother during the breast feeding period. Ends