10 Jun 2018

Nata-Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga has tabled a motion calling for the setting up of a national road development agency responsible for among others, construction and maintenance of roads.

Presenting the motion in Parliament on Friday, Mr Majaga argued that the agency would also focus on addressing the general challenges facing the transport sector.

He said the establishment of the national road development agency would, through improvements to the country’s road network, result in the economy becoming more efficient and competitive.

"A good and well maintained road network would enable communities across the various parts of the country to have access to services and economic opportunities," he said.

Mr Majaga noted that the construction and maintenance of roads in Botswana had in recent years come under immense pressure as a result of resources limitations, he said, adding that consequently local roads were in a bad state.

He noted that an autonomous road agency was therefore needed if the status quo was to be reversed.

The MP said government had since hailed countries such as China, India and Japan for having successfully used similar arrangements to guarantee the maintenance and financing of roads projects.

After the presentation, MPs spoke in one voice to lend support to MP Majaga’s motion.

MP for Serowe West, Mr Tshekedi Khama suggested that when considering setting up the road agency, government must ensure that the Ministry of Transport and Communications had sufficiently budgeted for it to ensure that its work did not get hampered by resources constraints.

Mr Khama, who is the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism also said the agency would ensure the importance of safety in the roads.

He said the lack of maintenance for fences on the roads needed to be addressed as livestock often wandered into the roads and caused accidents.

Mr Ndaba Gaolathe of Gaborone Bonnington South also agreed on the necessity of the national road agency, indicating however that since Botswana was small in terms of size, the mandate of the agency could be widened to include all forms of roads including railway lines and cycling tracks.

Mr Gaolathe said a good road network was key to the flourishing of the economy of any country.

Raising another issue, the MP observed that since the construction of roads was costly, time had come to move away from short-term plans by planning far ahead to ensure the road network did not fall behind of developments.

He said the agency would also ensure among others that the road network financed itself through toll gates, among other means.

Gaborone North legislator, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa said the motion was not only progressive, but was among those that could take Botswana forward.

Mr Nkaigwa the road agency was important as it could help in ensuring that roads in the country were brought up to standard as most of them had for a long time been in bad shape.

He too agreed that toll gates were necessary to help raise funds for the development of the road network.

Mochudi East MP, Mr Moagi Molebatsi concurred that Botswana’s roads were in a bad state and had the potential to scare away investors.

Mr Molebatsi pointed out that once in place, the road agency should ensure that the country’s roads were friendly to all road users and not only to motorists.

He argued that rural roads should also be put under the agency as they led to the production areas from which Batswana drew the sources of their livelihoods.

MP for Boteti East, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe said the establishment of the agency would be a welcome move which had the potential to be self-funding.

He said the agency could gather all fees related to road use and use such for the discharge of its mandate.

Mr Lelatisitswe on the one hand urged government to fast-track the setting up of the agency. ENDS