20 Feb 2019

 Some councillors under Serowe Administrative Authority (SAA) have called for an end to long standing and recurring challenges that bedevil Ipelegeng coordinating office.

Councillors argued that the challenges that had been cited by all past and present Ipelegeng coordinators without ceasing should be resolved forthwith in order for projects to be completed in time and on budget.

The three long lasting and known challenges are; shortage of funds for tools, under resourced operating personnel and shortage of transport for monitoring sites for both manual and skilled labour projects.

As mitigation, councillors proposed that village development committees that were financially resourced be approached with an aim to purchase tools needed for the implementation of the labour intensive programme.

However, SAA chairperson Mr Mpho Kooreme promised to meet with relevant officers to hatch a resolution with VDCs and ward development committees.

The proposition follows findings that government continued paying beneficiaries of the programme even without work done owing to lack and or shortage of equipment.

Nominated councillor Mr Gaotilwe Omphile opined that since the challenges dogging Ipelegeng were the same every year, there was need to address each separately.

Mr Omphile suggested that SAA should buy tools for use by Ipelegeng beneficiaries on various crafts. 

He also expressed his misgivings about turning some construction projects into turnkey, suspecting that contractors might try to cheat specifications and amass remainders for personal gains.

Another councillor Mr Setlalekgosi Molefhi argued that Ipelegeng was not aptly resourced and empowered to carry out toilet constructions. 

He argued that in many instances projects took too long or faced challenges of water connection as evidenced at Mannathoko Junior Secondary School where he argued that water reticulation into the toilets needed expertise.

He further argued that the problems of water reticulation dated as far back as 10 years ago. 

Mr Molefhi observed that had the school been a private one, the same authority (SAA) could have rushed to close the school owing to dysfunctional toilets.

However, SAA Ipelegeng coordinator Mr Otisitswe Keatholetswe allayed Mr Omphile’s fears saying contractors purchased material as per specifications from his office.

He further said that his office would monitor the project to ensure that all the material was used for the purpose it had been bought for.

Earlier, the coordinator had informed SAA sitting that out of the five vehicles allocated his office, only one, being a truck, was in use although with some mechanical challenges. 

The truck in question was limited to Serowe and could not be risked to villages in the peripheries, hence affecting implementation of projects.

However, Mr Keatholetswe informed councillors that his office had sought support from relevant government offices such as Department of Buildings and Engineering Services as well as Department of Roads for expertise and transportation.

He also said that they had turned some projects into turnkey type, where the builder did everything from the procuring of material up to the handover of the site, while his office monitored and inspected progress.

“SAA is allocated P24 771 832.34 for implementation of 80 projects in 14 villages with a monthly employment target of 2 751,” reads in part a report from the Ipelegeng coordinating office.

From the 80 projects, 54 are purely labour and 26 skilled labour.

 Skilled labour projects consist of maintenance, construction and paving, among others. ENDS