23 Jun 2019

The North West council executive committee has resolved that the P30 million Maun asphalt overlay project will continue as planned.

The council secretary, Mr Motlogelwa informed councillors on Friday that the executive committee met on March 22 to discuss the matter and resolved that the project should continue as planned. He reported progress on the project noting that the project was awarded on April 25 to Parks Mining Quarries Company at a tender sum of P29.6 million for duration of sixteen weeks.

The notice of the best-evaluated bidder, he said was displayed on the notice board from April 30, 2019, and that an award letter was written to the contractor on June 4, 2019,  who accepted the offer.

Mr Motlogelwa revealed that the contract was signed on June 19 after submission of a performance bond. The commencement of the project was halted following a resolution by councillors during a full council meeting in March this year as they complained of lack of proper consultation with relevant structures of the council.

The council was allocated P30 million from the Road Levy Fund in December 2018 for asphalt overlay of Maun internal roads and some councillors raised concerns that they were not consulted when funds were sought for the project from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Back then, the project was said to be a step ahead as it was gazetted while tenders were  floating but the councillors insisted that the project should be suspended and the matter be taken back to relevant structures.

This was despite explanation by Mr Motlogelwa that proper structures were followed as far as the consultation was concerned.

He explained that the only variance in the submission was the road that leads to Botswana Open University which was now part of the approved project.

It was reported that the council submitted 21 projects across the district but the ministry only approved one project which was the Maun Asphalt overlay and re-sealing. ENDS