08 Mar 2020

Minister of  Infrastructure and Housing Development, Mr Mmusi Kgafela, has officially marked construction of a centre for children with severe and multiple disabilities in Maun.

The centre, which would be the first of its kind in Botswana, will be built at the cost of about P183 million.

Mr Kgafela said the ministry was committed to ensuring that the project was delivered timely so it could serve its intended purpose.

Mr Kgafela, therefore, urged the project contractor, Sharps Construction and Vertical Solution to execute a quality project within the stipulated two-year period.

“I urge the contractor to take this project seriously and deliver it timely, failure to do so will be a great loss of time and money to the people of Maun and Batswana,” he said.

The facility, he said, would have a multi-purpose hall, conference centre, staff houses, power sub-stations station, small farm, students’ hostels, academic and sport areas.

Mr Kgafela said the project would provide a support system to children with severe and multiple disabilities in Maun and the country as a whole.

“Once completed, the centre will be a home to such children, where they will get care, love and be uplifted so that they can believe in themselves,” he said.

He said the centre was one of the 41 projects carried out by the ministry across the country at about P6 billion.

Mr Kgafela said anticipation was for the centre project to benefit Maun community as well as surrounding areas by creation of employment opportunities.

He thus urged sub-contractors to be committed to the project and avoid truancy.

He also urged the Maun community and leadership to also monitor the project progress.

The contractor representative, Mr Claude Rossi, said their company, which was 100 per cent citizen-owned, had a policy of hiring locals and therefore would employ people from Maun and surrounding areas.

Mr Rossi said their company had a success trail of other projects that they had done around the country.

He said the centre was a noble project that they had been entrusted with, therefore would deliver a quality project on time. ENDS