26 Nov 2020

  Seven companies were awarded tenders to maintain and grade the Mochudi/Malolwane - Oliphant Drift, Mokatse - Radikolo, Modipane - Ntswana - la theko and Dikwididi - Sedibelo roads from 2014 to 2019. 

This was said by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms Peggy Serame when answering a question in Parliament on behalf of the Minister of Transport and Communications. 

She explained that when dry grading was outsourced, the contractors were supervised by competent officers, adding that since September 2019 the dry grading had been done by the roads department in-house team.

The team, she said, covered a large area and the frequency of grading was lower than when the work was outsourced. 

Minister Serame said it was also evident that in some roads, traffic volumes had increased.

Ms Serame indicated that the ministry intended to re-introduce outsourcing of dry grading on these roads, funds permitting. 

She pointed out that this measure would improve the conditions of the roads as they would be maintained more frequently. 

She highlighted that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development would be better placed to update Parliament on the arrangements in place for Kgatleng District Council to ensure that the roads that fell on their purview were properly looked after.

For those falling under the transport ministry, she said resources based in both Mochudi and Gaborone had been in place to carry out and manage all maintenance of roads under the ministry’s jurisdiction.

She said the roads were recently maintained by dry grading.

Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mr Mabuse Pule had asked the minister to provide a list of companies and their directors, who were awarded tenders to maintain and grade Mochudi/Malolwane - Oliphant Drift, Mokatse - Radikolo, Modipane - Ntswana-la-theko and Dikwididi - Sedibelo roads, from 2014 to 2019. 

He also wanted to know if the minister was aware that the companies were doing a shoddy job and the measures put in place to ensure they do a good job.

Mr Pule further wanted an update on the efforts by the Kgatleng District Council in ensuring that the gravel and gazette roads in Kgatleng were properly looked after and when such roads were last graded and if not, why. ENDS