26 Apr 2021

Member of Parliament for Kanye North has urged Moshupa Sub-district council to ensure that the Ntlhantlhe culvert was completed on time and within budget.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the over P5 million  constituency community project last Thursday, Mr Thapelo Letsholo said government was concerned about misuse of public funds and corruption associated with projects.

“I therefore urge the Moshupa Sub-council and the project manager to deliver the project on time, to quality and exact cost. I want you to ensure that all goes well so that Kanye North can be a good example to the whole country,” he said.

He also commended Southern District councillors for working as a team when executing projects according to the needs of communities. 

He said it indicated that they had the interests of the people at heart.

He said the project would not only benefit Ntlhantlhe residents, but would also go a long way in easing access for the whole country. 

“We all know the importance of infrastructure in our lives and development, and this culvert and road will help connect us,” he said.

Furthermore, Mr Letsholo urged the sub-council to engage local people and companies for services they might need during construction of the culvert. 

He said it would empower residents and boost their profiles for future jobs. 

He also urged those who would be engaged in the project to contribute towards social responsibility initiatives.

Giving an overview, Moshupa Sub-district council chairperson, Mr Peter Sethibe said the project was long overdue but could not be done as scheduled due to budgetary constraints. 

He noted that initially it was to be constructed through the Kanye Administrative Authority (KAA), but that it was later transferred to the Moshupa Sub-district council.

He said the culvert, expected to be completed in six months, would be constructed in-house and that they would outsource some services. 

“The project is in-house and will be done by the council because the intention is to reduce costs as much as possible and complete it by September,” he noted.

For his part, principal roads engineer who is also the project manager, Mr Kheta Smile assured residents that they would  undertake consultations and assessments to establish the impact of the project on communities. 

He said they would ensure that blasting and other associated works would be safe and that they would have minimal impact on nearby residential properties. 

On local empowerment, Mr Smile said they had so far engaged over 20 local people for casual labour and would engage more as the project progressed.

He urged residents to cooperate with them and to guide against criminal activities that could have a negative effect on the project. 

He also urged the village leadership to speak out against theft, saying their machinery would be on site for the duration of the project.

Southern District Council chairperson, Mr Thamiso Chabalala applauded residents of Ntlhantlhe and Magotlhwane for the patience they showed even though they were faced with challenges which posed a danger to their lives. 

He also applauded councillors for speaking up for the project until it materialised.

“I have confidence that it will be of great quality because the team has done other similar projects in the district. Our wish is that it is completed before the stipulated six months,” he said. Ends