01 Jun 2021

 The chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications, works, transport and technology, Mr Aubrey Lesaso has attributed the delay of some government projects to lack of supervision.

Speaking after touring some projects in Maun recently, Mr Lesaso said failure to complete projects on time was costly to government. 

He said the committee learnt that some supervisors managed projects remotely from Gaborone and visited periodically.

Mr Lesaso said one of those projects was the Maun General Hospital. 

The P17 million project is behind schedule. 

The hospital project commenced in 2017 and was projected to be completed in 2019. 

He noted that the hospital project was critical as it was supposed to accommodate COVID-19 patients on isolation.

He said some patients were accommodated at Botswana Wildlife Training Institute, and that it was not conducive as it had students.

Mr Lesaso said the other project, the Ombudsman offices worth P20 million, were also behind schedule as they were expected to have been constructed between 2019 and 2020.

He noted that the two projects were done by local contractors, saying it placed them in a bad light.

Mr Lesaso also said it was time for individuals, companies and government to change the way they did things. 

He also noted that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi recently challenged the nation to reset their priorities.

For his part, the contractor of the Ombudsman project, Mr Tom Mothibakgomo said the company promised to complete the remaining parts of the project within three months.

He attributed part of the delay to COVID-19. ends