06 Sep 2021

Werda service centre infrastructural development is almost complete.

This was said by Kgalagadi District Council chief administration officer, Mr Benjamin Kabomo in an interview recently.

Mr Kabomo who is also Werda Service Centre coordinator said the project, which once completed would bring services closer to the people,  included the service center and two LA2 houses and was being constructed to the tune of P1.8 million through constituency community projects funding. 

He said the project was currently 95 per cent complete.

He said Tsabong Sub-District council endorsed the service centre as one of priority projects to be implemented in 2018/2019 financial year. 

The project aimed to improve service delivery by extending the old Werda social and community development office into a fully-fledged service centre. 

However, the outbreak of COVID-19 caused delays in its implementation.

Mr Kabomo highlighted that Werda Service Centre was the only development of its kind in Kgalagadi targeted at bringing council services closer to five villages of Werda, Draaihoek, Makopong, Hereford and Kokotsha.

The centre is expected to reduce the distance residents travelled to access such services in Tsabong. 

He emphasised that Kgalagadi was one of the districts that was hardest hit by poverty, therefore it was critical to close the gap and bring services closer to the people to cut unnecessary costs.

Currently, he said the service centre had administration, matimela, environmental health, and social and community development personnel. 

Construction included additional offices to house other departments, which include accounts, commercial and bylaw.

Mr Kabomo said Werda was a strategic location for such a development. 

He said the project was expected to be handed in November 2021, but was not certain when the service centre would be fully operational as human resource capital was still being mobilised.

The biggest challenge in the new transition, he said, was lack of accommodation for officers who would be deployed to the new station in Werda. Ends