28 Nov 2021

Aggre Holdings, a company constructing Moletemane block-paved access road seeks six months extension to complete the 19 kilometer road they started in June 2020.

The P45 million road was to be completed and handed over to department of roads June this year.

However, the company sought extension owing to some unforeseen challenges.

The contractor has completed only 10km, albeit in patches, after starting works in June last year.

In the first proposed extension the company had tabled that it could only complete works on February 2022, but client ministry shot that down and settled for December 2021.

Now that December is a few days away, the contractor seeks a further six months extension to cover the remaining 32 percent of the works.

The contractor has cited several challenges as key to seeking another extension.

Initially, the site agent Mr Tuelo Lebone explained to Bobirwa Sub District councilors who visited the site that the road was supposed to have been two layered, but some spots needed more layers to raise the road, andtherefore forcing the contractor to do more works than initially planned.

At some spots, Mr Lebone said, there arose the need to construct culverts, which were never part of the project scope. Consequently, the road would not be completed in December as initially agreed upon, he said.

The site agent, also believed further delays would be cause by expected rains.

When asked if there existed possibilities of terminating the contract by the client, project supervisor Mr Nophus Moatswi said that there still existed some room for engagement based on contractual agreements.

“We have written them notices against their progress,” said Mr Moatswi who explained that the contract could not be terminated as the contractor had outlined challenges faced.

He said his office had written a detailed progress report to the ministry.

Moreover, his office had requested for variations to add such components as culverts, which were initially omitted. Ends