20 Dec 2021

Government has approved about P160 million which will be used to improve road infrastructure in the Kgalagadi District.

Speaking during a full council meeting recently, Kgalagadi District Council chairperson, Mr Hendrick Jacobs said the state of most roads in the district were not in a good condition, which was risky for motorists.

He said the funds would be used to reseal and mark Werda- Makopong and Omaweneno -Tsabong roads.

He said resealing and marking had also been extended to Tsabong -Middlepits and Tsabong-McCarthy’s Rust roads.

He said Mmathethe-Bray-Werda road would be constructed from scratch, while the one between Kang and Hukuntsi would be fog sprayed and marked.

He stated that the tender for Werda-Makopong 30km road stretch was awarded to Millennium Holdings company, which started the project in October 2018 and was scheduled to complete in  October, 2019 at a cost of P21 million.

He said the project was behind schedule, attributing as the delays to contractor’s slowness and insufficient cash flow.

The contractor was then granted 176 days extension due to worsening of potholes, and an additional two months for delays during the national lockdown, which extended the contract completion date to September 2020.

“Discussions with the contractor’s insurers were ongoing for the employer to claim against the performance security as a result of the contractor’s poor performance,” he said.

On the resealing and road marking of 37km stretch between Omaweneno and Tsabong, Cllr Jacobs said the project was scheduled for implementation during the 2021/2022 financial year with a total approved budget of P32.5 million.

Responding to the council chairperson speech, Tsabong South councillor, Mr John Lentshikang called for speedy implementation of resealing and road marking of McCathy’s Rust-Werda road as road users continued to experience challenges on that stretch.

Thus, he called for specific dates of project commencement and speedy action.  

Draaihoek/Makopong councillor, Mr Moses Chimbombi called for thoroughness and strict adherence to public procurement procedures to minimise chances of litigations as they delayed implementation of projects in the district.

Hukuntsi West Councillor, Mr Kerapetse Jane called for improvement of road network infrastructure within Hukuntsi village to enable easier movement.

He added that gravel roads in the village posed a serious health hazards.

He called for installation of storm water drainage system in the village and for the 10 meters road stretch between Macheng Mall in Hukuntsi and the main road to be constructed as the main road was now getting damaged due to lack of curb stones. ENDS