22 Jun 2022

The Department of Roads has been called to engage extensively with tourism companies in Ngamiland to source heavy machinery whenever need arose.

When visiting the Department of Roads in Maun, MP for Maun East Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile said government departments should learn to build a rapport with the private sector.

This, he said, would enable them to seek assistance when critical projects got stuck because of lack of machinery.

MP Kekgonegile said that Ngamiland District was endowed with natural resources that had attracted big companies to set up in the district, adding that some of those companies had big machinery that could be rented out by government whenever need arose.

This came after the Department of Roads personnel revealed that the low-bed truck that carried heavy machinery for gravelling suffered a breakdown in Gumare.

The MP highlighted that the gravel maintenance of Shorobe- Khwai road was long overdue hence the need for the department to request for quotations from the tourism companies for a low-bed truck rather than wait for a truck from Gaborone, which was engaged in some other projects.

The acting works superintendent in the Department of Roads, Mr Kabelo Mangadi said that the department had made efforts to seek an alternative truck from Central Transport Organisation, but failed due to the fact that the organisation’s truck was also broken down.

He said that the team had requested a truck from Gaborone to transport the gravelling machinery from Gumare to Shorobe so that they could do gravelling in-house.

Mr Mangadi said the department could not float the tender for gravelling of roads as they await the new procurement regulations under the new Procurement Act to be published.

However, he said while awaiting the new regulations, his department had prepared documents for scope of work for the gravelling of Khwai-Mababe road.

Mr Mangadi acknowledged MP Kekgonegile’s suggestion to look into engaging private sector to assist them in transporting heavy machinery.

The acting chief technical officer in the Department of Roads, Mr Mogakolodi Ntshwarang said that tender for pothole patching in respect of Maun-Gweta, Shorobe-Maun and Sehithwa-Habu roads, which would be awarded to Batswana-owned small companies, was currently floating.

He highlighted that the scope of works was designed such that the Department of Roads procured patching material then outsource equipment and labour.

Mr Ntshwarang said government tendering process allowed departments to source products and services of up to P100 000, and that anything beyond that was adjudicated at the ministerial tendering committees that were currently non-functional due to the new Procurement Act.

Mr Ntshwarang noted that bush clearing works were currently ongoing along all roads in the district, adding that a tractor would be deployed in the near future for grass-cutting along Maun-Gweta road. ENDS