13 Sep 2022

Stakeholders have been urged to embrace the new Public Procurement Act and Citizen Inclusion to ensure smooth and timely project implementation.

Addressing a full council meeting in Maun Monday, North West District council chairperson, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho, said following commencement of the new Public Procurement Act, there had been a significant change in the implementation of maintenance of the road network in the district.

A lot of small contractors, he said, had been engaged to undertake pothole patching, grass cutting, bush clearing and litter picking. 

The chairperson said five contractors had been engaged to undertake pothole patching along Maun-Gweta, Maun-Shorobe and Sehithwa-Habu road links.

 In-house patching, he said, was done along the Maun-Toteng and Sehithwa-Kuke road sections. 

Also, he said the asphalt overlay of 37km Nokaneng-Gumare road was ongoing, adding the department would do the grading of the bypasses in-house to try and arrest the discomfort and travel delays of motorists.

Mr  Ntsogotlho urged stakeholders to continue supporting the projetcs as they were intended to empower citizens. 

He expressed optimism that the Public Procurement Act would address a lot of challenges that were previously encountered.

The act, he said, prohibited public officers of a procuring entity, their close relatives and family members from participating in tendering within their area of jurisdictions, adding it also had anti-corruption initiatives, which prevented collusion and fronting of tenders.

Mr Ntsogotlho called on councillors to take time to introspect and correct their mistakes in order to take the district to greater heights. 

He appraised them on the Reset Agenda, which he said spoke of having to stop, start and improve hard choices and decisions in order to boost the economy.

“We are being called to re-invent ourselves and to attain that, we need to think differently, outgrow our old ways of thinking and doing things,” he added.

Councillors were also updated on other projects to be implemented during the current financial year. 

The projects included the resealing of internal roads/storm water drainage in Maun, bush clearing and levelling of the seven kilometres road in Gumare, paving of Shakakwe Service Centre and gravelling of one kilometer in Mohembo East.

The house was also informed about other development projects in the district such as the construction of two new primary schools at Shakawe and Maun as well as construction of offices at the main kgotla.

Mr Ntshogotlho explained that the council had appointed a company called SECTAF for pre-contract consultancy services for the two primary schools. 

The design works, he said, were expected to be completed on November 28 and would be followed by preparations for construction.

Regarding construction of tribal offices, it was announced that tender of the project was floating and would be closed on September 19, 2020 while funds amounting to the tune of over P30 million for implementation of the project had been approved.

Under the Turnkey Ordinary Scheme, Mr Ntsogotlho told the house that funds had been availed to Botswana Housing Corporation around May for implementation of 20 projects which was five per constituency.

Orientations, he said were done at both sub districts and mobilization for implementation commenced in August 2022, save for projects with beneficiaries who were unreachable.Ends