30 Nov 2023

Given the worrying state of disrepair of its buildings, government continues to put strategies in place to manage facilities maintenance through adoption of a facilities management framework.

Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale told Parliament on Wednesday, that with regards to buildings maintenance, a facilities management framework document, which would be used to regularise and standardise the delivery of facilities management across government entities had been adopted.

The framework is at advanced stages of development and would ensure that ministries have a consistent approach to the management, planning and delivery of building maintenance.

Minister Molale said the ministry continued to devise ways to ensure efficiencies in delivering public works.

He explained that the ministry would also adopt a project governance framework and would ensure adequate distribution of resources and monitoring of all ongoing projects.

The framework, he said would be adopted to guide all professionals implementing infrastructure development projects across government including those currently residing in a few procurement and project management units and in the technical services department of the Ministry of Education and Skills Development.

To date he said, the approval process of the framework had been initiated.

Furthermore, he said the Ministry of Transport and Public Works would establish integrated and cross sectorial project management teams to coordinate and pool resources for delivery at district level.

He explained that local authorities previously had structures that were referred to as works committees’ adding that they worked with the works ministry on policy coordination and implementation especially on the enforcement of standards as well as programming of works schedules, including maintenance at the local authority level.

“I have agreed with the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development that these committees be resuscitated.

This promotes the spirit of also taking decisions at local level instead of Gaborone,” he said.

Minister Molale highlighted that the ministry’s portfolio had been restructured where buildings and infrastructure resources had been pooled and classified into two categories of design and construction.

This, he noted, would have a strong decentralisation component where most work of design and supervision would be done at local authority level and therefore accordingly resourced.

He told legislators that his ministry’s mandate covered coordination of overall policy, strategy and standards development on matters relating to infrastructure development and maintenance, adding that maintenance of buildings and facilities remained the responsibility of each ministry.

He noted that as a consequence of the structural arrangement, the attendance and approach to facilities management and upkeep of buildings lacked consistency from one ministry to another.

At present, he was currently consulting with the view to restore the Ministry for Transport and Public Works authority over building infrastructure development and maintenance functions accompanied by requisite funding allocations.

Minister Molale was responding to Takatokwane MP, Mr Friction Leuwe who wanted to know who was responsible for the maintenance of government buildings or infrastructure and to state government strategies put in place regarding the maintenance of government buildings given their worrisome state of disrepair. ENDS