07 Jul 2025

Department of Buildings and Maintenance in Palapye is in the process of terminating the maintenance contract of Moeng College with Experience Count Pty Ltd.

Briefing the Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele on his visit to the school, Department of Buildings and Maintenance area manager, Mr Moikothai Kelailwe said they had faced many challenges in working with the contractor and the last straw was when the contractor abandoned the construction site last year December.

“We rejected a couple of the works the contractor did, amongst them trenches they dug, the fence and buildings because they were not to the standard we specified”, he said.

He also said the contractor left with keys to some of the buildings when they abandoned the construction site in December, of which they had not gotten back. Mr Kelailwe further said the project team would meet today at Moeng College to assess and make recommendations on the way forward. He said the initial cost of the contract was estimated to be a little over P160million, which then dropped to a value of P100 million. He said the project started in June 2022 and was estimated to last for one year and six months.

“The scope of work for the project was for civil works, mechanical works and a sub-contract for electrical works,” he said, further noting that Experience Count Pty Ltd was given the civil and mechanical works, of which the company had so far been paid P52 million. 

On how it came about for the company to be awarded the contract, Mr Kelailwe said initially they had contracted five local contractors but it failed to materialise, hence they used one contractor.

 “We shall deal with this matter as per what the contract stipulates so that we move forward and do what needs to be done at Moeng College so that learners, teachers and non-teaching staff can operate in an environment that is conducive for them," he said.

For his part, Mr Maele, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tswapong North, said he would take up the matter on the basis of the urgency it required.

“I will engage with Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure so we can swiftly deal with this matter because it is heartbreaking to see my the school in this state,” he said.

Mr Maele said he was disappointed by what had transpired with the contractor adding that it was up to the relevant authorities to take this matter up and bring it to finality.

“It is time for the sleeping giant that is Moeng College to rise again back to the top”, he said, adding that what he saw was deplorable, sad and embarrassing.

“Ceilings in dormitories, houses and classes have collapsed. There is no fence around the school, buildings are incomplete, trenches have been dug and left open and people are living in asbestos buildings,” said Mr Maele.

He noted that it was not surprising that other parents had transferred their children away from Moeng College because of the state it was in. Mr Maele said he was informed that for the past three years, the school had not gone beyond a 14 per cent pass rate, which was of serious concern. He pleaded with teachers, non-teaching staff and learners to do what they could with the little they had and perform to the best of their abilities despite of the challenges they faced every day. ENDS