13 Feb 2014

Parliament has been told that the planned intervention on Mosolotshane/Moralane road and other similar roads in the region is dry grading which is done once every quarter.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Nonofo Molefhi has told Parliament on Wednesday that during the financial year 2012/13, the road was dry graded once during the month of October 2012 after adoption by Roads Department from Local Government  at a cost of P17 036

Responding to a question from the Member of Parliament for Shoshong,  Mr Phillip Makgalemele, the minister said during the 2013/14 financial year P19 516 was spent on the road  while P19 516  would be spent during the month of February 2014 when the next intervention would be undertaken.

He said these figures only include remuneration and allowances for the personnel involved in dry grading of the roads and do not include cost of equipment as the interventions are done in-house.

Minister Molefhi told the House that this consideration has been explored and would be further reviewed as the transfer of road training is being finalised.

He said techniques and methods of roads maintenance is a specialised process adding that in order to upgrade skills levels, the Road Training Centre is being transferred to the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and will be absorbed by BUIST.

He said the new programme would graduate youth who would be potential members of the maintenance cooperatives.

MP Makgalemele had asked the minister to state the extent to which he has maintained the Mosolotshane/Moralane road given its continued bad state and to further state the specific amount spent in maintaining this road during the 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years to end of September 2013 and the remaining budget allocation to end of March 2014.

The legislator had also wanted to know whether given the level of involvement of the road, the minister would facilitate the training of youth in road construction at Molepolole Roads Training Centre so that they could form roads construction and maintenance cooperatives to benefit from the Economic Diversification Drive and local economic development policies. ENDS