12 Nov 2025

Modipane-Mabalane Road project is expected to continue experiencing delays, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mr Noah Salakae has told Parliament.

In response to a question in Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Salakae said that construction activities under the project have been under suspension from September 3, and that the Development Manager, Pro-Serve Consulting Botswana, has engaged a new contractor from November 1.

Mr Salakae said that the project’s overall construction progress was 48 per cent, showing no improvement in the month of September due to work stoppages by the Sub contractor. 

Overall, the project has however demonstrated steady progress despite the work stoppages, particularly in drainage and main road activities, while certain areas were yet to advance, Mr Salakae said.

He further explained that the project had experienced delays due to severe weather conditions such as heavy rainfall between December last year and February this year, and that had significantly disrupted site activities. The minister said that with the onset of the current rainy season, further delays were anticipated.

He noted that more delays were yet to be experienced due to irregular payment cycles which posed a serious risk to project continuity, affecting the cash flow of both the development manager and subcontractors, particularly during the acceleration phase under prevailing fiscal constraints.

Disagreements between the development manager and the initial contractor had led to a work stoppage, resulting in a time loss of approximately three months, Mr Salakae explained.

Moreover, he said, persistent difficulties in procuring construction materials had hampered progress since project inception, adding that, the project’s completion date had been revised from April 2026 to November 2026.

Kgatleng East MP, Mr Mabuse Pule had asked the minister to provide an update on the progress of Modipane - Mabalane Road currently under construction using the DM model, as well as share share details on the current status of construction milestones achieved.

He also wanted the minister to indicate if there any encountered or anticipated delays, and state the estimated timeframe for completion. ENDS