17 Dec 2025

Minister of Transport and Infranstructure, Mr Noah Salakae has told Parliament that both Gumare- Sepopa and  Sepopa- Mohembo projects had reached their completion dates and the contractors had been served with notices to claim for delay damages which was a motivation for contractors to complete the projects.
Giving details of the projects, Minister Salakae said the asphalt overlay of Gumare-Sepopa- Mohembo Road (A35) was awarded in October 2022, and the commencement date being November 21, 2022.
He said the project was awarded in two sections; Gumare- Sepopa (73.9km) awarded to Bango trading and Sepopa- Mohembo (74km) awarded to Rockefeller respectively.
Mr Salakae said the scope of the projects entailed predominantly asphalt overlaying of all the sections of the road.
At the time of award of the projects, the whole road from Gumare to Mohembo was in a very bad condition, that the original scope being asphalt overlaying became irrelevant or not appropriate as an intervention, Minister Salakae saying sections that required reconstruction and shoulder widening were identified.
Following that, the two projects were divided into two contracts or packages.
The minister explained that package two (Gumare- Mohembo) was a 37.7km stretch that started from Gumare entailed the use of cold-recycling technology for reconstruction and shoulder construction.
He said the package also included the construction of the access road of Etsha 1 (1.7km), Etsha 6 (3km), Etsha 13 (3.2 km) and Ikoga (2.8km).
Furthermore he said package two (Gumare-Mohembo) entailed shoulder construction and asphalt overlaying for a stretch of 36.2 km of the road up to Sepopa and also increased the width of the road from six to nine metres.
Mr Salakae stated that Sepopa- Mohembo Road section, the contracts or packages were subdivided. He said package two started from Sepopa and entailed the use of cold- recycling technology for reconstruction of the 10km of the road and shoulder construction. He stated that the contract also included construction of access raods of Sepopa 1.9km, Kajaja 1.2km, Nxamasere 1km, Samochima 0.9km, Shakawe police 1.5km, Shakawe airstrip 0.5km and Mohembo Kgotla.
He said that  package one entailed asphalt overlaying and shoulder construction of the 64km to Mohembo.
The minister said that during the last visit to the Gumare-Sepopa- Mohembo Road in February 2025, overall progress for the projects for Gumare- Sepopa Road package one was 43 per cent and it was 70 per cent and package two was 62 per cent and now 85 per cent.
Mr Salakae said Sepopa- Mohembo Road package one was at three percent and now at 18.7 per cent and package two was 21 per cent and now 32.8 per cent.
He said contractors’ claims for extension of time due to delays attributable to the employer were sighted as stumbling blocks to progress and were resolved.
He said contract for Gumare- Sepopa package one were extended from November 2024 to October 2025 with further extensions on the table for resolution. He said claims for Sepopa- Mohembo package one had been referred to a Dispute Adjudication Committee for resolution adding that these issues were highlighted as impediments to progress by the contractors during the visit.
He highlighted that the construction material particularly quality gravel was a very scarce resource in the North West region of Botswana hence whenever suitable gravel deposits were identified it was essential that they be utilised.
To address the issue of poor quality, he said the ministry had found ways by stabilising the gravel material with mixtures such as cement, bitumen and other suitable material to improve the strength and other qualities on the gravel.
He affirmed the adequacy and durability of the materials used for construction. He said the road was expected to achieve a service life of atleast 10 to 15 years before requiring any further intervention.
 Okavango West MP, Mr Kenny Kapinga, had asked the minister to give a progress report on what had been achieved in the construction of the Gumare Sepopa/Sepopa Mohembo road since the last visit to the project by the assistant minister.
He asked him to update the people of Okavango on the interventions he made and what progress the interventions achieved. Mr Kapinga asked if the minister would vouch for the quality of materials being used in the construction of the road and what the longevity of the road would be. ENDS