10 Jun 2026

The construction of the much awaited 25-kilometre internal roads project in Maun is experiencing some delays due to unavailability of G2 material in the area.

G2 material is a high-quality, graded crushed stone used primarily as a structural base or sub base layer in civil engineering and road construction. The project comprises of 10km tarred roads and 15km paving across the tourism township and it was awarded at the tune of over P40 million, which includes compensation for those that will be affected.

Presenting the District Technical Committee report to the district leadership on Monday, North West District Council principal physical planner, Mr Bishop Mthethwa highlighted that currently the project progress status stood at 47 per cent as compared to the planned 74 per cent and yet its completion date was expected to be December this year.

The project entails 11 roads which would be implemented in two phases and he acknowledged that the contractor was working on finding an alternative commercial burrow pit to rectify the situation.

The project is among those implemented under the Transitional National Development Plan which focuses on infrastructure, digital connectivity, agriculture and land management.

He also noted that most developmental projects across the district were at standstill due to lack of funding, poor supervision while some were slow as they were still at evaluation stage.

Mr Mthethwa cited that three projects under Department of Roads were still at evaluation stage while two were in progress.

Another project that sparked debate was the multi-billion Maun Water Supply and Sanitation project which was reported to be stuck since last year as it was said to be awaiting electricity connection.

The project, which includes borehole equipping, borehole collector lines, water treatment plant and transmission line project from Nxaraga to Shashe Booster Station was reported to be at 99 per cent for borehole equipping and 96 per cent for the transmission line and is awaiting completion of installation of a transformer and a mini sub-station by Botswana Power Corporation.

The project aims to address acute water and sanitation challenges for Maun and its satellite villages and has been a long-standing problem even though villagers pinned their hopes on it.

Maun has been affected by water shortage due to supply deficit arising from limited water resources and the situation obliged Water Utilities Corporation to implement water supply demand management strategy optimising on available sources and rationing.

With the commencement of the project in 2021, residents celebrated with high hopes that it would offer a permanent solution to inconsistent water access.

The project was originally planned to be completed in 2023 but that was not the case as it is still ongoing due to several challenges encountered by contractors.

Furthermore, leadership also learnt that the upgrading of Semolo water treatment plant and associated works were at 21 per cent as compared to the planned 70 per cent.

The contractor has been terminated and sourcing of additional funds to procure another contractor is ongoing.

Meanwhile, the district disability coordinator, Mr Montsusi Morake reported on the critical gaps in disability services. He highlighted the flagship project, Maun Centre for Special Education, saying the non-operationalisation of the centre represented the single greatest bottleneck in the district’s disability support framework.

He stated that it was the complete absence of a localised multi-disciplinary assessment and early intervention system. The state of the art centre which aims to cater for learners with severe to profound intellectual and multiple disabilities was initially set to open September 2024.

Mr Morake also pointed out that the district also faced a critical shortage of specialised after-school transitional services, noting that the systemic gap left youth with disabilities without structured pathways to develop the essential life skills, vocational competence and social capabilities required to successfully navigate the shift from structured schooling to independent adulthood. ENDS