GCC complicit in road infrastructure corruption

The latest torrential rains in the southern parts of the country have exposed the poor workmanship of Gaborone's road infrastructure.

Gaborone City Council’s (GCC) decision to buy cold matrix asphalt of poor quality from their preferred company (name known to this publication) has proven costly equally to the municipality and road users.

This is so because every time it rains, the potholes that were recently patched by this low-quality cold mix asphalt are exposed.

The council will engage different companies to fix the potholes, and they will be instructed to buy cheap cold-mix asphalt from the same company.

For instance, 10 companies have been engaged to fix potholes around the GCC, and they procure their cold mix from that company.

This has been going on for several years, raising allegations of corruption.

'Why is the city council preferring poor quality cold mix, which is not water resistant? Do they have a mixed design, and is the quality approved?' a civil engineer wondered.

He said the council does not care about the Gaborone road infrastructure in terms of engineering and quality assurance to ensure the longevity of its road network.

'Some roads are inaccessible, especially during rainy seasons, and the council still prefers the cold mix asphalt from that company to repair the potholes using the same method.

“This is clearly subliminal corruption, and it will continue because the council is clearly complicit.'

Some motorists are up in arms.

'We cannot keep on fixing our cars because of the GCC. Why is the council failing to find a long-term solution to fix potholes in their road network?' a furious motorist asked.

Gaborone City Council has failed to respond to a questionnaire sent to them a fortnight ago.