Botswana poised to become a 'construction site'
President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s State of the Nation Address put his Vice, Slumber Tsogwane and Minister of Transport and Public Works, Eric Molale under the spotlight.
Both men are chairman and vice respectively of the Development Manager market concept. The committee is composed of Ministries of Finance, Land Management, Water and Sanitation, Local Government and Tourism.
Masisi announced that government has adopted a new approach known as the Development Manager Model in order to accelerate its investment agenda. This is expected to expedite timely delivery of quality projects and reduce financial and economic risk to Government.
Among the projects covered under the Development Manager Model, are the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and clinics across the length and breadth of this country.
“The financing of these projects will be sourced from the Domestic Development Fund.'
He said the construction of the following road projects is ongoing namely: Tshesebe-Mosojane-Masunga road (51.2km), together with access roads to Masukwane, Kgari, Pole, Mulambakwena, Mapoka and Letsholathebe villages.
These are expected to be completed in December 2023. In addition, the construction of Mandunyane – Shashemooke – Borolong – Chadibe – Mathangwane-Makobo-Natale road (84km) has commenced and is expected to be completed in June 2025.
The following roads will be reconstructed: Francistown – Nata (200km); Nata – Pandamantenga road (64km); Nata - Gweta (100km); The Maun-Sehithwa – Mohembo (149km); Mogoditshane-Gabane-Mankgodi (27km) and Palapye - Martin’s Drift Road (111km).
Works on all of these roads will commence during the course of this financial year, and will be implemented through the Development Manager model.
'As we reconstruct and maintain our roads, we have committed to develop new link roads.'
The following roads will be designed and constructed: Goodhope-Kgoro-Gathwane (14 km); the new access roads totalling 58km in the Goodhope District and covering Rakhuna-Ngwatsau-Sheepfarm-Malokaganyane road link (21km), the Dinatshana-Pitsane-Potlokwe-A1 link (6km), the Dinatshana-Bethele-Kgoro (10km) link; and the access roads to Gamajaalela (7km), Sekokwane (3km), Mogwalale (2.5km), Mosi (7 km) and Phitshane Molopo Border (1.5km).
These are expected to commence in November this year. In addition, plans are underway to seek private sector participation in dualing the remainder of the Ramatlabama Ramokgwebana (A1) road. He said expression of interest will be floated before the end of the current financial year.
The following new roads will be constructed through the Development Manager model: Modipane-Mabalane (24km); Molepolole Bypass (28km); Tloaneng-Mankgodi (12km); Mmathethe-Bray-Werda (125km); three (3) Grade Separated Interchanges at Molapo Crossing, Block 8 Traffic circle and Airport Junction. The construction of Mmokolodi Kgotla access road (6km); Mmadinare-Robelela (40km); Manyana-Moshupa (18km) and Motopi-
Makalamabedi (30km). These projects are expected to commence during this current financial year.
He said in order to preserve some of the national strategic roads, the following roads will undergo periodic maintenance in the form of Asphalt overlaying; Jwaneng – Sekoma (82km); Mahalapye – Radisele road (40Km) and Machaneng – Ramokgonami road 38 (60km). These projects are expected to commence this financial year and to be completed in the next financial year.
Under Water projects, Masisi said the Gaborone Water Supply Master Plan Project with its three components comprising Mmamashia to Foresthill Pipeline and Reservoir, Lobatse Water Supply and Mmamashia to Gaborone North, is at final stage of completion with a record breaking of 92 million litres reservoir; The North-South Water Carrier 2.2, which includes the construction of a second pipeline from Palapye to Mmamashia, will be
completed by June 2024.
On completing the projects, the water security for the Eastern part of the country will be achieved. The Mmamashia Water Treatment Plant Expansion is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year. At completion, the Mmamashia Water Treatment Plant will be the largest in the SADC region with a capacity of 220 mega litres.
The Gamononyane-Molepolole water pipeline construction is at commissioning stage. The project will improve water supply in Molepolole, Lentsweletau, Kopong, Metsimotlhabe, Thebephatshwa, and surrounding villages.
The construction of the water pipeline, as well as the associated infrastructure to Kopong-Lentsweletau cluster is expected to be completed this financial year; The Boteti Southern and Central Cluster Villages Water Supply Scheme is on-going and is expected to be completed by May 2024.
The Maun Water Supply and Sanitation project, which is meant to improve water supply and sanitation services for Maun and surrounding villages, is expected to be completed in April 2024.
The water infrastructure from the project is being commissioned. The Moshupa and Kanye Sanitation projects are at commissioning stage and customers are being connected to the two sanitation schemes and the Kasane water treatment plant is complete and undergoing commissioning.
Government is also in the process of addressing water shortages in Kgalagadi North. The re-scoping of the project to draw water from Phuduhudu wellfield instead of Ncojane is under way. The project will be awarded during next financial year.
On building, Masisi said in pursuit of enhancing the provision of universal health services, government has built new hospitals and clinics and have also upgraded a significant number of primary hospitals to meet health care needs of Batswana.
The improvements include adding maternity wards, housing for health personnel, upgrading of facilities and equipment. A number of clinics are at various stages of completion following an intensive programme of health infrastructure development. Makgophana, Toteng, Ngarange, Dibete, Kauxwi and Sepopa clinics will be operational by 2024/25.
Upgrading of more hospitals and clinics will be delivered during the Transitional National Development Plan, including the 43 completions of the Moshupa hospital, and new hospitals in Kanye, Kasane, Palapye, Lerala, Shoshong, Letlhakane and Rasesa. Among the projects that will be constructed under the Transitional National Development Plan are a number of new education facilities to improve access education at all levels.
New primary schools, junior secondary and senior secondary schools will be constructed countrywide. There are also plans for the construction of Government offices and maintenance of existing Government facilities.
'Our applied research efforts to develop innovative ways on the use of local natural resources is expected to result in significant reduction in building costs by availing locally produced materials.
“As of now, the research has yielded the following building products: the emergence of products such as Portland Cement Clinker bricks, Synthesis of Glass-ceramics from BCL copper slag; and the Kalahari Sand Brick whose manufacturing uses Morupule B power station fly ash as one of the ingredients, and will be rolled out to Nata, Khuis, Werda, Gasita, Motopi and Sehithwa.'