01 Jul 2014

Maintenance of schools and other council facilities remains a priority, says the chairperson of the Kgatleng District Council, Mr Tona Mooketsi.

Addressing the ongoing full council meeting on June 30, Mr Mooketsi said even though lack of money limited the amount of work that could be done, the council would maintain primary schools in Oodi, Segale, Matsieng, Kgafela, Ramonaka and Artesia. Mr Mooketsi said the maintenance work would be outsourced. 

Tenders were at vetting stage. Other works such as maintenance of staff housing would also be undertaken by the council’s maintenance crew and other small contractors to clear the maintenance backlog. 

He said as part of decentralising services to other parts of the district, the council transferred seven maintenance crew members to Oodi Service Centre. 

This would ease maintenance work for the villages that depended on the service centre.He said electrical work for electrification of all council facilities at Kgomodiatshaba, Khurutshe, Leshibitse, Dikgonnye, Dikwididi and Ramotlabaki was on-going. T

he first phase, already completed by the council crew, included connecting all staff houses in the above-mentioned villages to the national power grid. 

Unfortunately Dikwididi staff houses were not connected because their electrification was earmarked for the second phase of the project. However, staff houses were equipped, awaiting the completion of the second phase.

Mr Mooketsi also said the second phase of the projects, involving the electrification of primary schools and hostels in the same villages, would start next month. Work has already started at Dikwididi but other villages were waiting for the awarding of tenders. The council would continue to improve their roads by dry-grading and spot improvements of some 160 km of internal roads in Mochudi. Damaged road signs would be replaced during the dry-grading.

He said in the Modipane-Mokatse area, the council managed 15km of dry grading and spot improvement.  With all its three graders working, the council hoped to complete dry grading and spot improvement in the Bokone area, Rasesa, Pilane, Bokaa and Morwa.The third grader is due to start grading Oodi and surrounding areas this month before proceeding to the river villages.

Mr Mooketsi also said the council would engage casual labourers for bush clearing along newly allocated plots in most villages in the district to develop access roads to allow for development of the plots. In Bokaa, bush clearing, including removal of rock boulders and outcrops along the roads, especially in newly allocated plots areas have been done. 

He said culverts would be constructed across a number of streams that run through Bokaa. The streams have proved to be a hazard, especially during rains. ENDS