28 Aug 2024

MODIPANE - When news broke that the long anticipated road that connects river villages with Modipane will finally break ground in September, it was all ululations and praise songs. 

In a kgotla meeting to introduce the contractor recently, scores of residents came in large numbers to get first-hand information about the road project they have long fought for, over the years. 

The 25km Modipane-Mabalane Road, that would be constructed through the Developer Manager model, is also a strategic route for Gaborone bound traffic for people living in the city’s periphery. 

The MP for Kgatleng East, also Assistant Minister of Local Government, Honourable Mabuse Pule promised residents that the Modipane-Mabalane Road would be constructed with the highest standards. 

Mr Pule said the new road would open up avenues for trade, education, and healthcare, making life better for every resident of Kgatleng East. He said the project was not just about laying down a road, but was about enhancing connectivity within the constituency. 

“Similar to what we will be achieving with the Modipane-Maphashalala Road, which the government has prioritised, and hence will be awarded funds for the design review stage in the next National Development Plan,” he said. 

Apart from enhancing accessibility of the river villages to the capital city, the project would be a catalyst for local empowerment. The Member of Parliament said the contractors involved in the project have been strongly encouraged to engage local subcontractors and workers. 

This approach, he said, ensured that the benefits of developments reached the community directly, creating jobs and building skills that would serve members of the community long after the project was completed. 

“This addition highlights the government's commitment to ensuring that local communities benefit not only from the infrastructure itself but also from the opportunities that come with its construction,” he said. Modipane Kgosi, Mr Fanuel Mokalake, said he was happy that finally the road project was taking off. He encouraged the residents to tap on any possible opportunities that come with the project. Project social facilitator Mr Solly Reikeletseng, assured residents that he would be working closely with village structures to identify homes that would be affected by the project. 

He said consultative meetings would be held before the commencement of the project to get residents’ views and conduct situational analysis of the project on the residents.

 “In addition, we will also put up a suggestion box for members of the community to throw in their ideas,” he said. 

For his part, Pro Serve Consulting senior project lead, Mr Boile Kusane, said the project would include streetlights at Dikwididi and Modipane where the road will start. 

He said the contractor, Tau Grading Group, had been given 15 months construction period. For their part, resident expressed concerns about projects that surpass their implementation period and end up with cost overruns. 

They also wanted to know if the contractor had sourced a license for mining gravel as that was one of the barriers that might delay the projects to take off. However, Mr Kusane advised that there were people with mining licenses who would be engaged for the project.  He said they were still waiting to conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Modipane-Mabalane road is one of the projects implemented under the Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) and would be implemented using the Development Manager model. 

The Development Manager is one of the reforms ushered in during the TNDP to ensure that projects were completed within stipulated time to prevent unnecessary additional costs to government. 

The adoption of such a reform was informed by the fact that Botswana continued to experience projects implementation challenges, which have led to loss of public funds and slow economic growth, among other challenges. ENDS