23 Jan 2025

 Two major road reconstruction projects in the North West District, being the 67 kilometres Maun-Toteng and 45 kilometres Tsau-Sehithwa roads, are among the 70 out of 148 Development Manager (DM) model projects suspended by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in December.

This was disclosed by North West District Council (NWDC) chairperson, Mr Itumeleng Kelebetseng when addressing the full council meeting recently.

He said the suspension was to enable the ministry to review and establish effectiveness of the model relative to its cost and as an infrastructure delivery concept.

He said that the two projects also included the reconstruction of access roads to dikgotla of Komana, Toteng, Sehithwa, and the Sehithwa Police Station.

Mr Kelebetseng said that the reconstruction of 204 kilometres Gweta-Maun Road was under consideration while the design of 244 kilometres Shorobe-Kachikau road and the 92 kilometres  Phathane-Kareng- Makakung-Semboyo-Tsau road was planned for National Development Plan 12.

On other matters, he said the Minister of Lands and Agriculture conditionally approved Maun Development Plan (2024-2044) in October.

He said the condition was that the plan recognised existing land rights within the project area and allowed property owners to continue benefiting from their existing land rights as they wished under the same terms and conditions.

Mr Kelebetseng said a consultant had since been engaged regarding the condition and that the council was now awaiting the minister to produce the final plan which would be published in the Government Gazette and become operative on the date of its publication in the Gazette in line with section 20 (7) of the Town and Country Planning Act (2013).

Commenting on chairperson’ s speech, Councilor for Sehithwa-Legothwana, Mr Mmoedi Modiegi expressed sadness regarding some of the road projects that were suspended projects pending the DM review. He said the district’s roads were in a bad state. 

Matlapana-Shorobe councilor Mr Kobamelo Baikgodisi expressed disappointment at the Maun Development Plan of 2024 to 2044 that was conditionally approved which he said they had been awaiting its finalization for the past two years.

He said the plan was crucial since it had led to suspension of plot allocations by the Tawana Land in Maun. He appealed to the NWDC leadership to take up the matter to quicken the outcome. ENDS