14 Apr 2025

Gaborone Mayor, Mr Oarabile Motlaleng, says he is not impressed by the companies that do a substandard job when executing civil jobs around the city. 

Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony for Segoditshane River desilting and pothole repairing service in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Motlaleng said the repairing of potholes around the city had become an annual project for the city council and engineers were assigned to supervise and monitor works during road construction. 

“I think with proper monitoring and proper consultation this time around, we are going to see a job well done,” he said. Mr Motlaleng said those responsible and remunerated to oversee such works alongside constructors seemingly failed the public and the commissioner of works as they delivered substandard works. 

He also said it was time the roads in the city were asphalt overlaid to prevent potholes forming at every rain season. 

He said they were also contemplating to adopt a street initiative for those who had the means to repair damaged potholes and roads as and when needed. 

He said the council alone could not bear the road repair expenses of the city.  

He added that they were impressed with their collaborative partnership with Business Botswana, particularly during periods of disaster. Private Sector Disaster Response Fund (PSDRF) Chairperson, Mr Butler Phirie said four constructors were engaged to repair potholes at the tune of P1.5million. 

He said they believed that with intervention they had, the road systems and network of Gaborone would improve and residents would move smoothly thereby, becoming productive at work. 

Mr Phirie said the private sector had always been willing to assist the government whenever disasters occurred. 

He said the PSDRF was harnessing what the private sector in Botswana could come up with to help in disaster mitigation strategies. 

He said with the initiative, they were trying to ensure there was maximum impact. 

He said they had ongoing assessment in Francistown, as well as roads in Gantsi, Kuke, D’Kar and Mochudi. Mr Phirie said within the first month of its operation the PSDRF had been active and would soon announce how much was already spent. 

He said the desilting of the Segoditshane River was one of the activities that PSDRF had funded. 

He also said the fund was supposed to respond and rapidly mitigate the impact of the disaster. 

He said the over the years and almost every year Segoditshane River had been disruptive of life of the city and disruptive of both private sector and public sector services. 

He o said the river stopped the movement of the people and that of goods and services, which led to the decision to intervene this year.  He said the PSDRF covered a spectrum of disasters that could befall the nation.

“For intervention teams to assist communities affected by malaria, some P3 to P4million would be required and my board is assessing what intervention it can to try to help in that disaster,” he said. ENDS