29 Jun 2023

Construction of the P183 million Maun Centre for Children with severe and multiple disabilities has been completed. The Centre is expected to be operational September. 

Responding to some questions raised by residents during a kgotla meeting on June 26, North West District Council senior economist, Mr Thero Ditshego said the contractor was currently clearing the site.

Maun residents wanted to know when the centre would become operational. The project was handed over to the contractor in January 2020 and completion date was February 15, 2022. The project comprises an administration block, conference centres, academic and ablution blocks, accommodation blocks, dining hall, hydrotherapy rooms and therapy rooms with kitchen among others.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development on behalf of the Ministry of Basic Education which will be the user ministry.

On other issues, residents had been appraised on some developments to be undertaken such as the paving of some internal roads through the Constituency Community Funds (CCP) and the water project aimed to upgrade and improve water supply and sanitation services in Maun and satellite villages.

For his part, Member of Parliament for Maun East, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile said some roads which would be tarred through CCP initiative were the one which passes through Boseja ward to Delta Waters School and the one from the grave yards to A3 road as well as the other one from new plots at Matlapana to Sexaxa village.

The roads, he said would help reduce congestion, adding that the constituency would be left with five roads to be improved. He said it was unfortunate as the council budget was inadequate to do projects such as roads.

Mr Kekgonegile further revealed that government had also pushed to include more road infrastructure when preparing the National Development Plan 2025-2029, citing the Nata/Maun road and Sehithwa/Mohembo among others.

 “We wanted to include the western bypass that passes outside Maun heading to Matlapana, Shorobe and Moremi Game reserve and I am happy that the contractor undertaking the ongoing water project had already cleared and made it passable,” he said.

The council principal roads engineer, Ms Thapelo Olerile explained that the council had been allocated P600 000 this financial year, noting that the budget was inadequate to pave roads but stated that they would only focus on patching potholes to make roads passable.

She also noted that shortage of machinery was a challenge to at least gravel some of the roads, saying currently, they were operating with one grader for the whole district.

Water Utilities Corporation senior technician -Production, Mr Tebogo Gabatsholwe said due to the drying up of the Thamalakane River, the water situation was bad, adding that Boseja ward alone needed four million litres of water in a day, but the corporation could manage only 3.2 million litres. In some areas, he said, they had to put up some water tanks to improve the water supply.

However, Gabatsholwe pointed out that the ongoing Maun Phase 2 water project was supposed to address water challenges but the project was behind schedule.

Mr Gabatsholwe revealed that part of the project was supposed to be completed by February but the contractor failed due to some unforeseen circumstances.

He promised residents that the project would be completed in February next year and was hopeful that the situation would improve as they anticipated the arrival of the annual floods around August. 

Once the floods arrived, he said the corporation would commission Borolong Water Treatment Plant which sources water from the river. Ends