Tender failures cost more than money

Mmegi Editor | Monday June 16, 2025 14:19

As Mmegi’s investigation lays bare – from the consultant’s inexplicable rock miscalculation to the anguish of homeowners facing blasting and unfair compensation – this is a clarion call to everyone involved in public procurement: Do the right thing. Lives depend on it.

The core failure is breathtaking. A consultant reportedly estimated rock density at eight percent when reality screamed 80%. As Director Raitoko rightly stated, rocks littered the surface – visible to anyone. This was not a hidden fault; it was a fundamental, avoidable error that should have been caught in the design phase. Proceeding without thorough geotechnical checks, as admitted, was reckless. The result? Costs ballooned from the initial P707 million to P3.4 billion – a burden shouldered by every Motswana taxpayer.

But the true cost is not just in pula. It’s etched onto the landscape and lives of Kanye. First, lives are disrupted daily by blasting. Heavy machinery drills and explodes through the rocky terrain, often mere metres from homes. Residents endure constant fear and actual damage – cracks appearing in their walls, their peace shattered. As one source admitted, blasting happens multiple times, inevitably damaging houses built unknowingly on rock. This isn’t just construction noise; it’s domestic terror for families.

Second, lives are stalled by unfairness and frustration. Landowners face a nightmare as negotiations for easements drag on for years. Compensation payments are delayed, deemed unfair, or outright refused. Homeowners feel powerless, their properties invaded, their concerns seemingly ignored. Some simply refuse access, labelled “impossible” by contractors, causing costly diversions and delays. This is not negotiation; it is a breeding ground for coercion and bitter confusion, leaving families in limbo.

Third, the ripple effects impact everyone. Water seepage, unexpected challenges importing materials, and the need to re-route pipelines add layers of complexity and cost. The entire community is now a permanent construction zone, its natural rhythm and environment disrupted indefinitely by a project riddled with avoidable problems.

Enough is enough. To all involved in tendering – consultants, government evaluators, bidding contractors: Consultants must remember your reports are not just paperwork; they are blueprints for real-world impact. Survey sites thoroughly. Challenge assumptions. Be brutally honest about ground conditions. Lives and livelihoods hang on your accuracy.

The P2.7 billion error is a national scandal. But the greater scandal is the human cost borne by the people of Kanye – the fear, the disruption, and the unfairness. Tender processes are not abstract administrative exercises. They are the foundation upon which communities are built or broken. It is time for everyone in the chain to look beyond the bottom line, see the faces affected, and finally, consistently, do the right thing. Batswana deserve nothing less.