Land expropriation halts A10 dual carriageway road
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday August 5, 2025 09:07
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, has cited land expropriation and the relocation of utility services as some of the contributors to the delay of the road, which goes past Gabane, all the way to the junction popularly known as Sengaparile.
The road, which was commissioned last year by former president Mokgweetsi Masisi been delayed many times since the tender was awarded by the then Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) in 2018.
Responding to a question in Parliament this week, Salakae disclosed that processes take time since they involve many stakeholders such as plot owners, the Land Boards, and other relevant Authorities responsible for assessments and valuation.
Salakae added that early works such as the land expropriation and the relocation of utility services, namely power, water, and telecommunication infrastructure along the road, have been contracted to a joint venture of three citizen contractors, and are a priority in the execution of the project.
“Attending to these works now is a risk mitigation strategy as this will ensure that the Government does not incur any additional costs associated with delays arising from the expropriation of land and relocation of utility services after construction commences,” he said.
Salakae pointed out that as the mitigation measures form part of the cost project risks, they are not expected to negatively impact the agreed project construction costs. He also disclosed that the preliminary design on the A10 road project was approved in 2024 to enable progression to the Detailed Design and Construction stage. “The project entails the Design and Construction of a dual carriageway road from Mogoditshane Pula Spar past Gabane, all the way to Mmankgodi junction. The project comprises the 25.1km of the A10 road between Mogoditshane (Gabane junction) and Mmankgodi junction and the 4.6km urban road link between Paul Rantao Road (“Pula Spar”) and the A10 road (Gabane junction). The Ministry is currently awaiting the final detailed designs,” he said.
The Minister was responding to a question from Thamaga-Kumakwane legislator, Palelo Motaosane who had asked him to update Parliament on the progress for the A10 Road project and to state the cause of the delay. The road passes through some of the villages in Motaosane’s constituency. As such, the Member of Parliament (MP) has been asking about the project's progress even in the 12th Parliament. Motaosane has been worried about the deterioration of the road and the number of accidents that have occurred as a result of its bad state.
Looking back, the tender for the project was marred with controversy from the onset when there was a dispute over tendering. The then Ministry of Transport and Communications (MT&C) requested to use quality and cost-based selection as the evaluation method in the tender construction of the road, and it was approved by PPADB in 2018. The project was initially budgeted for P1.4 billion as per the project engineer’s estimates at the time of tender closing.
It was then reported that the budget for the road should be increased to P1.7 billion, with a likelihood of reaching P1.9 billion. The then Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulaganyo Segokgo, announced in Parliament that the progress of the road had been stalled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Then on September 12, 2021, PPADB approved the tender as per the ministry’s submission following successful negotiations with the contractor to vary the project. The ministry had requested to negotiate with Consolidated Construction Company Stefannuti Stocks Joint Venture (CCC/SS JV) with respect to the award of the tender for the Construction of Mogoditshane – Gabane – Mmankgodi Junction Dualling Road Project – Tender NO. WOR7/17/9 (1).
When Masisi commissioned the road just before the general election last year, he acknowledged the prolonged wait for the construction of the road, attributing the delays to changes in design, scope alterations, and insufficient funding. “This project has been a point of contention on multiple occasions, evidenced by heated debates in Parliament and discussions in public consultation forums,” Masisi said during the project commissioning. It was one of the infrastructure development projects initiated under the now-suspended Development Manager Model.
The dual road, which serves as a vital link between Gaborone and the western corridor, has been operational for over three decades and has now exceeded its original design life. The Mogoditshane-Gabane-Mmankgodi road is one of those that benefited from the P3.6 billion from the stimulus package, which was announced in 2016 and was to be spent over the following three years. Residents of the Mogoditshane-Gabane-Kumakwane-Mmankgodi were happy when it was announced that the dual carriageway road would be constructed to ease traffic.
As the road continues to be delayed, Salakae revealed in Parliament this week that he is aware of the condition and the bad state of the A10 road. He said a contractor has been engaged to carry out routine maintenance on this road to ensure that potholes are attended to on time. “Continuous monitoring by the Ministry is in place to prevent further deterioration”.