Heavy rains leave P1bn damage on roads

Bame Piet | Tuesday April 1, 2014 12:26

 

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Nonofo Molefhi, revealed at a press briefing yesterday that the amount far exceeds what the ministry has in its coffers.  He added that very soon they will be approaching government for intervention.

“The recent rains have caused serious damage to our roads, such that I doubt if the P700 million that we have will be enough to carry the cost.  We may have to go back to government to request a supplementary budget,” he said, adding that the coffers remaining were for the maintenance of existing infrastructure.

Molefhi also responded to a question on whether government was going to consider introducing tollgates in the near future. He compared the funds gathered through the fuel levy in Botswana and neighbouring South Africa, directed at maintenance of roads’ infrastructure. 

He said that the Botswana fuel levy was peanuts in comparison.  With an estimated six million vehicles on South African roads, as at December 2013, the levy contributes significantly to the maintenance and development of roads, he said.

Molefhi said the fuel levy in Botswana collects just over P130 million annually an amount, he said, was too little to be spent on construction and maintenance of roads.

 The minister also spoke about the recent suspension of issuance of public service vehicle permits.  He said that the main objective of the exercise was to enforce a law that prescribes the measurements of bus seats and associated matters.

He said that they have engaged the bus operators association on the matter, and progress has been made.

The developments include employing South African-based bus manufacturers to modify buses sold to Botswana customers to fit the prescribed measurements, a process that might take longer than anticipated.

The South African manufacturers indicated that out of the 250 or so buses that were sold to Batswana, only eight per month make their production schedule.  Some of the vehicles were initially built to transport goods, but were later fitted with passenger seats.

“I have to mention that we are talking about hundreds of vehicles of various models.  Some of these vehicles are used as school buses.

“Others are used on own accounts (transporting staff for companies) and others are used daily on our roads as public passenger vehicles plying routes like Serowe-Gaborone, Serowe-Francistown, Gaborone-Mapharangwane, Gaborone-Jwaneng etc,” he said.

 He said that by April 2016, all vehicles that do not conform to the stipulated requirements in the Road Traffic Act would not be allowed on the network.

Meanwhile, Molefhi stated that in a few weeks’ time the police will start dealing with livestock owners who leave their cattle to roam the roads. 

The livestock owners will be slapped with a P5,000 fine should their cattle be left to their own devices.

He added that his ministry intends to erect new fences, and as many gates as possible along major highways in order to curb livestock-vehicle accidents.