Dineo�s Bitter, Sweet Effects
Chakalisa Dube | Monday March 6, 2017 16:09
As if being riddled with potholes, was not enough, the road’s dire state of affairs was compounded by the heavy down pours that led to many settlements in the Nata-Gweta constituency being flooded.
The Nata-Gweta constituency lies in the Makgadikgadi Pans.
During the wet season, the pans bring migratory birds such as ducks, geese and pelicans, which are now a common sight on large pools of water on the sides of the road. Travelling along the A3 after the Dineo storm is a problem, as drivers have to depend on big cars to avoid getting stuck in water that is passing over the road bringing misery to commuters and drivers alike.
The potholes are a real nuisance to drivers who use the A3 road to travel to various destinations to the northwestern parts of the country.
The passengers’ gripe with Dineo was aptly captured when the Seabelo Express that The Monitor team was also travelling in got stuck in the middle of a flooded section of the road. This was after the bus experienced mechanical problems when water got inside the turbocharger.
The bus only managed to continue with its journey after it was repaired by mechanics from a rival transporter, Golden Bridge Express. The mechanics were initially repairing their bus that also got stuck in the flood since 4 pm on Thursday. The bus was on its way to Maun. The bus was later pulled by a breakdown car on Friday around 1pm when The Monitor team visited the area. Golden Bridge’s mechanic, Kgotso Modise said the flooded road has adversely affected their operations.
After the bus got stuck in the stretch of water about a kilometre on the outskirts of Zoroga from Nata, Modise said they had no choice but to offload passengers from the bus.
He added that the passengers then had to endure waiting for periods for another bus to ferry them. Seabelo Express bus conductor, Thuso Ogolotse said their profit margins have greatly reduced since the road became flooded on Tuesday after most people decided not to travel. “People get late for work because of this flooded road near Zoroga. It is gravely inconveniencing passengers in various ways,” said a worried Ogolotse. A South African distributor of Sasol products, Sakkie Haynes,told The Monitor around 2pm that the flooded road has delayed him to meet some of his clients in the morning at Pandamatenga.
He said it was the first time in his life to see a lot of water flowing across a road causing such major disturbances.
However, when some farmers would be counting losses because their fields were flooded, this is not so for James Mochawacha, who offers car breakdown services as he will be smiling all way the to the bank. Mochawacha charges P250, P200 and P150 depending on the size of the vehicle he ferries across the flooded part of the road.
He said he started offering his services on Tuesday after the road became flooded.“I help people to cross this flooded road. Although I charge them, I don’t necessarily have fixed prices because some stranded people don’t have money to pay me. They didn’t anticipate that they would get stranded along their journey. I sympathise with them because I feel their pain,” Mochawacha said.
However, people who were waiting for Mochawacha’s services felt that the Government had neglected them in their hour of most need.
“It is Government’s duty to help people in situations like this. Government has been ferrying people across flooded areas in the country at no charge. Why are we an exception?” asked a furious Government teacher who did not want to be named.
On the way back to Francistown aboard a Golden Bridge bus, it was a common site to see some farms completely submerged in water.
While Mochawacha would be smiling all the way to the bank, farmers whose fields were completely covered by water would be counting losses because the water will kill their seeds.
The farmers would not be faulted for singing the popular nursery rhyme, “rain, rain go away” because of the destruction brought about by Dineo.
Another worrying effect that the people of Nata-Gweta constituency would have to live with is the outbreak of Malaria because of stagnant water in their area. Recently, the deputy district commissioner of Tutume sub-district Michael Chilimba, who oversees the Nata-Gweta constituency said a Botswana Defence Force (BDF) helicopter airlifted a child who had contracted Malaria.
Chilimba, who is also the chairperson of Tutume sub-district council disaster management committee, said the child was taken to the road where an ambulance finally took her to hospital.
Chilimba said they however cannot provide assistance to those who want to cross the road for various reasons.