We commend timely completion of projects

Mmegi Editor | Tuesday June 20, 2017 11:40

Those that immediately come to mind are the construction of a terminal building at Kasane International Airport, which was delivered last week. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) officials, the completion of Phase One of the project will pave way for relocation of services this week and the commencement of Phase Two of the project, which is the refurbishment of the old terminal building.

The latter project will take six months. In Selebi-Phikwe we also reported the completion of the Economic Stimulus Programme projects on time and within budget. This is a welcome development that cannot be left unrecognised, although there is room for improvement.

Just a few years ago it was impossible to complete projects in time in Botswana – the Francistown Sports Complex, the National Stadium in Gaborone and the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport are among the projects, which were delayed by more than three years of their original completion dates.

Just recently we were fed yet another shocking revelation that there is no register for the government property such as office buildings, and residential houses.

Ministries continue to request assistance for provision of such buildings from the Ministry of Infrastructure, and Housing Development, but there is no central point which keeps the registers for such structures, something which we are very sure has potential to breed corruption.

It has been proven that projects can be completed on time and we hope that future engagements will bring better results. What is still a source of concern are the reports of continued engagement of companies that are stubborn and have failed to complete projects such as the recent admission by the Ministry of Basic Education before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Although the officials told the PAC that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime was investigating the matter, we hope that the same officials will release information on the findings of DCEC.

This gesture will promote transparency and accountability so that the same mistakes are not repeated in the future. We hope that the announcement of blacklisting of non-performing contractors four years ago by the then Ministry of Infrastructure Science and Technology (MIST), also played a major role in ensuring that companies deliver on time and within budget.

Lastly, the engagement of inspectors at every stage of the project and the scrutiny of documents before any payment can be issued has also played a crucial part in achieving this milestone. We commend all players who ensured that the taxpayer’s money is saved from unscrupulous characters who have unfairly benefited from cheating the system in the past and wish them the best in the future.

Today’s thought

'Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result'. 

– Oscar Wilde