Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Good morning, I would like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome you to this engagement with the Department. As a Department responsible for infrastructure delivery, we are also mandated to ensure that we resuscitate the ailing economy of the North West Province. We will achieve this through the successful implementation of infrastructure projects. We do this through ensuring that we develop policies that are conducive to enable contractors to participate in rendering services to the Department in a fair, transparent and equitable manner. We further ensure that work opportunities, and economic opportunities through direct and indirect contracting are afforded to those that comply with supply chain prerequisites, norms and standards. In a nutshell, this is our responsibility as a lead infrastructure Department...[Read]

Tuesday, November 08, 2022

Sods are scheduled to be turned at separate locations in three municipalities to officially mark the beginning of the special maintenance and re-gravelling on at least nine provincial roads for total investment of more than R316 million by the department of Public Works and Roads. The good news is, contractors have been appointed for all nine road projects and sod turning ceremonies – one scheduled for Friday this week- have been lined-up to introduce same to stakeholders including the direct beneficiaries of such projects, as in local communities. Three of the projects are in the Ngaka Molema District, the direct beneficiaries being road users of Mafikeng Local Municipality who stand to benefit from the revamped road infrastructure totalling more than R113m of the above-mentioned total investment. Contractor, Khosivuyo Logistics CC, is due to establish site shortly for the R47million special maintenance of 4 km on sections of Nelson Mandela Drive..[Read]

Monday, October 31, 2022

One of the bitter lessons we take from the state capture era is how fragile our public sector can be and how we need to strengthen it. The report of the State Capture Commission lays bare how organs of state were systematically weakened by undue political and corporate interference. It further details instances where individuals without the necessary competence and experience were appointed to strategic positions so that they could be manipulated by private interests. As we recover from state capture, we must ensure there are consequences for the perpetrators of state capture. We also need to make sure that public institutions can never be weakened in this way again. This means we need to build a public service that is professional, ethical and driven by merit. Building such a public service is one of the main aims of the National Framework...[Read]

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

The construction of a 10km tar road in Molelema and Matsheng villages, North West, has been halted for more than a year now as the government disputes that it should fork out R114 million for the project. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has revealed that the project to tar the gravel road will remain on hold until a court delivers its ruling. Replying to written parliamentary questions, Mbalula said the government sought to appeal an adjudication outcome that found it liable to pay R114m to Botong Nkolele Joint Venture, contracted in 2019 for the project. The joint venture was awarded the contract to construct the road for R65m. This amount was based on its bid, which was the lowest of 24 bidding construction groups. Of the 24 tendering groups, 20 placed their bids well over R100m. The highest bid was R190.5m, while the second highest was R168.6m. Botong Nkolele was due to start the construction on February 17, 2020 and complete it by January 2021. But just 58% of the project was done...[Read]

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

The department has initiated a full audit of all its diesel storage tanks in all the four districts following assertions that substantial fuel is lost due to leakages. But disturbing reports are emerging pointing to wanton theft and siphoning of diesel. The shock revelation have also been confirmed by Directorate Security Services of the department who have since opened a criminal case following the recent theft of diesel at Kameeldoring, Lehurutshe recently. This version has now added fuel to speculation that the acute shortage of diesel, may not only be attributed to purported extensive leakages of the fuel storage tanks. Theft on a grand scale seems to be a primary cause, with speculation that a syndicate maybe involved. Head of Department (HoD) Moses Kgantsi ordered an immediate investigation and audit of fuel storage facilities. “There are two investigations I requested  because we cannot continue blaming the security on site in Klerksdorp the circumstances required a deeper investigation because the diesel was delivered one Thursday...[Read]

Friday, October 14, 2022

The Department of Public Works and Roads (DPWR) today launched the ``2022 October Transport Month’’ campaign for the province with the opening of the rehabilitated section of the road from Brits to Sonop in Madibeng Local Municipality. The provincial launch, comes at the back of the national launch of the ``2022 October Transport Month’’ by Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, in Pretoria a week ago. North West has had the privilege to host back-to-back national Transport Month event launches by Minister Mbalula in 2020 and 2021. The events coincided with the opening of the newly constructed bridge project in the rural village of Madidi outside Mabopane (2020) and followed by the labour intensive project launch of S’hamba Sonke on the refurbishment of three bridge projects held in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District a year later. The provincial ``2022 October Transport Month’’ programme was on site the completed Phase ll, of the Road (D1263) which is approximately 12.5km between Brits town to Sonop...[Read]