Rehabilitation of Thamaga-Molepolole road finally takes off
The Molepolole-Thamaga road is one of the worst roads in the country. Stretching 34km, the road has been a nightmare for motorists and residents of the two villages. The tarred road has reached its lifespan and potholes have covered the entire area where the bitumen is supposed to be.
However, joy is now the order of the day after government decided to rehabilitate the road, as the residents are looking forward to better opportunities that the project will bring.
The government has engaged Felyx Construction (Pty) Ltd, a 100% citizen-owned company with the awarded contract at the sum of P49,393,860. On Friday, The Monitor team visited Thamaga and took a road trip to Molepolole driving along that 34km road. It was a complete nightmare as the driver had to dodge potholes across lanes.
Driving along this road is risky hence one can only imagine how dangerous it could be to drive along this road at night and have to navigate potholes. It is such a nerve-wracking ordeal. One could say this road is a disgrace even, as it has been deteriorating over the years and today because of its poor state it has become a death trap.
Driving along the road could be viewed as being suicidal because of its potholes. On the way, the team found a damaged sewage truck by the roadside having had a tyre burst after hitting a pothole. Truck driver, Odireleng Pheko said driving along this road is a complete nightmare.
“This is what we are faced with doing business along this road. this is the second breakdown along this road this month. We do not have a choice but to continue using it because it is the shortest road to connect to Thamaga, Moshupa from Molepolole but the problem is that it is currently in a bad state,” he said.
For their part, public transport operators who use the road are doubtful the government will rehabilitate the 34km stretch.
They say they will only believe it when they see the contractor on site because they have long been promised the development but to no avail. The operators stressed that if rehabilitated, the road will improve the movement of people and goods.
They said for years the road had contributed to injuries and possible loss of life, caused serious damage to their vehicles, brought about accidents and reduced traffic to a snail’s pace.
Armstrong Gaborekwe, who operates a transport business between Molepolole and Thamaga, said doing business along this road is not for the faint-hearted because the road has deteriorated to a point that it has now turned into a death trap.
“As transport operators of this route, we have been long looking forward to the rehabilitation of this road because we are running our business at a loss,” he said.
“We fix our vehicles’ suspensions repeatedly. This road does not have traffic as compared to other roads hence accident-free but the problem we fear is single-vehicle accidents due to those widespread potholes.”
The Thamaga native further stated that they are forced to drive across both lanes and at times forced to reduce the speed to a complete stop by the roadside and allow oncoming traffic to pass. Gaborekwe blamed the initial contractor of the road accusing them of a shoddy job stating that the road was constructed not so long ago, but is surprisingly already in a bad state.
Combi driver, Ernest Letsholathebe shared the same sentiments that the road is in a bad state and has been affecting their businesses for years as they are forced to repair their vehicles more often than they should. Letsholathebe said they suffer body pains due to bumpy rides and potholes.
“This road is bad and it gets more dangerous driving along the road at night and during the rainy season because potholes will be filled with water. Because of the poor state of this road, we do not offer service to our customers to our satisfaction because we usually knock off before it gets dark just so we navigate the landmines of potholes that could be very risky in the dark,” he said.
Thamaga West councillor, Tona Selala said the rehabilitation of the road will go a long way in improving the lives of Thamaga residents because they get services from Molepolole. He, however, expressed worry over the years it took for government to consider rehabilitating the road.
“The government should be in the position to know the lifespan of these roads and maintain them before they fall into serious disrepair. This road was constructed in 2000, but it is in a bad state as compared to the Gaborone-Kanye road that was constructed back in 1988 and 1989. This shows that the initial contractor did a shoddy job,” he said.
Selala stated that the rehabilitation of this road will bring him peace because residents were worried about it, complaining about its state in every kgotla meeting.