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The Provincial Department of Public Works and Roads has assured the North West delegation of the NCOP that the upgrade of the Nelson Mandela Drive in Mahikeng Local Municipality will be completed and handed over to the North West Provincial government in December.

The assurance comes after a dark cloud of controversy and negative reporting about this and other very important socio-economic infrastructure projects that are still under construction. Some of them have taken a very long time before they could see the light of the day regarding the implementation of construction, some are beginning to start and, regrettably, some are still on the table waiting to be started.
The Nelson Mandela Drive is a busiest road in Mahikeng and an economic transport arterial road which carries large volumes of traffic, especially during peak hours, and the upgrading of this road includes refurbishment.

Last year, the provincial department appointed Khosivuyo Logistics CC to execute special maintenance along a 4-kilometre stretch of the Nelson Mandela Drive between Danville and Dada Motors in the North West province, with a contract value of R47 million. The controversy about this project began when its implementation numerous challenges. The contractor should be in the third section of the road according to the project plan.

Furthermore, it was reported that the contractor was under-quoted for this project and that a request for a variation order has since been considered. It appears that neither the department nor the contractor knew the full extent of the project scope and that the bill of quantities was not thoroughly identified before submitting the bid or awarding the contract and this came into realisation after almost a year into the project.
 
The delegation heard that it was reported that the interruptions were due to the contractor not having the necessary machinery and equipment to complete the project as well as disruptions that were caused by the community at the project site. The delegation prioritised this project to understand the cause of delays and other complications, amongst the other key issues. The Acting Premier of the province, Mr Nono Maloyi assured the delegation about the completion of the Nelson Mandela Drive in December 2023.
 
“We are all happy, we welcome the report and looking forward to its completion. We are here to understand the challenges that delay the completion of all the infrastructure development projects that are much needed for the betterment of all the people of North West,” said the NCOP delegation leader, Mr Eric Landsman.
 

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Whip of the North West's permanent delegates to the NCOP, Eric Landsman