The North West Provincial Legislature's Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads, Transport and Community Safety together with the Portfolio Committee on Education, Sports, Arts, Culture and Traditional Affairs are satisfied with both the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and the Department of Education and Sports Development on the progress made on roads constructed around Ganyesa and the refurbishment of the dilapidated building of Katlarelo Primary School.
The joint committees received complaints from members of the public about roads around Ganyesa. They also read reports in the media that Katlarelo Primary School has only three classrooms that are also used as storeroom, kitchen, staff room and library. Teachers use bucket system and learners help themselves in the bush because the pit toilets that were built by the community were destroyed by heavy rains.
The Portfolio Committees of the Legislature play an oversight role over government to check whether services that are meant for the people are delivered and are of quality. When the Committee arrived at the road between Ganyesa and Mmadinonye, there was a contractor on site who started working on the 23 May 2014 and will finish on the 25 May 2014 at a cost of R264 million.
At the newly constructed road D330 between Ganyesa and Kudunkgwane, the Committee is happy with the department's response on the call of motorists that the quality of the new constructed road was not good, the tar was uneven and it had bumps, and the road was full of sand.The Committee found a contactor was on site and all the complaints of the motorists were attended to.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Jeanette Dibetso-Nyathi said the department must employ local community members through the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to maintain roads in the area.
"Using EPWP workers to maintain and sustain our roads will be a good idea because it will also create jobs for the community and also help them to take pride in their road", said Hon Dibetso-Nyathi.
When the Committees arrived at the school in Esdale near Mmadinonyane, they discovered that the Department of Education and Sports Development finished the two new classrooms and toilets that the community had started to build. The department is in the process of extracting water from local area from boreholes. The School Governing Body and parents who were present at the meeting complained about scholar transport and shortage of water in the area.
Hon. Kegakilwe said this will be taken up with the Department of Transport as they had pronounced in their 2014/15 budget speech that they will increase scholar transport provision in the province.
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