Construction works for the Kasane mini stadium are to resume at the beginning of March this year following the termination of the initial contractor in May last year, after the latter failed to get adequate manpower, leading to a two-year delay.
The project which commenced on August 15, 2022 was originally scheduled to be completed on May 12 the same year but the completion date was later as revised to November 6th of 2023. However, since the termination of the contract, the project has remained incomplete.
Chobe District Council Secretary Joseph Segopa told The Ngami Times in an interview that that there were two main issues that caused the delay in the completion of the project which included non-performance by the contractor and variations due to unforeseen ground conditions.
Segopa has noted that the contractor’s execution of the works was at unsatisfactory delayed progress and this was mainly due to inadequate manpower, both skilled and unskilled on site at most times.
“During execution of the works, the contractor encountered ground conditions that caused extra works to be carried out and this included among others hard rock which required blasting and a ground slope that resulted in a lot of backfilling being required to level the ground,” he said.
In order to facilitate the completion of the project, Segopa noted that the contract with the initial contractor was terminated on the 17th May 2024 to pave way for engagement of a replacement contractor for completion of the works. He stated that a specialist contractor has been identified for completion of the works and negotiations are in progress on the scope and cost for completion.
According to Segopa, the terminated contractor had drilled a borehole at the site, excavated the ground, constructed a ridge track, installed the sprinklers, fenced the area, and built a stand for the water tank. Other works which are left for the new contractor include construction of the boundary wall, change rooms, ablution blocks, a mini stand, change rooms and guardroom/ticket booth
Meanwhile, the project was awarded to a citizen owned company called Smartworx at a contract sum of P5, 732, 420.00 and the amount was expected to cover both the design and construction phase. The project is facilitated by government through the Ministry of Youth and Gender.
