Review of Development Manager model suffers serious setback.
The resignation of attorney Mboki Chilisa as Chairman of a task force team that has been set up to review the Development Manager Model has caused further delays into the highly anticipated probe.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Chilisa has stepped down from his position.
The resignation follows heated debates on social media and some mainstream media over potential conflict of interest.
Concerns arose due to Chilisa’s previous association with one of the major contractors under review, Unik Construction Engineering (Pty) Ltd.
Critics speculated that his past association with the company could compromise his impartiality.
In response, the Ministry issued a press statement this week to clarify the matter.
“We would like to categorically state that Mr Chilisa is not a Director of Unik Construction Engineering (Pty) Ltd as purported in some quarters. He was engaged as an independent non executive, with no relationship to the said company consistent with latest information on the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) website. As a competent appointee and legal counsel, this past association will not in way hinder the integrity of the assignment at hand,” the statement read in part.
At the time of going to press, the Ministry had not responded to our enquiries on Chilisa’s replacement and how his resignation has impacted the schedule of the task force.
The task team will focus on four points being: the conceptualisation and approval of the Development Manager model; Procurement of the Development Managers; Implementation and coordination of the Development Manager projects; and Status of the Development Manager model.
The Development Manager model was introduced by the Government in October 2023 to improve project implementation and management as a response to poor implementation of infrastructure projects, cost overruns, delays in completion of projects, and low quality of projects.
Meanwhile, the ministry has approved a total of 78 out of 148 projects that were placed under the Development Manager Model.
Among the projects that are to be undertaken are the construction of primary, secondary schools and teachers houses in several villages across the country; SSG Francistown workshop and 150 houses; refurbishment of Mmadinare and Selibe Phikwe hospitals; highways in hundreds of kilometers; construction of records centers in Gaborone and Tlokweng.
The estimated cost of the projects is over P12 billion and expected to create thousands of jobs during the construction phase.
