You scratch my back, I scratch yours

A breath of fresh air at last: community leaders have made a passionate plea to the government to ensure that foreign-owned construction companies awarded tenders sub-contract 30 percent of their work to local businesses.

This comes after the awarding of multi-million maloti tenders to two foreign companies for work on the Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Project Phase II (LLWDP II). 

A Botswana construction company, UNIK secured a M421, 338, 121 tender for the construction of transmission mains, pumping stations and reservoirs in Maputsoe.

The firm will construct and install a 28km steel transmission pipeline and about three concrete reservoirs as well as one pressed tank, over a period of 16 months.

The Project also awarded Chinese company Qingjian Construction two contracts worth M146, 301, 370 and M211, 759, 356, respectively. The first contract is for distribution networks for Hlotse, Ha-Lesiamo, Khanyane, while the second is for constructing distribution networks for Tsikoane, Maputsoe and Mpharane, as well as installation of 390 km of uPVC pipe up to DN630 with all associated valves, fittings and infrastructure, and a 15 HH connection.

The project is funded by the World Bank (Hlotse and Maputsoe) and the European Investment Bank in partnership with the European Union (Mafeteng and Mohale’s Hoek).

Now this is good news. 

We firmly believe in the empowerment of indigenous entrepreneurs and it is incumbent up us as Basotho to ensure that foreign companies working on the countries’ big projects, at least give a slice of the pie to our businesses. 

This is not negotiable. 

Good shot. Ha e tsoa terateng e siea boea!