Nekundi wants Tses–Berseba road contractor on site

Works minister Veikko Nekundi says the contractor responsible for upgrading the long-awaited Tses–Berseba road in the //Kharas region must be on site before the end of October, as he pushes for the route to be upgraded to bitumen standard.

Nekundi raised the project during the official opening of the final 1.5-kilometre section of Windhoek's Southern Link on Thursday last week.

“This month the contractor must be on site, that’s what you briefed me, right Mex?” Nekundi asked Roads Authority executive officer for engineering Mex Muatjetjeja during the event.

The minister also insisted that the Tses–Berseba road should meet bitumen road standards, renewing attention on a project that has been identified as an infrastructure priority in southern Namibia.

The road, identified as Main Road 98 (MR98), has been the subject of planning and environmental assessment work aimed at upgrading the existing route to a low-volume sealed road.

The Roads Authority previously appointed Element Consulting Engineers to undertake detailed design, prepare tender documentation and provide contract administration and construction supervision services. Environmental assessment work was undertaken by Enviro Management Consultants Namibia, with the project's environmental assessment recorded as approved.

Stakeholders in the //Kharas region also identified the Tses–Berseba upgrade as a priority during consultations on the region's road master plan last year.

However, Nekundi did not identify the construction contractor, disclose the contract value or provide a completion date. His remarks also did not establish whether the contractor had formally been appointed.

The minister's demand for a bitumen-standard road places renewed attention on the final specifications of the project and whether construction will begin within the timetable communicated to him by the Roads Authority.

Southern Link completed at N$231.6 million

Nekundi made the remarks while opening the final section of the Southern Link, a N$231.6 million road development connecting the Auaspoort Interchange to the B1 highway towards Rehoboth.

The project involved approximately N$220.1 million in construction costs and N$11.4 million in consulting engineering services, with N$50 million of the construction allocation directed towards small and medium enterprises.

According to Nekundi, completing the final 1.5km section required extensive cutting, drilling, blasting and crushing through a large mountain, adding significantly to the project's cost and technical complexity.

The completed road includes separated carriageways designed to reduce head-on collisions, controlled interchange connections, bridges, stormwater drainage systems and street lighting to improve visibility and safety.

“Every kilometre of road we build must not only move people faster, but also move them more safely. This project achieves both objectives,” Nekundi said.

The Roads Authority says the Southern Link will ease traffic pressure in Olympia, Prosperita and Cimbebasia, reduce congestion along Auas Road and provide a more direct connection to the B1 highway.

The route is also expected to improve the movement of commuters, freight operators and long-distance travellers between Windhoek and destinations to the south.

The government-funded project was implemented by the Roads Authority, with China Railway Seventh Group–Onamagongwa Trading Enterprises Joint Venture serving as the contractor and Lithon Project Consultants providing consulting engineering services. Fifteen small and medium enterprises participated in the development.

Nekundi said the Southern Link forms part of a longer-term government vision to progressively extend dual carriageway infrastructure southwards from Windhoek towards Rehoboth, depending on future funding and development priorities.