Africa-Press – Botswana. The 10-floor iconic Orapa House will soon be in use again after government injected almost P43 million for its refurbishment.
The building was the landmark of Gaborone in the 1980s before the mushrooming of other skyscrapers in the new Central Business District.
The house will provide office accommodation public servants under the Ministry for State President.
The refurbishment project is expected to be completed in 12 months and has been awarded to a local construction company, Ramodisa Projects.
The building was used by Debswana as a diamond sorting facility, but has been unoccupied for some time, thus turning into a white elephant.
Speaking at the signing of the refurbishment contract this week, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Ms Tshepo Kebakile said the project symbolised government’s commitment to providing office accommodation for its workers.
She said government deemed it necessary to remodel and re-purpose the building.
Ms Kebakile said the iconic building was still structurally sound and that the required maintenance works were on the dilapidated floors and walls.
The scope of the project, she said, included replacing floor tiles, the ceiling, painting works, the parking area and landscaping.
Ms Kebakile also urged all stakeholders involved to ensure that the project was completed on time, within budget and be of the desired quality.
The mayor of Gaborone, Mr Austin Abraham noted that Orapa House was once a facility where diamonds were securely housed, as such it was of paramount value to the city.
He expressed hope that the refurbishment project would create employment opportunities for artisans, technicians and other workers.
Mr Frederick Ramodisa, the managing director of Ramodisa Projects, promised to deliver the project as expected.
He said his team had been in the construction industry for over 20 years, and have grown not only in size, but also in experience.
“We are capable of delivering the project within time and budget and to the desired standard,” he said.
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