The government plans to introduce toll gates along Botswana’s busiest highway, the A1, as part of a major infrastructure overhaul aimed at upgrading the 640-kilometre stretch from Ramatlabama to Ramokgwebana into a dual carriageway. This was revealed by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Noah Salakae in response to a parliamentary question posed by Kgatleng East MP Mabuse Pule, who pressed the government on plans to mitigate the economic impact on rural communities dependent on the road.
Minister Salakae confirmed that the government intends to implement the project through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), outsourcing the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance to a private investor. The scheme, set to span 25 to 30 years, will begin with a bankable feasibility study in September 2025, expected to conclude by May 2026. Procurement and concession negotiations will follow, with construction—including the erection of toll plazas—slated to begin before the end of the 2026/27 financial year. Toll fees will serve as a revenue-generation mechanism for the project.
Pule had raised concerns about the socioeconomic consequences of tolling the A1, given its role as a critical north-south trade corridor and the most trafficked commercial route in Botswana. He urged the government to consider designating and upgrading rural alternatives like the Malolwane-Mmapashalala route, which connects the Kgatleng and Central Districts and serves rural farmers, transport operators, and inter-district travellers—many of whom could be adversely affected by new toll fees.
In response, Minister Salakae stated that the government currently has no plans to upgrade the Malolwane-Mmapashalala road. He noted that other alternative routes already exist or are under construction, such as the Dibete-Mookane-Machaneng and Mmandunyane-Mathangwane roads, which are intended to ease pressure on the A1 and accommodate toll-averse traffic. He added that while the government may consider additional alternative routes in the future, it is important not to divert traffic unnecessarily from the tolled road, as high traffic volumes are essential for the viability of tolling schemes.
Salakae revealed that an average of 1,220 border-crossing trucks and logistics vehicles currently use the A1 each month. However, without the feasibility study, it remains unclear how many of these might shift to alternative routes once tolls are introduced. He emphasized that transporters generally favour faster, more efficient routes—even when tolled—over longer, less-developed alternatives.
Pule also questioned whether constituencies such as Kgatleng East and Mahalapye East, with a combined population of over 140,000 according to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, would benefit from the development of rural road corridors. Minister Salakae acknowledged that these constituencies would indeed benefit from enhanced infrastructure but reiterated that upgrading the Malolwane-Mmapashalala road is not currently a government priority.
He further confirmed that the Ministry has not yet conducted revenue projections for the tolling initiative, indicating that these will be determined by the upcoming feasibility study. However, he noted that the government currently collects revenue from road users through Road User Charges at border posts, which are remitted to the Consolidated Fund.
Despite pressure from Pule to consider the Malolwane-Mmapashalala road as a priority national infrastructure project under the upcoming National Development Plan (NDP 12) or a supplementary stimulus package, Salakae maintained that current budget constraints do not allow for such plans. The tolling and dual carriageway project, he reiterated, remains a high-priority agenda item for the government.
