No more delays for Lesotho water project, Majodina warns stakeholders

Speaking to stakeholders during the first day of an oversight visit to the project on Sunday, Majodina acknowledged progress made to date but made it clear that continued delays would not be tolerated.

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has issued a firm warning that no further extensions will be granted for the completion of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), stressing that the project must be delivered by the 2028/2029 financial year.

Speaking to stakeholders during the first day of an oversight visit to the project on Sunday, Majodina acknowledged progress made to date but made it clear that continued delays would not be tolerated. Phase II of the LHWP has already experienced a nine-year delay, placing additional pressure on both South Africa’s water security plans and Lesotho’s development commitments.

“If you are running behind schedule, you must have a clear turnaround plan on how and when you are going to catch up, because we cannot afford to delay this project any further. The taste is in the eating of the pudding,” Majodina said.

The oversight visit follows a commitment the Minister made in August 2025 to return to Lesotho to personally monitor progress and hold implementing agencies accountable. During the visit, she received detailed briefings on construction timelines, resettlement processes and expenditure linked to Phase II implementation.

A key area of concern raised by the Minister was the slow pace of resettlement linked to dam construction. She was informed that 24 households have so far been relocated, while approximately 300 households are affected by the project. Construction of 105 replacement houses is currently under way, but Majodina questioned whether the pace of relocation was adequate to meet project deadlines.

“Is it because you are slow, or is it resistance from the community? Why such a low number?” she asked, calling for a clearer explanation of the challenges delaying relocations.

Majodina also raised concerns about the criteria guiding relocation decisions, particularly reports that some affected residents had requested relocation beyond Lesotho’s borders. She cautioned that any such arrangements must strictly comply with the terms of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Treaty.

“Is there no framework to say you can only be relocated up to this far? I’m asking this because I’ve received a lot of petitions where people want to be relocated from here to Ladybrand [in the Free State]. There’s nothing in the Treaty that says across the borders, and that must be explained thoroughly. You must act within the Treaty,” she said.

In addition to social impacts, the Minister called for greater transparency around infrastructure development and expenditure, particularly in relation to roads and public facilities constructed as part of the project’s broader development obligations.

“How many feeder roads and how many kilometres have been built? You’ve mentioned schools, clinics and hospitals that have been built, but there’s no timeframe,” Majodina said, urging officials to provide clearer reporting and measurable milestones.

To date, approximately R21 billion has been spent on the R53 billion Phase II project. The LHWP is a bi-national initiative between South Africa and Lesotho that involves the construction of dams and an extensive network of tunnels to transfer water from the Orange–Senqu River system in the Lesotho highlands to South Africa. The project also plays a key role in supporting hydro-electric power generation in Lesotho.

The water transfer component of Phase II includes the construction of a 165-metre-high concrete-faced rockfill dam at Polihali, located downstream of the confluence of the Khubelu and Senqu-Orange rivers. It also includes a 38-kilometre concrete-lined gravity tunnel that will link the Polihali and Katse reservoirs.

Once completed, Phase II is expected to significantly enhance water security for South Africa’s economic heartland. The project will increase water transfers from Lesotho by an additional 490 million cubic metres per year, raising total annual deliveries from 780 million cubic metres to 1.26 billion cubic metres through the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS).

Majodina said the strategic importance of the LHWP, particularly in the context of climate change, population growth and rising industrial demand, meant that missed deadlines would have serious consequences. She called on all implementing agencies and contractors to accelerate work, resolve bottlenecks and ensure that both social and infrastructure commitments are met within agreed timeframes.