Concerns: Local residents gather to voice their opposition to the construction of the Polihali Dam in Lesotho, as part of the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
Eighteen rural communities in Lesotho’s Mokhotlong district have lodged a formal complaint with the African Development Bank (AfDB) about Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
The AfDB is a key financier of the cross-border scheme which will supply more water to Gauteng, while providing Lesotho with hydropower.
But about 16 00 villagers from pastoralist and farming communities filed a complaint with the AfDB’s Independent Redress Mechanism, alleging the project is causing social, environmental and cultural harm that will escalate unless action is taken.
“The impacts caused by the project include social and economic displacement, environmental damage, gender-based harms, loss of biodiversity and labour-related issues,” the communities said in their complaint.
“Many households are vulnerable, including women, elderly people and youth, who have been disproportionately affected.”
The second phase includes the Polihali Dam, reservoir, saddle dam, hydropower substation, power lines, bridges, roads, housing and other infrastructure. It requires 5 600ha of land, much of it taken from villagers, while threatening endangered wildlife, said the Seinoli Legal Centre and the Accountability Counsel, who are supporting the villagers.
They said the expansion “creates a sacrifice zone” where communities are forced to give up land and livelihoods so that more water can be transferred and hydropower generated.
They argue that although investors claim the project will bring renewable energy and growth, “the human costs have been borne by local villagers who have been displaced without adequate compensation while seeing their livelihoods evaporate and their natural environment transformed”.
Mosa Letsie, a gender justice lawyer at the Seinoli Legal Centre, said the Independent Redress Mechanism acknowledged receipt of the complaint. “The review process usually takes about 21 days,” she said, explaining that if it meets eligibility criteria, it will be formally registered.
The AfDB was approached because it has an accountability mechanism, unlike other financiers of the project, such as the New Development Bank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa, she said.
In May, South Africa’s parliament heard how Phase II had faced substantial delays. Initially scheduled to start in 2011 and finish in 2019, it only gained momentum after the department of water and sanitation was reestablished as a standalone entity in 2021-22.
The aim now is to complete it by the 2028-29 financial year to safeguard Gauteng’s water security. The initial projected cost of R16.86 billion has ballooned to R53 billion because of rising input costs like steel, fuel, labour and contingencies.
For villagers, the resettlement process has been fraught with economic and cultural harm.
“Villagers living in the dam’s perimeter have not been resettled, despite assurances they would be, enduring health and safety impacts as well as uncertainty around their eventual displacement,” said the Seinoli Legal Centre and the Accountability Counsel.
“Others have been resettled without adequate or timely compensation or communication, and many were moved to land unsuitable for their herding livelihoods, cutting them off from their economic lifeline and cultural practices.”
The communities said in their 32-page complaint that they supported Phase II’s objectives but lacked critical information.
“Despite several attempts to ask for key information, we still do not have adequate information concerning the implementation of the project and how it affects us. We cannot make informed decisions about compensation and relocation,” they said.
Communities near construction sites, including Tsekong, Ha-Maotoana and Haramonakalali, report dust pollution and illnesses from quarry blasting.
“We have to breathe polluted air caused by the smell of the blasts,” they said. “Children in the community have started experiencing eye problems as a result of the dust, but LHDA [Lesotho Highlands Development Authority] has denied liability and provided no help.”
The communities are especially angered by the irony of a water project for South Africa that has diminished their access to clean water.
In 2018, a contractor broke water pipes serving Ha-Maotoana and never repaired them.
“The water we fetch from alternative springs is sometimes polluted. People waiting outside the Polihali site to seek jobs do not have access to toilets, so they relieve themselves near water points, causing pollution,” the complaint stated.
Waste from the site flows into the river used for drinking, cooking and washing water. Construction has also blocked paths to some springs, forcing villagers to walk long distances to find water. Crushed stones have polluted the Makhoaba River.
“Our springs and wells are now filled with dust and debris and we do not have any other reliable source of clean water. We are no longer able to get water from the river for laundry purposes and for our animals. The dust created during the crushing of stones has also affected the quality of mohair from our sheep,” the villagers wrote.
“We are not just talking about inconvenience, we are talking about poisoning our only source of life.”
Their crops no longer grow properly and noise pollution from heavy trucks and blasting is “deafening”. Blasts shake walls and roofs, sometimes late at night without warning. Some homes are at risk of collapse.
“Our fields are being impacted or taken without fair compensation or any meaningful livelihood restoration. These fields are essential for our household survival, producing maize, beans, vegetables and other crops that sustain families.”
One of the most serious concerns is the lack of gender-responsive policies in the project which they say has enabled discrimination and gender-based violence.
“As women and girls, we are not simply left behind; we are being systematically put in harm’s way,” the complaint states.
During droughts, when springs dry up due to climate change and construction, women and girls must travel further for water, increasing their workload and exposure to harassment and violence. “There has been no response from the LHDA to mitigate or prevent these differentiated risks for women and girls.”
The influx of contractors and migrant labourers has disrupted social dynamics, leading to a rise in gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. There has been an increase in unplanned teenage pregnancies and HIV infections
“These are not incidental effects,” the complaint notes. “They are the direct consequence of failing to implement gender safeguards.”
In one case, a 14-year-old impregnated by a contractor was arrested after an abortion, while the man responsible was quietly transferred and faced no consequences.
Transactional sex involving contractors and young girls has been reported in areas like Mapholaneng, exposing them to early pregnancies and long-term harm.
The complaint also describes intimidation when grievances are raised. Peaceful protests have reportedly been met with arrests, beatings and torture by law enforcement.
At a May 2023 official launch of construction of the Polihali Dam, officiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa, soldiers allegedly confiscated placards and chased away villagers trying to express concerns.
“We were denied our right to express ourselves in front of the very leadership that claimed the project would bring development to our communities.”
The communities are calling for a halt to blasting until resettlement is complete, repair of water infrastructure, dignified relocation with culturally appropriate land, transparent compensation processes in Sesotho, livelihood restoration programmes, electricity access and gender-based protections.
The Lesotho Highlands Develop-ment Authority said it assures the public, affected communities and its development partners the claims “do not reflect the realities of how the project is being implemented.”
Spokesperson, Mpho Brown said the Lesotho Highlands Water Project is managed according to the highest international standards and is under strict oversight by both governments, financiers and independent experts.
Brown said no household is relocated without comprehensive consultation and more than 93% of private asset compensation has been completed, with millions paid to affected families.
Remaining cases were being delayed by missing documents, absentee beneficiaries or family disputes. Compensation for communal assets, such as shared grazing land, will begin next year.
Concerns over access to fields and resources during construction are addressed through measures such as alternative routes or compensation.
Villagers can also harvest firewood and medicinal plants before works begin, and some medicinal species are relocated to botanical gardens.
Livelihood restoration programmes include long-term alternatives through agriculture, entrepreneurship and energy initiatives.
Environmental protection follows international standards and independent assessments, with measures such as dust and noise suppression, erosion control, biodiversity offsets and water quality monitoring. Independent audits show air and water quality are within acceptable limits and efforts to protect endangered species are “yielding stable results”.
He said the LHDA has held hundreds of consultations since 2012 and set up committees to address grievances. It uses radio, newsletters, social media and annual conferences to communicate with communities.
The authority also rejected accusations of intimidation. “It has no mandate over policing or security operations,” Brown said, adding that law enforcement acts independently.
“Large-scale infrastructure inevitably brings disruption, but LHDA has comprehensive policies to minimise impacts and safeguard community rights. We caution against wide-sweeping allegations presented without substantiated evidence, which risk undermining the credibility of the project,” he said.
“The Lesotho Highlands Water Project continues to serve as a transformative investment for Lesotho, South Africa and the region, delivering lasting benefits in livelihoods, infrastructure, skills development, and water security.”