22 September 2025
The Polihali Dam wall under construction. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi
Eighteen rural mountain communities in Lesotho have formally complained about Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). The massive project, a joint scheme with South Africa, will supply water to Gauteng and generate electricity for Lesotho.
About 1,600 villagers, backed by human rights groups, Seinoli Legal Centre and Accountability Counsel, brought their detailed complaint to the African Development Bank (AfDB), a key financier of the project. They allege unsatisfactory relocations, damaged homes and loss of farmland among other harms. They accuse the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) of failing to consult properly, offering poor compensation, and ignoring their grievances.
Advocate Mosa Letsie, of the Seinoli Legal Centre, says the AfDB’s Independent Recourse Mechanism has acknowledged receipt of the complaint and is reviewing it. “This review process usually takes about 21 days,” Letsie said. “If the complaint meets the eligibility criteria, it will then be formally registered.”
Letsie said they approached only the AfDB because other project financiers, such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the New Development Bank, do not yet provide affected communities with a functioning avenue to raise a complaint of this nature.
LHDA spokesperson Mpho Brown, responding to GroundUp, said its operations are transparent, consultative, and meet both local and international standards. The LHDA insists community welfare remains central, with all legitimate grievances handled through official channels.
One of the main complaints is blasting from quarrying and dam construction. In Tsekong, Ha Konki, and Sekokong, residents say vibrations have left homes cracked and unsafe, with some houses now “uninhabitable”. Families fear their homes might collapse on them.
The LHDA says it takes blasting complaints seriously, pointing to baseline property surveys within a kilometre of blasting sites. It says no homes have been declared uninhabitable and fresh inspections are underway beyond the impact zones.
Contractors, Brown says, are obliged to repair damage to the satisfaction of the affected household or pay compensation.
But frustration has grown. Families in Litsotsong say they were told as far back as 2011 to expect relocation and warned not to upgrade their homes, as improvements would not be compensated. Many have since endured unsafe, deteriorating structures. In July 2024, blasting sent large rocks crashing into a resident’s yard.
But the LHDA denies issuing such instructions. Brown says the only official cut-off date for compensation was set in December 2024 for one village. No household, Brown says, will be relocated without a full consultation process, including asset registration and signed compensation offers.
But Letsie counters that LHDA’s reports may look sound on paper, but affected households tell a different story.
“Communities report that blasting releases heavy dust clouds with a strong chemical smell, to the extent that some residents have requested air masks for protection. Blasting now often takes place without prior warning, exposing people to sudden explosions, violent vibrations, and leaving cracks in their homes. These activities are also said to contaminate nearby water sources, directly contradicting the claim that mitigation measures are keeping conditions within acceptable standards.”
The communities say farming land is being destroyed. Excavation work has thrown rocks onto fields, access roads have blocked traditional pathways, and harvests have fallen. In Ha Konki, a woman, who challenged a truck driver after he cut across her field, says she was fobbed off with a one-kilogram bag of maize, a packet of sugar, some oil and beans. She said it was an insult.
The LHDA admits “a small number” of vehicles have encroached fields and damaged crops. It says verified claims were compensated. It denies any proof of blocked field access but urges residents to use formal complaint channels.
Villagers also claim grazing land has been fenced off, cutting livestock from pastures. Promises of new feeding sites, locals say, have not materialised. Families have also lost access to forests for firewood and medicinal plants, forcing them to buy gas and paraffin.
LHDA says villagers had the chance to harvest resources before construction, and that culturally important plants have been moved to botanical gardens.
Residents also mourn the decline of the Mokhotlo — the southern bald ibis, a bird central to the Mokhotlong district’s identity. They say its habitat has been destroyed.
LHDA says monitoring by BirdLife South Africa shows the bird’s population is stable, with any local changes a normal response to construction disruptions.
At the heart of grievances is the compensation process. For years, communities have demanded clarity on how payments are calculated. They say they are told it is based on a “complex formula” which has never been explained to them.
In Kanana-Mabothong and Popa, residents say land compensation values dropped from R23 per square metre in 2023 to just 98 cents in 2024, with no reason given.
But the LHDA argues its system is transparent: households receive written offers showing their entitlements, which must be signed before payment. As of September 2025, Brown says, more than R154-million has been paid for private assets, with 93% of acquired assets already compensated. Delays, it says, are mostly due to missing documents or family disputes.
But Letsie says, “All 18 communities that came together to file the complaint have consistently raised serious concerns about how compensation rates were determined.”
“They were never given a transparent explanation of the basis on which these rates were calculated, only that they were derived from a ‘complex formula.’ What they do know is that the payments have not restored their livelihoods, and in many cases have left them worse off. Some families have yet to receive any compensation at all, while others were paid less than what they signed for, with no explanation.”
Villagers who were relocated describe the process as chaotic. Families in Litsotsong were moved to unfinished houses in rocky terrain unsuitable for farming. Promised services, such as water tanks, electricity, and soil, never came.
The complaint stresses that women have been prejudiced. Compensation is given to male heads of households, women are sidelined and excluded from decision making, even when they share ownership.
An influx of male workers has also led to safety and health concerns for women.
“When blasting pollutes water sources or pipes are damaged, it is women who walk long distances to find alternatives, often facing risks of gender-based violence.
“The influx of labourers has been linked to teenage pregnancies, increased HIV vulnerability, and school dropouts among girls. This is why gender-responsive safeguards are urgently needed,” Letsie said.
The complaint also raises concerns about intimidation. Community members say they face harassment or arrest whenever they protest or demand accountability.
The LHDA denies coercion, saying any incidents fall under the responsibility of state security forces, not its authority.
Letsie said, “In May 2023, during the sod-turning ceremony, residents who peacefully carried placards were confronted by security forces who confiscated them and issued warnings.”
“At Ha-Seshote, Liseleng, villagers reported being brutally assaulted by police when they tried to voice concerns. Many others describe similar experiences. Whether or not LHDA is in direct collusion, the perception is that whenever communities speak out, security forces act to protect the project at all costs.”
The LHDA says it remains open to dialogue and is creating a formal platform for NGO engagement.
But Letsie remains cautious. “In November 2024, Seinoli submitted a detailed list of concerns directly to AfDB management, which recommended that LHDA meet with us. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for February 2025 but never took place despite repeated reminders. While we welcome dialogue, past failures make us wary of new promises.”