The Lesotho Highlands Water Project gets a nod from the Minister
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms. Nomvula Mokonyane, visited Lesotho to engage with the new leadership and also assess the progress made with regards to the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
In a meeting led by the Lesotho Government, Minister Mokonyane expressed her gratitude towards the host country for the successful partnership in the roll out of the project.
“I’m happy that this project has direct benefit to Lesotho in terms of infrastructure, skills, institutional memory and is creating wealth for Lesotho, together with South African business and ordinary people.
“The other important thing is us being transparent in everything that we do, making sure that ordinary people understand what is happening in the project. Where we have to interfere with the lives of people we have to be sensitive”, the Minister said.
The project has become increasingly important for South Africa. Initially the intention of the project was to supply the industrial heartbeat of South Africa, Gauteng Province; but due to drought and the impact of climate change experienced in neighbouring provinces such as the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, the feeding area for the project has increased.
Contactors implementing the project will be increasing their pace regarding the completion of each phase on time and on budget, given the rising need of supply. The Minister indicated that the project cannot be business as usual, “we need to give people hope and certainty that the money being spent here is indeed bringing relief to their uncertainty around water supply”, she said.
There are many beneficiaries from the project, especially those that are located in the Lesotho Highlands areas. There has been growth in tourism and businesses since the inception of the project.
Tourists not only visit the project but also other tourist attraction sites in Lesotho. During the construction phases, there continues to be a lot of skills transfers and employment opportunities for the Basotho people.
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