Construction of the long-awaited Polihali Dam is finally gaining momentum despite years of setbacks that have pushed the mega project nearly a decade behind schedule.
This was revealed during a three-day media tour organised by the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) this week for Lesotho and South African journalists. The tour showcased progress on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II, while also highlighting the challenges that have dogged its timelines.
Reporters witnessed the roar of machinery, blasting operations, and excavation across the vast site where the dam is taking shape. Once complete, the structure will rise 166 metres, creating a reservoir on the Senqu and Khubelu rivers with a surface area of 5,053 hectares and storage capacity of 2,325 million cubic metres.
The dam will almost double Lesotho’s annual water transfer to South Africa, from 780 million cubic metres to 1,270 million, contributing an additional 490 million cubic metres to Gauteng’s supply. Its infrastructure will include a spillway, a compensation outlet, and a small hydropower station.
LHDA Public Relations Manager, Mpho Brown, acknowledged the project had “lost about nine years.” Although Phase II was signed in 2011 and ratified in 2013, the dam’s design work only began in 2017, tenders were finalised in 2020, and construction kicked off in early 2023.
Chief Resident Engineer Ivano Vanzaghi of Matla a Metsi Joint Venture, the supervising consultant, said delays in setting up crushing plants, camps, access roads, and quarries initially slowed progress. Excavation, concrete works, and tunnel operations also fell behind schedule.
Despite this, he noted that corrective engagements with contractors were showing improvement. “There are still challenges in achieving required rates in some cases, but measures are being taken to address lagging areas,” he said.
There are currently about 2,200 workers on site, more than originally projected. Engineering consultants reported 7.9 million man-hours worked so far without a single fatality.
The project’s price tag has surged from the initial M8 billion to an estimated M53 billion, largely due to advanced infrastructure such as the Senqu and Khubelu bridges. Around M18 billion, 36 percent of the revised budget, has already been spent.
As of July 2025, overall construction stood at 31.2 percent, though the project has already endured a 14-month delay since November 2022. Impoundment, the process of filling the reservoir, is scheduled for January 2027, with completion and commissioning now expected in September 2029.
The contractor for the dam and appurtenant works is SUN JV, a consortium of Sinohydro 8, Sinohydro Bureau 14, UNIK, and Nthane Brothers.
For South Africa, the Polihali Dam remains crucial. Yogashen Pillay, a journalist with SA’s Business Report, said concerns back home over delays were eased after seeing the site first-hand.
“From what I have seen, I do understand that a lot of work has gone into Polihali. Issues like COVID-19 and contractor setbacks slowed things down, but it is pleasing to note that those issues have been resolved and construction is well underway,” he said.
For Lesotho, the LHDA says Phase II is more than just a dam. Under its 10-year strategy, the authority aims to improve water and electricity access, conserve ecosystems, and enhance livelihoods while maximising commercial opportunities and good governance.
The first milestone was marked in August 2023 with the diversion of the Senqu River through tunnels, paving the way for the cofferdam and eventual rise of the dam wall.
LHWP is a massive, multi-phase water transfer and hydroelectric power project jointly developed by the governments of Lesotho and South Africa. Conceived in the 1950s but formally agreed upon in 1986 through a treaty, its core purpose is to harness Lesotho’s abundant water resources in the Maloti/Drakensberg mountains and deliver water to South Africa’s Gauteng province, the country’s economic hub, while also generating hydropower for Lesotho.
The project involves building large dams, reservoirs, tunnels, and hydropower stations to divert water from Lesotho’s rivers into South Africa’s Vaal River System.
It is one of the most ambitious cross-border water schemes in Africa and has been described as a “win-win” project: Lesotho earns royalties and power, while South Africa secures a reliable water supply.
Phase I (completed in 2003) included Katse Dam, Muela Hydropower Station, and Mohale Dam.
Summary
- ” Although Phase II was signed in 2011 and ratified in 2013, the dam’s design work only began in 2017, tenders were finalised in 2020, and construction kicked off in early 2023.
- The first milestone was marked in August 2023 with the diversion of the Senqu River through tunnels, paving the way for the cofferdam and eventual rise of the dam wall.
- Conceived in the 1950s but formally agreed upon in 1986 through a treaty, its core purpose is to harness Lesotho’s abundant water resources in the Maloti/Drakensberg mountains and deliver water to South Africa’s Gauteng province, the country’s economic hub, while also generating hydropower for Lesotho.
Thoboloko Ntšonyane is a dedicated journalist who has contributed to various publications. He focuses on parliament, climate change, human rights, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), health, business and court reports. His work inspires change, triggers dialogue and also promote transparency in a society.
