Dear Editor
A Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Question has revealed that the cost of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) has ballooned from R42.1 billion to R53.3 billion in just over a year – a staggering increase of more than R11 billion.
This project is crucial as Gauteng, the Free State and North West face water supply shortages amid staggering municipal infrastructure failures. Taps run dry for weeks on end, as water supply cannot be secured.
This massive cost escalation in the Lesotho Highlands Water Phase II comes while long-standing delays in the project have again pushed out the completion date by a further two-and-a-half years.
From an already delayed projection of June 2028, the Project is now scheduled for completion as late as October 2030. That date is also not guaranteed.
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is a vital long-term component of water security in the Vaal River System. Water crises in the middle of our country will not be solved until this project is completed, as well as municipalities doing their jobs.
South Africans deserve reliable water infrastructure, and as a key part of this for Gauteng, Free State and North West, the stakes are simply too high in the Lesotho Highlands project to allow this critical project to spiral further out of control.
Regards
Stephen Moore MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Water & Sanitation