The Department of Water and Sanitation has officially reopened the 38km Ash River Tunnel in Clarens, Free State, expressing satisfaction that South Africa did feel a pinch of water shortages during the shutdown of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
The shutdown, which began in October 2023, was necessary to conduct essential upgrades and inspections both within the tunnel and on external infrastructure.
The process faced unexpected delays, primarily due to incomplete work on the Lesotho side of the project and further compounded by heavy rainfall in the region.
Water Minister Pemmy Majodina, the department team, the Free State government led by Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, and also the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) oversaw the opening.
“A fihlile meetsi, a fihlile, (The water has arrived, it has arrived),” Majodina said at the reopening.
Addressing the issue of delays and shortages, Majodina said, “There was no day zero; the challenge of water supply has nothing to do with bulk water supply.”
“The water that you see running down the streets, it is the water that comes from the bulk water supply, but the challenge is provision, which is not our not our mandate,” Majodina said.
“We will keep working with our municipalities to close the leaks because what makes water run down the streets is leaks.”
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) is a landmark binational initiative between Lesotho and SA.
This strategic infrastructure project is designed to achieve two primary objectives: supplying water to South Africa’s Gauteng region — the country’s economic hub — and generating hydroelectric power to meet Lesotho’s domestic energy needs.
The project encompasses the construction of an integrated system of dams, transfer tunnels, and hydroelectric power stations.
These components work together to facilitate the transfer of water from the highlands of Lesotho to the Vaal River System in South Africa, while simultaneously enhancing Lesotho’s energy security through sustainable power generation.
