By
Bongubukhosi Chantelle Ncube
MASERU – On a Tuesday, and across Zimbabwe people rush for the “buy one, get one free” pizza deal.
But on the continent, the phrase carries a darker twist: read one promise of progress, get another human-rights violation free.
Today’s “special”? A billion-rand water project in Lesotho that’s flooding communities with problems instead of relief.
A Project Meant to Save, but Now Hurting
In Mokhotlong district, high in the Maloti Mountains, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project was billed as a triumph—an engineering marvel delivering water and hydropower to both Lesotho and South Africa. But for at least 1,600 residents across 18 villages, the dream has turned sour.
Villagers report houses cracking from blasting, springs polluted by construction runoff, and pastures fenced off without warning.
“We were told it would bring jobs and development,” says ’Masechaba Radebe, a farmer.
“But instead, we drink water that tastes like soil, and our animals have nowhere to graze.”
Facts Behind the Freebie
A formal complaint filed in September 2025 with the African Development Bank alleges damage to homes, contaminated streams, and inadequate compensation.
Research by the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission (2024) warns that unmonitored tunneling could destabilize fragile soils, increasing the risk of landslides and groundwater loss.
The communities most affected rely on subsistence farming; losing fields and clean water directly threatens food security and health.
“This is an environmental rights issue as much as it is economic,” says Prof. Nthabiseng Motloung, an environmental law scholar at the National University of Lesotho.
“Water is life, and any project harming access to it violates the right to health, livelihood, and dignity.”
Promises vs. Reality
Officials defend the project, pointing to benefits downstream and eventual compensation packages. But locals say payouts, where offered, barely cover lost crops, let alone poisoned streams or cracked homes.
Community advocate Thabo Pheko puts it plainly:
“We don’t reject progress. We reject being sacrificed for someone else’s progress.”
A Call for Accountability
What could make this a real win rather than a “buy one, get one” disaster?
· Transparent consultations before blasting or diverting rivers.
· Independent monitoring of environmental damage and water safety.
· Prompt, fair compensation for destroyed property and lost livelihoods.
· Shared profits: affected villages should see tangible returns from the billions flowing through their land.
Without these, the project remains a tale of how grand promises come with hidden costs and how rural voices too often pay the price.
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