By The Deputy Ministers for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Mr David Mahlobo and Mr Sello Seitlholo will today visit the Free State Province to inspect the progress made at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) tunnel following its closure for maintenance on 1 October 2024.
Mahlobo and Seitlholo, who will be leading the media tour, will be flanked by Deputy Minister of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Seiso Mohai as they will be conducting an inspection of the maintenance operation at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) tunnel in Clarens.
A joint maintenance operation by Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) and the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (LHDA) is currently underway following a tunnel system closure on 1 October 2024. TCTA is undertaking the maintenance operation on Delivery Tunnel North within South Africa, and LHDA will focus on the transfer tunnels at the Muela Hydro power station in Lesotho.
Following a de-watering process of the tunnel, technical inspections have been conducted and the repair work inside the tunnel resumed and will take place until 31 March 2025. The tunnel will remain closed for six months and will be operational again next year in March.
The Deputy Ministers will be accompanied by the Executive Mayors of Thabo Mofutsanyana and Fezile Dabi District Municipalities, and of Dihlabeng, Setsoto, Mafube, Mantsopa and Nketoane Local Municipalities.
The Deputy Ministers will be visiting the different sites of the tunnel during the inspection of the maintenance operation.
