Majodina opens two Mokhotlong bridges as Polihali Dam water build advances
South Africa's water minister and her Lesotho counterpart unveil the Mabunyaneng and Khubelu crossings, part of a project meant to secure Gauteng's water supply.
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, and her Lesotho counterpart, Minister of Natural Resources Mohlomi Moleko, will officially open the newly completed Mabunyaneng and Khubelu bridges in Mokhotlong District on Thursday, 11 September 2026.
The launch forms part of Majodina’s quarterly oversight visit to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase 2 (LHWP2), which is under construction in the kingdom’s highlands. She is in Lesotho from 11 to 13 September 2026, accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, Seiso Mohai, and a delegation from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The two bridges are a delivery benefit of direct, lasting value to the communities of Mokhotlong and part of the project’s restoration infrastructure. They ensure continuous access across the future Polihali Dam, because the two existing low-lying crossings on this route will be submerged when the reservoir is impounded.
What has been built
The Khubelu Bridge is the second largest of the three bridges. It features a 270 metre long curved deck made up of nine 30 metre spans, supported by eight piers and two abutments. It rises approximately 25 metres above the valley floor and is carried by sixty three 52 ton precast beams, each 30 metres long. The Mabunyaneng Bridge spans 120 metres across the valley, with four 30 metre spans supported by three piers and twenty eight precast beams, standing approximately 12 metres above the valley floor.
Together with the 90 metre high Senqu Bridge, completed earlier this year, the three structures will provide safe, reliable and uninterrupted access to the A1 Road between Mokhotlong and Maseru. They are designed for two way vehicular traffic and pedestrians, and will keep that connectivity year round even when the Polihali reservoir reaches full supply.
The launch celebrates engineering excellence and the shared vision that continues to strengthen the partnership between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa.
After the launch at the Mabunyaneng Bridge site in Mapholaneng, the delegation moves to the Polihali Dam construction site on the same day. On Saturday the programme turns to the Polihali to Katse Water Transfer Tunnel and the resettlement sites of relocated communities, to assess progress on the work underway. The visit concludes with a bilateral meeting on Sunday, 13 September 2026.
Why the highlands matter to Gauteng
Over recent months the project has been advancing towards an excess water storage reserve of 490 million cubic metres of water per annum. That reserve is intended to secure the water future of Gauteng, the country’s economic hub.
For the communities of Mokhotlong, the bridges are the part of the project they will use every day. For South African households and businesses in Gauteng, the dam and the transfer tunnel are the part that determines what comes out of the taps in the years ahead.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has published the full programme for the visit. The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, is the contact for further information.
This report is drawn from the official media advisory issued by the South African Government at www.gov.za, which summarises the visit rather than reproducing the full project record. The next dated step is the bilateral meeting between the two ministers on Sunday, 13 September 2026.
