Preparatory stages of construction of the Polihali commercial centre at Masakong are under way after the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) awarded the M11.3-million contract to Unik Construction Engineering in mid-January.

The construction of the centre, which is expected to enhance day-to-day access to goods and services in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase II project area, is expected to be completed by December 2023, along with the bulk of the Phase II advance infrastructure.

“The commercial centre construction contract completes procurement on the quartet of Phase II advance infrastructure project housing construction tenders, purposely packaged to enhance the participation of small- and medium-sized contractors in Phase II,” says LHDA Phase II divisional manager Ntsoli Maiketso.

It is expected to provide valuable services to people working on the Phase II site and attract people from the neighbouring villages within the Malingoaneng area.

The commercial centre, the only one of its kind in the area, includes space for a supermarket, a clinic, police post and specialty retail stores, as well as the option to extend the centre to include a filling station at a later stage.

Like the other Phase II Project housing buildings under construction, the commercial centre design prioritises sustainability, with energy efficiency being a particular focus.

“Work on the other three construction contracts for the Polihali Village, upgrades to the Katse Lodge and Katse Village and the Polihali Operations Centre is progressing well,” Maiketso adds.

Polihali Infrastructure Consultants, which comprises South Africa-based Mott MacDonald PDNA and Khatleli Tomane Moteane Architects of Lesotho, was awarded the contract for the planning, design and construction supervision of the project housing and associated infrastructure in 2015.

The main water transfer works, the Polihali Dam and Polihali Transfer Tunnel, were awarded at the end of 2022, and procurement for the design and construction supervision of the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme and its related social and environmental elements, also critical to Phase II, is currently underway.

Water transfer is expected to start in 2028 with commissioning of the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme expected to follow in 2029.