Water Waves. Editorial-Spring fever hits LHDA. It was all colour and fanfare as staff and. The pictures tell the story better. Keeping LHDA Talking

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1 Water Waves Keeping LHDA Talking V O L U M E 3 I S S U E N O 2 A U G U S T Editorial-Spring fever hits LHDA I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Spring Fever hits LHDA First Beacon sees the rays LHDA excels in the distribution of ACP and compensation commodities this LHDA distributes Annual Cash Pay It was all colour and fanfare as staff and management of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority welcomed spring on the 4th of September at the Authority s Headquarters in Maseru. Under the theme Professionalism the mood of the day encapsulated a truly High Performance Organization. The pictures tell the story better Distribution of Grain Compensation 3 PR Rolls out two critical policies 4 workers taste Phase II 5 Trees Planted to fight silting 5

2 PAGE 2 The honourable ministers meet over the Project Tuesday 4th August was indeed a redletter day when South Africa s Minister of Water and Sanitation, the honourable Ms Nomvula Mokonyane, visited Lesotho to engage with her counterpart, honourable Mr Ralechate Mokose of the Government of Lesotho. Following their one-on-one meeting, the two Ministers met with senior officials from both the RSA and Lesotho Ministries responsible for water, the LHWC, LHDA and TCTA in the 3rd floor boardroom. From there the Honourable Ministers and their entourage were taken on a helicopter flight to the Project sites. The pictures below and right capture the rendezvous WATER WAVES

3 P A G E 3 First Beacon sees the rays The first beacon that marks the highest altitude that the water levels will reach when the dam is completely full (The full supply level) was erected on 21 May this year at Phokoana s ridge in the Senqu river valley. A margin of safety has been allowed and therefore the beacons are to be constructed 5 meters above the full supply level of meters above sea level. The demarcation of the Polihali reservoir is a critical project to be completed in advance of the construction of the dam and water transfer tunnel, which are the main works of Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. According to Polihali Manager Mr Gerard Mokone, the erection of this first beacon (below) is meant to test the structure. This will be followed by the complete demarcation of the entire 250 km long perimeter of the reservoir if it succeeds. This is just a test beacon, it is meant to test the strength of the structure, and will act as the reference point during the demarcation of the dam. If it stands the test, other beacons will follow Mr Mokone said. Following successful testing in May, the installation started during the first of week of July and by the end that month a total of 246 of these beacons been installed. By the end of August the number had increased to 546. According to the Civil Engineer Advance Infrastructure, Mr Seatla Morojele this shows good progress. By the end of December this year the installation will have been completed. The demarcation contract has been awarded to Maleka, Nts ihlele and Putsoa (MNP), a joint venture of local contractors who were engaged in the demarcation of Mohale reservoir. In addition to local labour that has been employed, the villagers also benefit by hiring out their donkeys to cart the material to the sites where the beacons are to be constructed. LHDA excels in the distribution of ACP and grain compensation this year This year the compensation process has raised the bar of performance to an all-time high. It looks like we are now getting very experienced at this process. Regarding sourcing of commodities, despite the shortages of beans because of drought, it was reported that only after the 3rd day of procurement, ALL the required beans had been procured from Lesotho farmers! Also by the 3rd day of procurement about 50% of the maize required had been procured. For the first time, all the maize and beans were procured locally. Over 5,200 bags of maize (70 kg bags) and over 11,300 one kg bags of beans were to be distributed to a total 594 households in Katse, Lejone, Mohale and Muela. Regarding annual cash compensation, a total of 2,042 households had opted for annual cash compensation. The chart below shows the percentage distribution of the ACP requirements by FOB. Continued to page 4

4 Continued from 3 P A G E 4 During the distribution, very high percentages of the beneficiaries were reached, overall more that 96% on average for ACP and more than 89% for grain! Thanks to the effectiveness of the pre-distribution information campaigns launched before the distribution. Other factors are the effective planning, coordination and superior execution of the compensation plan. The CE has generously applauded LHDA team for excellent execution. Well done Team!! LHDA distributes Annual Cash Payment The Story of Mohale FOB From the 28 to the 31 July, the Mohale Field Operations Branch distributed compensation chegues to about 96% of the total number of households approved on the compensation register.. This year, a total of 482 households in fifty-six (56) villages in the Mohale FOB received cash payments as compensation for their fields affected by the construction of Mohale Dam and Tunnel as they opted for cash instead of grain compensation. One of the compensation recipients, Mr Lekhotso Maleke when expressing his gratitude upon receiving the compensation said it will help him cover some of his family requirements Distribution of Grain Compensation in the Phase 1B The Mohale FOB distributed grain compensation to the communities of Phase 1B area on the 08 and 09 August Distribution started at the foothills and ended up in the highlands villages. 53 households received grain compensation for the loss of just less than 280,000 hectares of arable land. 836 packets of 1 kg beans and 383 bags (each weighing 70 kg) of maize were distributed. LHDA Public Relations Officer, Mrs Mamosa Lerotholi talked to some recipients of the compensation who expressed their happiness about the timing of the compensation. Mr Molupe Mariti of Boitsireletso village in the highlands indicated that they are happy because this year s distribution of compensation commodities was done in time. He however said he was concerned that while those who have opted for annual cash payment, they receive their inflation-adjusted cheques, however, the same does not hold for those compensated in grain. Mrs Mamathibela Hatasi of Ha Teri village raised a complaint that in the previous year, the bags were not sewn properly and as a result, some grain spilled during transportation, she therefore appealed to those who pack the grain to do so properly. Morena Robose Phohleli of Ha Lebiletsa added that he was also pleased with the timely distribution and thanked LHDA for keeping its promise of giving the communities their grain in time. He stated that however, it looks like each year when compensation is to be distributed, LHDA introduces new procedures or rules that need to be followed by the communities. He reminded LHDA to bear in mind that they are working with villagers some of whom are sickly while others are very elderly. He therefore appealed to LHDA to refrain from the constant changing of rules as this is a great inconvenience to these vulnerable people.

5 PR Rolls out two critical policies The Public Relations Branch rolled out two very critical policies to staff at all operational sites from the 22nd to the 30th July This roll out was intended to not only enable the employees to be familiar with these policies but to also secure their buy-in on these policies. Apart from that, the Policy ensures that communication across the LHDA is well-coordinated, effectively managed and responsive to LHDA s multivariate stakeholders. P A G E 5 The Public Relations Branch undertook the activity of promoting the Media Relations and the Communication Policies to all LHDA employees in the Head Office, Mohale, Muela, Katse and the Polihali Field Operations Branches. In terms of these policies, only the Chief Executive is the primary spokesperson for the organization on strategic issues, for all stakeholders including the LHWC, the Board and the media. The CE may however delegate to the Chief Operations Officer. Where technical expertise would be more appropriate, the relevant LHDA Divisional Manager or appropriate subject matter experts can be authorized to perform the spokesperson function. Above: Mohale FOB staff listening to the presentations. Below:Employees in Katse According to the Media Relations Policy, all enquiries about the Project from the media are to be directed to the Public Relations Branch, which will liaise with the relevant Branches and draft the appropriate response to the media house in question. The Communication Policy seeks to streamline the communication activities and provides the framework for promoting effective communication between the LHDA and its internal and external stakeholders. The link between the Communication Policy and the Media Relations Policy is that the former also aims at promotion of sound working relations between the LHDA and the media, as the media is seen as one of the strategic stakeholders of the LHDA. Above: Mathabelo Silase makes a point Below: Employees in the 'Muela FOB

6 P A G E 6 First Batches of manual workers taste Phase II The first batches of manual workers were engaged in the demarcation of the Polihali reservoir. These workers were sourced from the three priority areas where the beacons that mark the full supply level of the reservoir will be constructed. The workers will perform tasks such as carrying, loading and transporting sand and water from the riverbed to the marked areas up in the valley side. According to the contractor Mr Tankiso Nts ihlele, fifteen workers will be engaged for the period of one month, and they will rotate for the duration of this specific phase of the contract, which is four months. This is a labour intensive exercise, all in all, I will need sixty people in my team to complete the part that I have been assigned to demarcate. Since there is no access for automobiles to the riverbed, the practical method of transportation is the use of donkeys that have been hired from the local communities. It has been agreed that donkeys will be hired out at the rate of fifty maloti per day, and the beasts will be rotated so that as many community members as possible will benefit. During the public gathering to introduce the demarcation contractor, the chief of Mapholaneng Morena Rets elisitsoe Sekonyela jokingly urged the owners to ensure that the donkeys are the ones that reap the benefits of the hard-earned cash. I will ensure that the hired donkeys are the ones that enjoy the benefits of their employment, I will walk from house to house, He said to the amusement of the people attending the gathering. As indicated elsewhere in this issue, the contract to demarcate the Polihali reservoir has been awarded to the Maleka, Putsoa and Nts ihlele (MNP), a joint venture of local contractors. They have formed three teams, of which each team will engage sixty labourers in the period of four months. Trees Planted to fight silting of Muela Dam The Boinyatso community planted one hundred and forty (140) fruit trees on 24 July The tree -planting program is also meant to enhance community participation in environmental initiatives intended to reduce sedimentation of the Muela dam. The LHDA supplies the communities around the dam with apple and peach trees for planting on terraced fields. The gradual siltation of Muela dam is a source of concern to Project Authorities. The siltation is attributed to poor farming practices, and in particular, to the conventional farming of fields in steep slopes, upstream of the Muela dam. In order to reduce sediment flowing into the dam, the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) initiated a program of construction and maintenance of terraces in the fields and the planting of fruit trees to reduce soil erosion and surface water runoff. The LHDA supplied the community with fruit trees through partnership with the Ministry of Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation (MFRSC), in Botha- Bothe. The Divisional Manager Social Development and Environment, Mr. Mahase Thokoa when addressing the community, emphasized the significance of the event as one of the important milestones in the collaboration efforts between the LHDA, MFRSC, and the community in reducing siltation of the Muela dam.