Overview
- Eighteen communities representing about 1,600 residents in Mokhotlong submitted a formal complaint to the African Development Bank’s Independent Recourse Mechanism seeking a suspension of Phase II works until harms are addressed.
- The filing alleges blasting and quarrying cracked homes, rockfalls and flooding blocked access to fields, dust and debris polluted water sources, and relocations and compensation were handled without adequate consultation.
- The AfDB confirmed its Independent Recourse Mechanism is assessing the submission and has the authority to recommend that the bank suspend support for the project.
- Project authorities counter that no homes have been rendered uninhabitable, that contractors must repair damage or compensate affected households, and that consultations are ongoing, while South Africa’s Trans‑Caledon Tunnel Authority says it was unaware of the complaint and sees no legal path to halt construction.
- Phase II, including the Polihali Dam and tunnels to supply water to Johannesburg, is funded by the AfDB, the New Development Bank and South African institutions, with costs in the tens of billions of rand and completion now reported as slipping toward 2029–2030.