Mokhotlong, April 21 — The construction of a Bridge in any place means development to the community, Mrs. ‘Makhothatso Nthako has said in an interview, a day before the official opening of the Senqu bridge.
Senqu bridge will officially be opened by King Letsie III accompanied by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in Mokhotlong on Wednesday.
Mrs. Nthako who is one of the residents of Sekokong, a village near Senqu bridge said she is happy about the development implemented in their area.
She explained that when the project came, her field was one of those affected and compensated adding that she embarked on indeginous chickens rearing with some of the money she received.
Mrs. Nthako further said Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) helped trained the villagers with livelihoods activities so as to restore their living hence she opted for chicken’s rearing.
“I even managed to buy a chicken hatching machine though I have not yet started using it”, she said.
On the other hand, the area Chief of Popa in the district, Chief Mokotjo Sekonyela echoed similar sentiments that the bridge construction is development on its own.
He said those whose fields were affected have been compensated, some built new houses while others bought vehicles.
Chief Sekonyela mentioned that they are still waiting for compensation on community assets such as ranges and trees.
Senqu Bridge is one of the major components implemented under the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II. It is the longest bridge in Lesotho at 825 metres with the highest pier (pillar) standing at 90 metres.
Its construction started in 2022 and completed earlier this year. LHDA awarded a M2 billion contract to WRES joint venture, a consortium of different companies from South Africa, Lesotho, and other nations, responsible for the engineering and construction of the bridge.
It has been designed to connect Mokhotlong town across the reservoir to maintain road connectivity and support economic activity in the district.
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