Edition March 2025

Traveling is not always about having fun, letting loose or socialising.

Sometimes you return from a trip with a plethora of new information, more details about something you did not know much about, or a renewed interest in something you have been ignoring.

This became evident recently when I took another trip to Lesotho with my friends for leisure, to explore more tourist attractions.

Top on the list activities for our weekend away was to visit Mohale Dam, which is ranked the highest concrete-faced rock- filled dam in Africa. Together with Katse Dam, Mohale Dam is one of Lesotho's biggest dams.

A learning moment

While at Mohale Dam, I learned from our tour guide Teboho Raphael Thuso that I was witnessing a key part of a project that solidifies relations between South Africa and Lesotho.

The dam is part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a partnership that diverts water from Lesotho to South Africa. It was established with the objective of supplying water to the Gauteng region and for hydroelectric power to meet the needs of Lesotho.

“The Mohale Dam is man- made and was completed in 2003. It is southwest of Katse Dam and almost doubles the water supply to South Africa through an inter-connecting tun- nel into the Katse reservoir,” he explained.

He added that it was built as a backup reserve to the Katse Dam and reservoir. According to the United States Geological survey, the Mohale Dam is 145 meters high and 620 meters long.

The website states that “a large basalt hill inside the basin had to be crushed to build the rock wall. The dam then formed the 21.2-square-kilometer (km) Mo- hale reservoir. A 32-km tunnel brings water from the Mohale reservoir to the Katse reservoir”.

I was fascinated, so much so, I felt that it was worth traveling for somewhat 100 km from our accommodation in Maseru to gain more knowledge about the LHWP, and to research more about it upon return to South Africa.

At the dam, we enjoyed boat cruises, sailing through the fresh smelling waters with a smile on my face, thinking about the significance and impact the dam has on the lives of South Africans and Basotho.

Near the dam, I also enjoyed horse riding at an affordable price. We spent few hours at the dam to socialise with locals and other tourists from South Africa, creating memories of a lifetime.

The part of me that embraces my heritage could not resist washing my hands and face in the shores of Mohale Dam – many Black communities believe that it brings luck and purification.

Sightseeing

When we left the accommodation in the morning, making our way to Mohale Dam, we travelled via the Mpilo Boulevard Intersections and Links Project, which was launched in 2022.

This project cost M380 million to build and it entails construction of new road links, vehicles’ flyover bridges, underpass, exclusive pedestrian bridges and signalisation.

For the first few minutes of the journey, Thuso imparted knowledge about what we could see on the side of the road and the history behind places such as Mokorotlong, which is an establishment where you find hand crafted artworks by the Basotho people, the Pioneer Mall, Lesotho Correctional Service that houses inmates in Maseru, Lesotho High Court, Avani Lesotho Hotel and Casino, Government Complex and the new Parliament, as well as Maseru District Hospital.

The history of Maseru 

“Maseru was first established in 1869. It used to be a police camp, but it was turned into the capital city of Lesotho when the country was colonised by the British. The city was named after the rocks that were predominantly found in the district, which are red in colour. It is in our culture to name places based on what occurred in the place or what is found in it,” he explained.

Lesotho is a country of about three million people that is encircled by South Africa. 

If you want to explore Lesotho alongside a professional tour operator, you can contact Explorers Travel and Tours on Facebook, or WhatsApp +266 581333 66.