HSRC Press unpacks the dramatic story of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project — a tale of engineering triumph, political intrigue, and profound inequality. Born from negotiations during the Cold War era, the LHWP channels hundreds of millions of cubic metres of water from Lesotho to Gauteng’s economic engine. Yet communities in Lesotho still lack access to clean water.

• Two decades of high-stakes diplomacy from Soweto to Washington
• Communities displaced and promises unkept
• The enduring divide between the privileged and the poor
• Why water remains a flashpoint for protest across southern Africa