By Staff Reporter
The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has awarded the construction contract for the Katse Village upgrades to Lesotho-based Unik Construction Engineering. Construction commenced in early November and is expected to be completed in April 2023.
According to a statement issued by LHDA today, the award comes a month after the completion of the civil works contract, which saw the construction of platforms and bulk utilities at the proposed Polihali Village site and the temporary camps as well as utilities upgrades at Katse Village.
“The Katse Village upgrades contract, valued at an estimated M131 million, is the first of the four housing construction contracts to be awarded. The remaining three housing construction contracts are: the construction of the Polihali Village, construction of Polihali Commercial Centre and construction of Polihali Operations Centre. Procurement processes for the above are at an advanced stage. These are expected to facilitate local participation, especially small and medium-sized contractors in keeping with the terms of Article 10 of the Phase II Agreement.
“The Katse Village upgrades contract will increase capacity at Katse Lodge and diversify the services offered at the facility. It includes the construction of an additional accommodation block, conference rooms, a fitness centre, a caravan park and upgrades to the backpackers’ facility. Single quarters accommodation and parking areas will also be constructed at the Katse Village under this contract, to accommodate the Polihali Transfer Tunnel construction staff and the LHDA operations and maintenance staff, during and post construction,” the statement said.
