The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands must not repeat the mistakes of the first phase in which women were displaced and disempowered. Photo: FileSouth Africa, Lesotho and the project financiers must avoid repeating the mistakes of Phase I of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project – Phase II (LHWP II), the scheme that will transfer water from Lesotho’s highlands to South Africa’s economic hub, Gauteng, while generating hydroelectric power for Lesotho. Strong leadership from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), New Development Bank (NDB), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is crucial. Still, the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA), the highland project’s implementing authority, operates without a gender policy or responsive framework. As South Africa positions water at the highest levels of the global political and financial agenda from G20 and COP30 to the UN 2026 Water Conference, women must not be left behind.