…farmers association blames government and Chinese national BILLY NTAOTE Thousands of families that depend on wool and mohair revenue are now said to be in dire need of food aid as a result of a government policy to localise the sale of their precious products through a Chinese national, Stone Shi. This unfortunate development was revealed
Author: LESCIJ LESCIJ
Thousands of angry farmers petition parliament
…Wool and mohair producers want subordinate law creating Chinese monopoly quashed amid Prime Minister's three-month grace period offer BILLY NTAOTE A three-month grace period temporarily lifting government’s ban of the independent export of Lesotho’s wool and mohair announced by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane was on Friday condemned by disgruntled farmers as a
ABC infighting deepens as expelled ‘big five’ suspend Thabane
RELEBOHILE KHOALE Prime Minister and All Basotho Convention (ABC)leader, Thomas Thabane’s bitter face-off with five executive members has worsened and could soon result in a split of the ruling party. The infighting escalated after a 26 June meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee which announced the decion-making body had ratified Thabane’s decision to expel the five for allegedly violating
HIV in adolescents: breaking the silence
MANTŠALI PHAKOANA The silence is ominous-many young people living with HIV are afraid to share their status with the media or even their friends, classmates, and teachers. You cannot be too sure how others will react to news that someone they know is living with HIV—the virus that causes the incurable AIDS over time. Yet Lesotho’s
Big Lesotho airport upgrade opens old wounds
RELEBOHILE KHUTLANG In 1982, while Lesotho’s constitution was suspended under Leabua Jonathan’s government, local communities had their land expropriated without compensation and were forcibly relocated to make way for the Moshoeshoe I International Airport outside Maseru. The current government’s plan to upgrade the airport at a total cost of M5-billion (R5-billion) has reopened these historical wounds and
Jhpiego broadens HIV, TB services
MANTŠALI PHAKOANA In its commitment to support Lesotho’s efforts to reduce the spread of HIV and Tuberculosis (TB), Jhpiego has since broadened its Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services under a three-year project codenamed THEBE. THEBE is an acronym for Prevention of HIV and TB in Lesotho through Evidence-Based Interventions and Education THEBE commenced in July
Thabane’s ‘dictatorial’ tendencies rear ugly head
...Prime Minister and All Basotho Convention leader accused of unilaterally violating the party’s constitution as he expels ‘rebels’ NEC members in violation of a High Court order MAJIRATA LATELA All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane’s decision to “unilaterally” expel key members of the party’s newly-elected National Executive Committee (NEC) has since been scoffed at as façade to circumvent
MNNCIJ gets global investigative journalism status
…as Global Investigative Journalism Network approves MNNCIJ’s membership KEISO MOHLOBOLI MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism was yesterday granted membership to world's leading international association of investigative reporting organisations, Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN). The GIJN boasts a membership of 182 organizations in 77 countries across the world. MNNCIJ is Lesotho’s first and only institution
MPs in rare unity to save wool and mohair farmers
RELEBOHILE KHOALE Parliament has united to investigate the unpopular wool and mohair sale ‘localisation’ policy in a last-ditch effort to save wool and mohair farming—the major source of livelihood for Lesotho’s rural communities. In a show of unity rarely seen in Lesotho’s diverse National Assembly, Members of Parliament (MPs) on 10 June voted for a motion
Qhalasi community enjoys ART groups’ gains
SECHABA MOKHETHI MOHALE’S HOEK — HIV-positive Basotho living in Qhalasi constituency in Mohale’s Hoek are enjoying the benefits of subscribing to Community ART Groups (CAGs) as a way of combating the challenges related to replenishing their medication. Mohale’s Hoek is Lesotho’s leading district on HIV-prevalence at 29.3-percent as noted by the Lesotho Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (LePHIA)
