In March, five people were arrested and two trucks carrying hundreds of bags of pelargonium were seized by Lesotho’s police and Environmental Crime Unit. The trucks were surrounded by dozens of villagers attempting to sell their harvested pelargonium. Photo supplied. Sechaba Mokhethi An unregulated trade in pelargonium, a protected species, is causing
Author: LESCIJ LESCIJ
LDF commander’s wife at centre of mine dispute in Mashai
Alluvial Terraces Pty Ltd mining equipment in Mashai. Photos: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi and Mamello Mochesane In the remote highlands of Mashai, 46 villagers are preparing a legal fight to stop a diamond prospecting project that could cost them their land, livelihoods and way of life. But, considering that the prospecting license
Wounded in Combat, Shortchanged at home
Injured LDF soldiers say SAMIM disability payouts were calculated from the wrong base figure, and justice remains out of reach Billy Ntaote Twenty Lesotho Defence Force soldiers injured during a 2021 deployment to Mozambique are still waiting for compensation that they believe they are owed. Their military leaders have changed their minds
How SA’s Lesotho water project costs ballooned by M45-billion
The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, implemented by the LHDA, has seen costs escalate from M8-billion in 2008 to M53-billion today, with delays pushing completion from 2019 to 2028. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project has ballooned from M8-billion in 2008
Lesotho dams authority fights back in “legally baseless” court case
The Katse Dam, the largest in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and a key water source for the Vaal Dam, which provides all Johannesburg’s drinking water, is at the centre of a landmark constitutional case to be heard by the Lesotho High Court. Archive photo: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi The Lesotho Highlands
The human cost of SA’s water lifeline: Lesotho communities go to court
A constitutional court case brought by communities affected by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project is to be heard by the Lesotho High Court. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi Communities affected by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project have brought a constitutional court case arguing that they were denied fair compensation for decades. More than
US aid cuts leave rural Lesotho schools searching for alternative funding
Khama-khamane Primary School students learn in an unroofed structure in the Lesotho Highlands. Photos: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi US aid cuts have left schools in Lesotho Highlands looking for alternative funding to fund their infrastructure. Children learn in church halls and outdoors, compromising their education. At Sephalane Primary five grades are squeezed into one
Starlink launches amid job losses in Lesotho
The CEO of T-Connect Lesotho, Phelane Phomane, at the launch of Starlink. Sechaba Mokhethi Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, has launched in Lesotho through T-Connect Lesotho. The launch comes after massive job losses stemming from 50% US tariffs on Lesotho imports and funding cuts that were led by Musk in the Trump
Mass lay-offs at garment factories as US tariffs bite
The future of garment factories in Maseru hangs in the balance as the United States threatens massive tariffs. Sechaba Mokhethi New orders have plummeted at garment factories after the threat of a 50% US tariff on Lesotho and production lines have shut down. Thousands of workers have been sent home, with factory closures
US cuts food aid to 36,000 children in Lesotho
Learners at Ha Samuel Primary School queue for their breakfast. Photos: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi A programme designed to feed more than 36,000 learners at 200 schools in Lesotho will now end after abrupt cuts by the US Department of Agriculture. The Lesotho government says it’s own food programme will now cover these
