By Lerato Matheka Lesotho has had its two debts of the construction of the ’Manthabiseng National Convention Center and the New Parliament Building costs worth more than M150 million written-off by the People’s Republic of China. This write-off comes after China resort to bailing out African countries of their interest-free loans which
Author: LESCIJ LESCIJ
Thabane slams West, sings praises to China
…says China-Africa deals are not threat to sovereignty By Lerato Matheka Lesotho’s Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has this week allayed fears that loans and grants received from the People’s Republic of China could be a threat to the country’s sovereignty. Thabane was speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday following his return from
Fractures weaken Lesotho’s ruling party
LEKHETHO NTSUKUNYANE Tom Thabane was jeered by assembled supporters of his own party last week, in what political analysts see as a sign that his days as the Lesotho’s Prime Minister may be numbered. The rowdiness that marked the All Basotho Convention (ABC) navel-gazing “sabbatical conference” in the far southern district of
The Fight to Save Lesotho’s Land
By Olivia Konotey MOHALE’S-HOEK - The village of Ha-Khitšane is built on sand. In the approaching warmth of Spring, daffodils push themselves out of the ground amongst patches of parched grass. In the ground behind her house, ‘Mamonaheng Belete is planting peach trees. It is a way of restoring land which storms
Hands on Internships on Investigative Journalism starting from August 20, 2018.
The MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism (MNNCIJ), with financial support from Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), invites applications from print and broadcast journalists aspiring to undergo a three-month intensive investigative reporting internship with the Centre. This project is meant to cultivate, enhance and promote investigative journalism in Lesotho. The
Exclusive: Breaking chains of trafficking, child marriage and forced labour
Young women, girls and other vulnerable groups are today in Lesotho faced with a plethora of wicked problems that force them into the streets to prostitute themselves and further leaving them vulnerable and prone to trafficking where they are turned into sex slaves. Traffickers throw their victims into the quagmire, forcing
Saved from chains of child marriage
BILLY NTAOTE and SECHABA MOKHETHI Schools in rural communities are faced with high drop-outs as a result of early child marriage or teenage pregnancy, both sad reality that perpetuates the circle of poverty and shutter dreams of many girls. For Nthatuoa*, falling pregnant in her teenage was the last thing on her
Traffickers target defenceless ladies of the night
BILLY NTAOTE For most victims of human trafficking, they were either recruited with the promise of greener pastures at their final destination leaving their comfort zone and only to be sold into prostitution or hard labour without pay. Other victims that one may not think about, and yet most vulnerable to trafficking,
Thirteen-year-old defies family, escapes forced-marriage
BILLY NTAOTE For Basotho living in the rural parts of the country, early child marriage doesn’t exists — it’s a myth — when a teenager is impregnated, families rush to organise a traditional wedding ceremony and it’s a done deal. This common, yet cruel practice perpetrated on the girl child continues in
Chief in court for trafficking
SECHABA MOKHETHI Chief Letsie Shoaepane of Ha Shoaepane in Matsieng is facing trafficking charges relating to allegedly transferring a 20-year-old woman from Thaba-Tseka district, harbouring her in his house and subjecting her to forced labour and repeated rape in September 2016. In this protracted trial, Letsie first appeared before magistrate court on
