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
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Gem Diamonds’ Lesotho subsidiary faces scrutiny over handling of sexual harassment case
Billy Ntaote At Letšeng Diamonds Mine in Lesotho, which is known for its record-breakingly, large and lucrative gems, a different story of value is unfolding at the mine—one of dignity, justice, and a woman’s long and painful fight to be heard. Ntsatsi Ratlou, a security officer at the Letšeng mine, which is
The thorny truth of Lesotho’s rosehip industry
'Mapotsana Hlopho helps sustain her family by picking rosehips, which grow wild in Lesotho. One 20-litre bucket sold for between M100 and M200 this year. Photos: Sechaba Mokhethi Sechaba Mokhethi Lesotho’s wild-harvested rosehips are an important industry for the small country’s economy, providing thousands of people in rural villages with a source
Fight over fish in Katse Dam
Local fishers preparing their catch at Katse Dam: Photos by Sechaba Mokhethi Local fishers say they are arrested and beaten up but authorities deny this Sechaba Mokhethi Fishers at Katse Dam claim they have been beaten by officials policing the area on behalf of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA). The dam is part
Lesotho advances M800 million cancer facility amid legal battle
On 8 January 2025, hopes soared when Lesotho’s Health Minister Selibe Mochoboroane handed over a plot of land for the construction of a much-anticipated M800 million cancer treatment facility.
This government-funded facility in the capital, Maseru, would be the first of its kind in the country and would alleviate the suffering of Lesotho’s growing number of cancer patients who currently have no choice but to seek costly cancer treatment in neighbouring South Africa.
But things aren’t as exciting or straightforward as the politicians make them seem. The process of awarding the tender to build this facility is being challenged in court. The Malawian company, Plem Construction, was selected as the winning bidder in April 2024, but the rival bidder, Unik Construction Engineering Pty Ltd. believes the process was flawed and has asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.
Lesotho power consumers feel the brunt of drought
Sechaba Mokhethi This series was supported by Pulitzer Centre The irony of Lesotho’s energy crisis is striking: the country’s dams are full, thanks to a halt in water transfers to South Africa, allowing Lesotho to maintain its hydroelectric plant. However, the nation won’t benefit from the renewable energy potential the full dams offer,
The bitter cost of Mohale Dam resettlement
Billy Ntaote and Matiisetso Mosala Twenty years after being forcibly displaced to make way for Lesotho’s Mohale Dam, five households from the now submerged village of Ha Seotsa have found themselves trapped in an ongoing struggle to get the compensation funds they were entitled to when they moved. The compensation is valued
How dry spells cripple Lesotho’s hydropower generation
Text by Sechaba Mokhethi Dataviz by Joel Konopo This story was supported by Pulitzer Centre Persistent and severe droughts have drastically curtailed Lesotho’s capacity to produce its own hydropower, shoving the country into a perennial power crisis. The droughts have reduced the water levels at Katse Dam, Africa’s second-largest dam, which powers the turbines at
Dubious debt collection tender under scrutiny
Minister Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane challenges award of NMDS tender to SA company ©Picture supplied Relebohile Khutlang Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane has weighed in on a dubious government contract asking the High Court to set it aside. The minister’s critics are questioning her motives and many questions remain unanswered. The country’s
Plans to relocate stinking dumpsite cancelled
A pile of foul smelling waste at Tšosane dumpsite ©photo supplied Billy Ntaote Plans to relocate the foul-smelling Tšosane dumpsite to Tšoeneng were aborted after the Natural Resources and the Law Cluster instructed the Maseru City Council (MCC) to cancel ongoing processes to do so due to a lack of funds. Responding to
