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,

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

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

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

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

Billy Ntaote Former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s administration awarded a British man, Peter Smith an exclusive 25-year all-waste project agreement for management and processing waste into energy and various products in 2018. The project is touted as a long-lasting solution to a protracted battle between Maseru city residents of areas of Ha

Tšosane’s dumpsite is now fuller than ever © Retšelisitsoe Khabo Billy Ntaote A grand waste management plan for Lesotho is yet to get off the ground six years after a lucrative contract was awarded to a company that would clear Maseru’s foul-smelling Tšosane dumpsite, build a new processing plant, and then manage

Nteboheleng Thamae A M9.4 million project to connect rural homes in Sehlabeng-sa-Thuathe (Thuathe Plateau) to piped water has been abandoned by contractors who are demanding funds to complete the work which, they argue, was increased over the course of the 12-month contract. The government is having none of this saying no

For eight months, Sechaba Mokhethi, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi, and Cindy Sipula investigated years of outcry from residents living near a UK diamond mining company. The team conducted scientific analysis of water  flowing out of the company waste pipe into the community river, used satellite imagery to determine the level of alleged

'Malichaba Nkhethoa celebrating her farewell from SADP on May 3, 2024. © photo supplied Matiisetso Mosala Several months after being outed for turning Lesotho’s donor-funded, Smallholder Agriculture Development Project (SADP) into a personal get-rich-quick-scheme, controversial executive ‘Malichaba Nkhethoa, resigned to take a job with an American-funding organisation. While this move raised questions about