’Makananelo Manamolela
THE Maseru City Council (MCC) has failed to begin the relocation of the Ha Tšosane dumpsite as ordered by the court, raising fresh concerns among residents over delays in addressing the long-standing environmental and health crisis.
The Constitutional Court directed MCC to start the rehabilitation and closure of the dumpsite from 15 March 2026. However, the council did not commence the process this week as expected.
MCC spokesperson, Lintle Bless, said the delay was due to an incomplete work plan, which is still under discussion with the appointed consultant.
“We have not yet introduced the consultant to the community because we are still finalising the work plan. We could not appear before the community and make promises we are not ready to fulfil,” Ms Bless said in an interview.
She explained that a planned site inspection on Monday, which some stakeholders expected to include community members and oversight bodies, was instead intended to be an internal engagement between MCC and the consultant.
“The intention was for both parties to first agree on how to proceed before engaging the community. Unfortunately, the process took a different direction,” Ms Bless said.
She said MCC and the consultant held further meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to continue negotiations, with hopes of resolving outstanding issues soon.
“I urge all parties to take responsibility for the confusion. We will return to the public with a clear position and way forward, possibly by next week,” she said.
She further revealed that the council had already postponed the site handover ceremony twice in recent weeks due to the absence of a clear and complete implementation plan.
“We are dealing with a community that has endured this problem for a long time. We must handle the process carefully and avoid mistakes that could further delay progress,” Ms Bless said.
The council was responding to criticism from SSL Consultants Joint Venture, whose project engineer, Lebamang Jane, accused MCC of failing to honour an agreed site inspection.
Mr Jane said the consultancy was awarded the tender in October last year and held initial meetings with MCC, but encountered gaps in the terms of reference that required additional assessments.
“We conducted a condition status assessment and submitted it, although there were delays due to internal challenges at MCC. The report was eventually submitted on 23 February,” he said.
He added that after agreeing to an inspection involving all stakeholders, including the judiciary, oversight committee and the media, MCC failed to attend.
“Unfortunately, MCC did not show up for the inspection as agreed,” Mr Jane said.
Meanwhile, residents of Tšosane have expressed frustration over the slow pace of progress and lack of communication.
Community member, Kelebone Tšilo, said many residents were seeing the consultant for the first time, raising concerns about transparency in the process.
“The community is worried that the relocation may never happen. People are angry and some are even considering stopping garbage trucks from dumping here,” he said.
Mr Tšilo noted that the court order required the relocation process to begin this month, but there were no visible signs of implementation.
“This issue has dragged on for too long, and people are losing patience,” he said.
The Tšosane dumpsite has long been a source of concern for nearby communities, who have repeatedly called for its closure due to health risks and environmental degradation.
They successfully petitioned the Constitutional Court to have the dumpsite closed.
In October 2025, the court first directed the parties to negotiate a settlement. On 17 November 2025, a deed of settlement was issued, confirming that residents’ rights to a scenic, clean, decent, safe and healthy environment are directly justiciable.
The parties agreed that the Ha-Tšosane disposal site must be stabilised, rehabilitated and closed, while a new facility, the Tšoeneng Sanitary Landfill, is developed.
In its final ruling issued on 12 February 2026, the court set out five implementation phases with strict timelines.
Phase One was to run from Monday to 29 March 2027. Parts of Phase Two – including the first cells of the Tšoeneng Landfill development and encapsulation works – commenced in November 2025 and are expected to conclude by 23 November 2027.
Phase Three, involving development of the second landfill cell, will run from 26 August 2026 to 27 October 2027. Phase Four – implementation of waste processing facilities and final infrastructure – is scheduled from 5 April 2027 to 1 March 2028. The final phase, project closure, is set for 29 March 2028.
