…amid widespread outages
Moroke Sekoboto
THE Ministry of Energy and Mining, through the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC), has embarked on an urgent nationwide operation to repair critical power infrastructure severely damaged by a massive storm three weeks ago.
The widespread outages were triggered by a destructive combination of strong winds, heavy rain, and heavy snowfall across the country.
Speaking in the National Assembly this week, the Minister of Energy and Mining, Lejone Mpotjoane, detailed the extensive destruction to the national grid.
Mr Mpotjoane said the rainy and windy weather conditions had affected electricity supply and caused damage in several areas.
He stated that places where reports of damage to electricity supply infrastructure had been received included Ha Matala, Ha Makhoathi, Tšenola, and other districts such as Mokhotlong and Mafeteng.
He further stated that the damage included poles, cables, and transformers, resulting in power outages that affected services and electricity supply to homes and businesses.
Mr Mpotjoane said teams had been deployed to address the situation and ensure conditions returned to normalcy. He added that the government would replace old electricity poles, strengthen the power supply system, and improve services such as communication and public engagement.
“The severe weather conditions targeted vital distribution assets across multiple regions, including destroying equipment. Dozens of electrical transformers, transmission lines, and local distribution lines were brought down. Hundreds of wooden electricity poles collapsed under the weight of snow and high wind pressure. Major outages continue to affect Morija, Metolong, Mafeteng, Semonkong, Tšenola, Matala, and Makhoathi, among others,” Mr Mpotjoane said.
Mr Mpotjoane acknowledged that many communities remained in darkness due to the scale of the destruction.
“Some areas are still without electricity due to severe destruction, while others are difficult to access. I emphasize that our dedicated teams are prioritising critical service areas — such as hospitals, water pumping stations, and economic hubs — before moving deeper into residential zones. They are working around the clock to navigate blocked or damaged roads to reach isolated mountain communities,” he said.
To prevent future blackouts of a similar scale, Mr Mpotjoane announced a new grid-resilience strategy alongside the current repair efforts, including infrastructure replacement and vegetation management.
“The LEC will systematically replace ageing and vulnerable electricity poles with stronger, weather-resistant alternatives. Teams will aggressively clear trees and overgrown vegetation near power lines to prevent branches from snapping cables during storms. The government urges patience as utility workers navigated hazardous terrain to restore power. I call on all citizens to cooperate fully with LEC field personnel, clear pathways where necessary, and continue proactively reporting localised faults and ongoing outages to emergency lines,” Mr Mpotjoane said.
While Mr Mpotjoane listed the heavily affected zones, Mahali Phamotse, leader of the United African Transformation (UAT) and legislator for Matlakeng, countered that the government’s assessment significantly underrepresented the true scope of the crisis.
Also speaking on the matter, HOPE leader, Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, accused the government of failing to restore electricity due to a lack of resources.
