Kabelo Masoabi
HUNDREDS of street vendors in Maputsoe have defied a directive by the Roads Directorate and the Maputsoe Urban Council to vacate stalls from the town’s main roads to pave way for planned infrastructure upgrades.
The standoff has raised fears of forced evictions similar to recent operations in Maseru and Roma, where roadside stalls were demolished to accommodate road expansion projects.
Authorities estimate that more than 500 shacks and stalls operate across the bustling border town, whose economy is largely driven by manufacturing, trade and commerce.
Maputsoe Urban Council chairperson, Molungoa Leteane, said the relocation forms part of a broader road development programme that includes the construction of drainage systems and furrows along key routes leading to the town’s business centre.
Mr Leteane said vendors had been given repeated opportunities to vacate the area but had failed to comply.
“The expectation was to see the roads cleared and stalls removed by Monday this week, but that did not happen,” Mr Leteane said.
“Less than 10 people complied with the directive and removed their stalls along Sir Seretse Khama Road, which stretches from the Main North One Road to the Maputsoe-Ficksburg border gate.”
He said the council, the Roads Directorate and vendors had held numerous meetings on the matter both before and after the local government elections.
According to Mr Leteane, the relocation exercise was initially delayed after concerns emerged that some political candidates were using the issue to gain support from vendors.
“The removal of stalls should have happened a long time ago, but was halted by the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Matjato Moteane, after realising that some candidates were politicising the matter to win votes from vendors,” he said.
Mr Leteane said the absence of proper drainage infrastructure has worsened flooding along the roads, making it difficult for pedestrians to access shops and other businesses.
He noted that floodwaters often spill into adjacent premises, disrupting business operations.
“During rainy days, some people have to carry others on their backs to help them cross the flooded roads,” he said.
He also accused some vendors of littering, saying waste blocks drainage channels and exacerbates flooding during the rainy season.
However, vendors have rejected the relocation plan, arguing that the site identified by authorities is about two kilometres from the central business district near the Maputsoe-Ficksburg border gate and offers little commercial viability.
They accuse authorities of failing to provide a suitable alternative trading site before enforcing relocation.
Vendors representative, Moleboheng Tlokoa, said the move threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of traders who turned to informal business after losing jobs in the textile sector.
“We have lost jobs due to factory closures and reduced operations, and vending is now our main source of income,” Ms Tlokoa said.
“The government cannot simply remove us from a thriving commercial area without first ensuring that there is a viable alternative. Relocating us to a place with little business activity amounts to taking away our livelihoods. That is why many vendors have chosen to resist the move.”
The dispute comes amid a series of similar confrontations between authorities and street vendors across the country.
In May 2024, vendors operating along Moshoeshoe Road between Main Circle and Seputana in Maseru were left devastated when excavators demolished their stalls during a road development exercise.
Although the Maseru City Council and the Roads Directorate had issued advance warnings through public announcements and social media, many traders said they were caught unprepared for the early morning operation.
Eyewitnesses reported that demolition teams arrived before dawn and cleared stalls situated beneath the Main Circle footbridge.
A similar operation was carried out in Roma near the National University of Lesotho (NUL), where vendors resisted relocation efforts from roadside structures earmarked for demolition as part of a road expansion project.
The traders later lost a court challenge seeking to stop the removal of their stalls.
Authorities had proposed alternative trading sites, but vendors argued that relocating away from the university’s main gate would significantly reduce customer traffic and undermine their livelihoods.
Maputsoe vendors now fear they could face a similar fate if they continue resisting relocation orders.
As the country’s second-largest urban centre after Maseru, Maputsoe has experienced rapid population growth in recent years, placing increasing pressure on infrastructure and public services.
The town remains one of Lesotho’s key economic hubs, serving as a gateway for trade with neighbouring South Africa.
With neither side showing signs of backing down, tensions remain high as authorities push ahead with plans to clear the roads while vendors fight to protect what they describe as their only source of income.
