Bongiwe Zihlangu They are the first point of care at community level, ensuring HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) patients as well as pregnant mothers, take their medication and attend antenatal clinics regularly. Without them and their dedication to saving lives, there would be little TB and HIV/AIDS response at community level. Yet, Lesotho’s Community Health […]
A combination of climate-related catastrophes and a freak of nature leaves many households facing acute food shortage. Makhopotso Mothusi HA-MAKOATHI-Napo Ramalepe looks at a measly pile of maize-cobs he has just harvested from his field and shakes his head in exasperation. “This cannot last my family a single month and only God knows […]
Lekhetho Ntsukunyane MOHALE’S HOEK-World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director Mary Njoroge has urged Basotho to “seriously consider doing things differently” for their survival because of the country’s “perpetual food insecurity”. Ms Njoroge made this remark during a field visit to Mohale’s Hoek district on Monday this week led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s […]
. . . accuse lodge management of conniving with tourists to exploit them Rethabile Pitso QACHA’S NEK-Sehlabathebe villagers are up in arms with the “authorities” they are now accusing of failing to support their horse-leasing business to tourists. The residents are particularly angry with Sehlabathebe National Park Lodge managers they allege are encouraging tourists not […]
Makhopotso Mothusi Qacha’s Nek Many primary school students in Qacha’s Nek District are used to the high altitude and the mountainous environment. However, that does not mean traversing these mountains is a walk in the park. Every school-day, the students brave this undulating terrain, some barefoot, on their winter journeys to faraway primary schools. […]
Rethabile Pitso The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2012/13 to 2016/17, puts emphasis on reduction of poverty through high, shared job creating and sustainable economic growth. In this regard, a target of at least 10,000 newly created sustainable jobs per year, totaling 50,000 jobs by the end of the five year period has been […]
…as contractors give them a wide berth in favour of ‘foreigners’ ’Mantoetse Maama Shakhane Makoanyane gazes into the distance, and his vacant stare betrays an inner turmoil sparked by the proverbial fear of the unknown. The 50-year-old appears lost in thought, but quickly regains his composure before looking at the mounds of bricks a stone’s […]
Billy Ntaote A proposal by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to have voter-validation machines at polling stations was rejected by party leaders this week. The IEC had hoped the machines would assist members of the public confirm they were at the right station through a simple scan of their voter-registration cards. IEC Commissioner, Makase […]
Letuka Chafotsa QACHA’S NEK-A Basotho National Party (BNP) government would seek closer ties with South Africa to ensure Lesotho citizens benefit more from their wealthy neighbour, party leader Thesele ‘Maseribane has said. Addressing a BNP rally in Qacha’s Nek on Sunday, Chief ‘Maseribane also said peaceful coexistence among Basotho would also be a priority […]
Sofonea Shale THE conflict over the conduct of Southern African Development Community (SADC) facilitator to Lesotho, Deputy South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, has not only brought to bear the challenges of a fragmented coalition government but also how convenient popular ignorance can be for political leaders. In light of the differing views, the begging […]
Billy Ntaote Twenty-one computers stolen from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s Maseru warehouse in October last year could not have been used to tamper with the voters’ roll, thereby sabotaging the upcoming general elections. The police have since recovered 17 of the stolen computers and concluded they could not have been used to interfere […]
Billy Ntaote Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations Executive Director, Seabata Motsamai, has lamented the absence of local “experts” in regional efforts to restore stability to the troubled kingdom. Mr Motsamai told a press conference in Maseru on Monday the decision to exclude locals from the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s peace mission in Lesotho […]
…warns govt to ensure a conducive environment for an effective judiciary Lekhetho Ntsukunyane CHIEF Justice Nthomeng Majara has warned government to ensure a conducive environment if the judicial system is to be effective. Addressing delegates to Monday’s official opening of the 2015 judicial year, Justice Majara —who assumed office on 28 August 2014 […]
Mountainous fish farm links Lesotho with Japanese chefs TOKYO-The flashing neon advertising signs and crowded crosswalks of Tokyo may not resemble the slow suburban settlement of Maseru—the capital of the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa, but the two countries are now being linked by an unlikely dish: trout. Thanks to Highlands […]
‘Mantoetse Maama THIRTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Lehlohonolo Matsoai looks pensive as he recalls his “darkest days yet” while working in the jungles of Limpopo Province in South Africa in 2007. Now an entrepreneur operating a modest carpentry and construction business in Maseru, Mr Matsoai says he is only alive today “through the Grace of God” following his […]
Roderick Macleod IF you were thinking of an ideal location on which to base a commercial fish farm, you wouldn’t necessarily think of the mountainous land-locked African nation of Lesotho. Yet from small beginnings just two years ago, the country’s Highlands Trout operation has become a big fish in a rather small pond. The […]
Bongiwe Zihlangu The Basotho National Party (BNP), a junior partner in Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s coalition government, says it has made enough inroads to “shine at the 2015 poll”. BNP leader and Sports Minister Chief Thesele ‘Maseribane, whose party formed the coalition government with Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) and Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) […]
SEMONKONG – Every school-day, seven-year-old Mpho Mohau and her young brother, wake up early in the morning to prepare for the difficult journey to Semonkong African Methodist Episcopal Primary School. The school is situated about two kilometres from her home in Semonkoaneng village, and the children live with their grandmother while their parents work […]
Lesotho’s politicians have shown themselves to be capable of governing for the common good in the past. A return to this spirit is crucial now to avoid tragedy. By Jeffrey Smith, John Aerni-Flessner During the early hours of 30 August 2014, some members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) attacked three key police stations […]
Mamothe and Phano Mohapi living their dream 20 years after venturing into the country’s hospitality sector Tsitsi Matope Ha-Molengoane is known for its wild horses and breathtaking scenery, both of which continue to draw tourists to the village, which lies about 40 kilometres from the capital Maseru. Located in Nazareth, the village of Ha-Molengoane […]
Tsitsi Matope Queen Elizabeth II Hospital is back to life once again, with the cry of babies following medical interventions that induce a little pain to save their fragile lives, confirming the rise from the ashes of this erstwhile epicenter of Lesotho’s health sector. Yesterday morning, some heavily pregnant women could be seen inside […]
By Tsitsi Matope MOKHOTLONG — High in the chilly and misty mountains of Mokhotlong are the stone-built, beautifully-thatched homesteads owned by a resilient people now enjoying the benefits of living in this undulating and spellbinding environment. Just like the elevated landscape, the people of Mokhotlong are taking the development of tourism to a much higher […]
The enchanting story of Ha-Baroana Caves and the singing Liphiring river Tsitsi Matope The dry and golden maizefields of Ha-Matela village in Nazareth tell a story common throughout Lesotho — that of a community passionate about working on the land and producing its own food. For many Lesotho households, farming is the only source […]
Two young Maseru entrepreneurs introduce inexpensive motorised bicycles that could be the answer to the transport problems many Basotho face on a daily basis Tsitsi Matope It is fast, inexpensive to buy and maintain, easy to operate and does not require the operator to go through the frustrating experience of acquiring a driver’s licence. […]
Tsitsi Matope TEBOHO Mahase and his wife, Tlalane, could this week not believe Lakeside Hotel is the same establishment they stayed in two years ago when they decided to take a getaway holiday to revive their marriage. The couple had travelled from their home in Leribe, just to reflect on their marriage and enjoy the […]
Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso reflects on her marriage, being 38, society at large and her transition to the Royal Queen she is today. Tsitsi Matope QUEEN ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso, who turned 38 on 2 June, says her 14 years as the wife of King Letsie III has been “an exciting, learning experience”. Since tying the […]
…as M25 million project is launched in Maseru Tsitsi Matope A death trap. That was how ‘Mathatohatsi Monyatsi this week described her household toilet situated in what looked like an abandoned corner of her residence. Ms Monyatsi lives with her husband and one-year-old daughter in Ha-Mabote — one of the highly populated settlements of […]
Tsitsi Matope IF the water-sprinklers could talk, they would complain of how they are made to sprinkle the evergreen lawns in some of Maseru’s leafy suburbs, even on rainy days. The numerous car-washing enterprises mushrooming in the capital would also speak of the wasteful practices that have seen the formation of artificial streams at these […]
. . . as vandals wreak havoc on infrastructure By Tsitsi Matope MASERU — The Lesotho Times last week witnessed a farmer driving his span of plough-drawing oxen down the newly-constructed Maseru-to-Mafeteng highway, in one of the most shocking cases of vandalism. Apparently undisturbed by the damage the plough was inflicting on the tarmac, the […]
An obvious health hazard to the town, the Maputsoe dumpsite is, however, also a source of livelihood for many families and its closure could spark an outcry from some members of the community. By Mohau Serabele MAPUTSOE — From a distance, the area appears to be covered in white foam, with the sight of people […]
