Moroke Sekoboto
Mining giant, Letšeng Diamond, on Friday donated a Toyota Land Cruiser to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS).
The donation was part of Letšeng’s efforts to assist the police combat rampant crime afflicting the nation, under the mine’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Accepting the vehicle at a handover ceremony held at Police Headquarters in Maseru, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP) Mahlape Morai, said the Cruiser would be instrumental in the police’s fight against crime as it could also access hard-to-reach areas.
“Today marks an important milestone in the LMPS’s division which deals with drugs and diamond cases as this vehicle we are receiving, will help us in tackling crime as it can get to hard-to-reach parts of the country. It will benefit the entire country,” DCP Morai said.
Letšeng Diamond’s CSR Manager, Tšepo Hlojeng, took the opportunity to talk about other charitable gestures the mine had initiated for the benefit of Basotho during Friday’s ceremony.
He said the mine was dedicated to giving back to the community and contributing towards curbing high unemployment and poverty the country is faced with.
Mr Hlojeng added since the mine did not have the capacity to employ everyone in need of a job in Lesotho, it contributed to the community through supporting farmers in Mokhotlong where it operates, invests in education through sponsorships and donates to health initiatives, among other gestures of goodwill.
“As alternatives to hiring people, we support Mokhotlong poultry and dairy farmers to earn a
living and ensuring sustainability. Even when the mine was not operational (during the recent coronavirus lockdown), we bought Covid-19 equipment and an ambulance to assist the health sector. The mine
further constructed Letšeng Police Station, as we saw the need for the police station which plays a
pivotal role in combating crime. We are also investing in education through sponsoring students in
institutions of higher learning,” Mr Hlojeng said.
“We are donating this vehicle to the police as it can reach anywhere in the country and we intend to
keep good working relations with the police as they play a vital role in society. We remain committed to giving back to the community,” Mr Hlojeng said.
The Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, Lebona Lephema, thanked the mining firm for the vehicle which he said would be of great help in fighting crime.
“We appreciate the gift as the police don’t have adequate resources. This shows that Letšeng
Diamond understands corporate responsibility and that the police are in dire need of resources. I promise that the vehicle will be well taken care of as we are already training officers on monitoring the use of vehicles and driving responsibly, as well as with caution,” Mr Lephema said.
“We now have a mechanical workshop at Ha Mabote in Berea, where our vehicles are serviced. I have started inspection visits at various police stations and I visited Berea, Ha Ramabanta and Thabana Morena police stations yesterday, where I found that officers are working under unbearable conditions.
“The Thabana Morena Police Station walls are cracking, and I appreciate the police’s commitment
and dedication for performing their duties under such circumstances,” Mr Lephema said, adding the LMPS now had an in-house factory that manufactures police uniforms.
“The police are the face of the country hence their appearance matters and I call upon corporate entities to help the police. Investors and tourists first consider the level of security, stability, rule of law and order before visiting or investing in any country,” Mr Lephema said.
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