Rea Thusa Australia Lesotho
Lesotho is a beautiful mountainous country in southern Africa. There is a ski resort in the Highlands. But the people in the rural lowlands struggle with poverty, ill health, widespread environmental damage, corruption and crime.
Geography
Most people live on the lowland plains in the north and west, bordering the South African province of Free State. These plains are actually at high altitudes, the lowest point is more than 1000 metres above sea level. So they are cold in winter and mild in summer.
There are few trees on these plains. Soil erosion has been a serious problem for a long time and most of the land has stony, poor quality soil. Only about 1% is irrigated despite (or perhaps because) enormous volumes of water are piped to South Africa.
Lesotho is about 30,000 km2 or roughly half the size of Tasmania. The capital, Maseru, has roughly the same population as Canberra. 75% of the people live in the rural lowlands.
Being completely surrounded by South Africa means that everything we send has to be imported into South Africa before being exported to Lesotho. This double handling adds substantial costs (which are borne by Rea Thusa's President and Vice-president out of their own pockets). The only flights in and out of Maseru's international airport are to/from Johannesburg. The main border post at Maseru Bridge is a major bottleneck.
Life in the Villages
Many villages have no electricity and most have untreated water that visitors are well advised not to drink. They rely on communal water pumps so many people have to walk a long way with their plastic containers. If the rains fail people go hungry. If it rains too hard and washes away the soil and crops, people go hungry.
Roughly a third of children are stunted and are at risk of cognitive and physical limitations.
Lesotho is the land of the Basotho People
The roughly two million people of Lesotho are nearly all Basotho and speak Sotho. Basic English is widely spoken or at least understood. English is taught as a second language up to grade three in Primary School. From grade three onwards, instruction is in English.
Society is still largely organised along traditional lines with village chiefs playing a central role. Village chiefs are responsible for the people who live in their villages. They are also guardians of the land, on behalf of the King, and decide how it is used.
Most People are Trapped in Poverty
Children are the Main Victims of Poverty. Many orphans live alone in the family home, relying on school meals for food. Neighbours try to help but they are very poor themselves. Many of the children like those in the photos live in great poverty. Across Lesotho about a third of children are orphans due to HIV/AIDS.
Looking across the parched land at Molelle you can see South African farms and the contrast is shocking. The South Africans use GPS guided tractors to plough and harvest irrigated fields sculpted to minimise water and soil loss. On the Lesotho side of the river stunted maize stalks crunch under your feet. Why? Farmers in Lesotho can't afford the latest high-tech farm machinery. They can't raise the money to repair land erosion or build dams. So
- The people of Lesotho are four times poorer than those in South Africa
- Maize yields per hectare are over seven times higher in South Africa
- Just under half the population live in absolute poverty (less than US$1.25 per day).
- Life expectancy is about 54.
- Agriculture represents about 7% of the economy but employs about 86% of the labour force.
Lesotho exports water and diamonds
But the economy relies on remittances from tens of thousands working in South Africa. Most people work on the land and unemployment is persistently high. With so many mired in poverty, the government cannot raise enough revenue to adequately fund basic social services. If you get sick and can afford the cost, you go to South Africa for medical care. HIV/AIDS is a huge problem with around a quarter of the adult population infected. This is a huge drag on the economy. The revenue from water sales to South Africa has helped build enormous dams in the mountains but water supplies within the country are patchy and poor quality.
5G Mobile Phone Network Being Rolled Out
Yet only about one third of the people have access to electricity. When we needed to buy fencing materials in Teyateyaneng we had no problem using an Australian credit card but only about half of all businesses have a bank account. Mobile phones are used heavily to send and receive money (M-Pesa being the dominant service).
- Unemployment has been stuck around 27% for years.
- For those lucky enough to get it, the minimum wage is 2000 maloti per month (about A$200)
- Food, clothing and petrol are cheaper than in Australia.
- Retailing and banking is dominated by South African firms.
- There are no trains. Most people get around in cheap taxis (sedans and vans)
