Lesotho, Botswana agree on plan to transact water
MASERU — Lesotho and Botswana have signed an agreement that will pave way for a technical feasibility study that will investigate options for Botswana to draw water from Lesotho.
Water, Energy and Meteorology Affairs Minister Timothy Thahane told a media briefing in Maseru yesterday that South Africa also signed the memorandum of understanding witnessed by Namibia.
The four countries make up the Orange Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) which was set up in 2000 to advise member states on the development, use and conservation of water resources of the Orange-Senqu river basin.
A statement released by regional water ministers said they “recognised the need to collaborate in addressing acute water scarcity especially in Botswana with a vision of equitable sharing of benefits from the resource”.
Thahane told the media yesterday that the agreement will be implemented in three phases.
“The first phase is a study that will identify among others the possible routes, transit beneficiaries, possible challenges and risks and impacts on existing water resources,” Thahane said.
“If the study shows technical feasible solutions, the subsequent phases will be a fully detailed investigation on identified projects.”
In the event that the project is deemed feasible, Botswana which is 80 percent semi-arid, could find itself buying water from Lesotho to enhance its economic development.
Lesotho could channel the water through its giant neighbour, South Africa.
The Orange-Senqu River basin is encompasses all of Lesotho, half of South Africa, a quarter of Namibia and southwestern Botswana.
Lesotho and South Africa supply over 95 percent of the water in the basin.
Lesotho however has a bigger share of the water since a major chunk of the Senqu-Orange River passes through the centre of the country, thus making it a key source of the four member states.
The signed communiqué adds that ORASECOM has been undertaking studies and field projects that will culminate in basin-wide Integrated Water Resources Management plan that will ensure “effective, efficient and sustainable management of water resources of the basin and meet water needs of the parties”.
“Monitoring of the project will be done through regular reporting at the ORASECOM meetings. All the parties express a shared vision of position ORASECOM as a best role model of cooperation on a shared water source,” the communiqué adds.
Asked whether it would not be detrimental in the long run for Lesotho to sell water to Botswana when scores of Basotho do not have access to clean water, Thahane said in the event that an agreement was reached “it will have to be mutually beneficial to all involved”.
“As I’ve said, the study is going to assess the availability of water and whether its transfer to Botswana will not leave Basotho in despair. Whatever decision reached will have to be mutually beneficial,” Thahane said.
“Mutual benefit is derived where one party gives water while the other in return gets royalties.”
The minister said the challenge facing Lesotho with regard to providing residents with water, especially those in rural settings, lay mainly with areas in which villages are situated.
“Our villages are mainly situated on mountain tops where residents are also very few and far between. Bringing them water from the lowlands is financially draining,” Thahane said.
“This means we should review the manner in which our villages are built so that we’re able to provide all Basotho with water.”
Thahane added that although Lesotho enjoyed a major portion of the Orange-Senqu waters, of critical importance was how it was managed because “poor management could result in its disappearance”.
“Water in the region comes mainly from Lesotho, yes, but how we manage it is very critical for the future,” Thahane said.
“If we do not manage our water sources and allow animals to deplete our pastures the water will eventually perish, affecting not only Lesotho but the region in general.”
The challenge, Thahane said, was for Basotho to manage their pastures and protect the water sources as well as “rethinking the usage of water”.
“We also need to construct reservoir dams for the preservation of water that we can use during times of drought,” Thahane said.
Comment by lehlabaphio on 14 March 2013:
anyboby tell me metsi ke a lesotho kapa a kopanetsoe ke naha tse nne tse lesotho, SA,Botswana le Namibia. Haeba ke a Lesotho haa rekisoe feela a laoloe ke Basotho eseng re thole royalities.
Comment by Nthokasefubeng on 14 March 2013:
Hle banna re tlameha ho nyeka pele re khotsofale joale ebe hona re nyekisang batho ba bang. Harea tlameha ka tsela efe kapa efe ebe retla iphumana ntse rere re otloa ke komello kapa metsi ha a eo. Ha metsi ale sieo ebe hobane ho robehile lipompo ese hobane hothoe a felile.
Comment by Bheki Cele on 14 March 2013:
@Lehlabaphio, please visit principles of international law. There are riparian rights for a person located downstream. When Lesotho transfers that water under international law, even people, and aquatic life located where those river channels pass have right to the use of the water. Even Lesotho will be forced to reserve water for its usage. So the secret is, Lesotho should grow its economy so that it can use as much as possible of the water for its economic needs, and probably dispose a minute percentage of the water to other countries. By using as much as Lesotho can, it will gain better economic performance than transfer it to other countries.
Comment by LEKHOARA on 14 March 2013:
@lehlabaphio, metsi ha ana monga ona especially the one flowing by the rivers, but Lesotho is not prohibited from using it provided Lesotho does not stop the natural flow of the rivers. Batbo ba patalang ba patala Lesotho for holding water in its’ territory hence that payment is royalties.
Lesotho ha lena metsi, ka sekhooa Lesotho does not own water, Lesotho cannot sell water. Le rona ba noang a WASCO we are paying for the purification and delivery.
Comment by Tsebe on 14 March 2013:
Ha hoa thoe ‘muso ke oa liphetoho, ho ne ho thoe na ho ka rekisoa metsi Basotho ba ntse baa hloka, joale its getting even worse haeba holima shortage e teng re sa signa ho rekisetsa naha tse ling hape. Ha re hleng re rekisetse Africa ena kaofela he hoba hoa bonahala re mosa.
Comment by Tlhase on 14 March 2013:
Metsi ka a rona, empa tumellano tsa machaba ka li commission (ORASCOM) tsena li re tlama ho re re a tlohele a tsamae ho ea linaheng tse ling downstream. Re se ke ra a lukela ba tlase kapa hona ho a thibella. The Zambezi Commission le Nile Commission ke tse ling tsa li commission tse amang noka e parolang linaha tse ‘maloa. The Nile has often been a source of conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, ba bang bare ba bang ba haha matamo ho ba thibela ho phela ka noka kapa ho thibela noka to flow freely. Hase ho blela bore mohloli ha ele oa hao, noka ke ea hao ka botlalo! Ke ka hona ORASCOM e kenang tabeng tsena le litumellanong tsena. The next war will be about water not oil!
Comment by Noko on 14 March 2013:
Lesotho has the advantage of dictating terms of the agreement in terms of negotiating a better deal due to its altitude…Distributing water from the southwest into Botswana is more costly than having it direct from Lesotho…
I hope that Lesotho being the least of the four partners in economic terms, may be difficult to assert her authority in securing a better deal for herself..especially when the country has proved over the years especially since 1986, that deals are made without any interest of the country at heart..those who have money can control the decisions that benefit the monied countries.
“Beneficiation” projects, above the royalties, supported by the same monied countries, will benefit the country more than the royalties mooted..look at LHDA royalties….! Who can forget the Katse dissaster..!
This projects will change the economic and unemployment landscape..Mr. Thahane must “think out of the box”. APOLOGIES FOR THE PUN.!!!
Fishing industries must be a must..owned by Basotho,(atleast 60/40 if in partnership) supplying local, and the very three countries,with fresh water fish…unlike the project in Ha Lejone, where a Cape Town man supplies the fish from Katse dam to Capetown processing companies…the only employed are the 2 guys who feed the fish and the RSA truck driver who transports the fish to Cape…What a shame…!!!!
This type of project has no or little, if any, impact on the quality and distribution of the water…after all the fish actually clean the water.
The Nile issue was exacerbated by the conditions imposed by the British while ruling Egypt,which dictated that Ethiopia should consult Britain before they use the water,which advantaged the Egyptians over the other countries upstream, including Ethiopia, which were not allowed to use the water at all…Hence a source of conflict as the economies and water requirements of this countries increased.
Hope for the best…..!!!!
Comment by Sandile on 14 March 2013:
Noko i’m shocked that one guy is fishing our waters while we go hungry. I agree with you on the fishing issue. We also need to develop our tourism with that project. Let be a major tournaments of boat racing etc held along the catchment dam (like katse dam which run up to several kilometers up stream)to develop tourism and sports.
Comment by Tlhase on 14 March 2013:
Noko and Sandile. I like your ideas. How to do implementation?
Comment by sematsatsa on 14 March 2013:
I just wish this will lead to job creation, hee re sotlehile ke ho hloka mosebetsi
Comment by Lets'a le Malibamats'o on 14 March 2013:
Letona le Khabane ha le ke shebe taba ena ka mahlo a mabeli, Lesotho lena le metsi a mangata ahloekileng empa feela Basotho bona ba sebelisa metsi a manyane a litsila. Mohlala Maseru mona ho nooa metsi a maqalika a litsila, a matle a isoa South Africa. Hape Sechaba sane se angoeng ke morero ona wa metsi a lihlaba sona ke sona se tlokotsing ea metsi le ho feta, ao oe banna!!!
Comment by shh on 14 March 2013:
Metsi ana kea mang ka nnete ntate Thahane, hona a naheng eabo mang? Chee bokoala! Ke makatsoa ke kelello/ IQ ea batho bana ba khethoang ke sechaba ho sireletsa moruo oa sechaba. We dont share Botswana/RSA/Namibian resources BUT YOU DELIBERATELY SELL OUR ECONOMY/ FUTURE ON UNJUSTIFIED/ UNPATRIOTIC/ EMBARRASSING ACTS AS USUAL. Do real give enough thoughts and consult people who can advice before you take action Ntate? Do you realise the Implications of your actions Ntate? Do you really care about Lesotho Ntate? …oeee, bacha thusetsang re ka batho ba boinahano bo bocha ba sa qhekanyetsoeng, khele
Comment by Tlhase on 14 March 2013:
A semi-arid country is one of the most economically prospering country with a GDP per capita higher than even South Africa. Why can’t we do more than sell water to them (FOR THEIR ECONOMIC GROWTH AS THE ARTICLE SAYS), but copy what they did to have such an economy. We have been selling water before but it has not benefited the country’s citizens. Now Botswana wants us to sell them water in exchange for royalties to grow their economy even more. What is it they do that we are not doing?
Comment by Tlhase on 14 March 2013:
Rona re tla be sale re le morao joalo ka maoto a khoho re le bo-Mphophotha? Ho lekane joale tjena. The Minister should tell us how this will grow our own economy and by how much instead of just Selling as usual. We are tired.
Comment by dav on 14 March 2013:
That will surely boost the revenue, but please scrutinise the agreement in advance and make amandments for Lesotho’s benefit. @Shh you must know the reparian rights and international laws, the project is in line with those and other legal practices, do not dispair without an understanding
Comment by Letsatsi on 14 March 2013:
Ntate Mosotho Mosotho e nere o bolela ntate.Joale metsi ase a Basotho kea linaha tsa Southern Africa. What a sad phenomenal.
Comment by dav on 14 March 2013:
A must read; Reparian rights, please visit;
http://www.auilr.org/pdf/16/16-6-4.pdf
Comment by Sandile on 14 March 2013:
Thlase ngoana monna oa bua, our problem of not doing what botswana is doing is clear. They value their human resource, right from the training institutes in SA. They follow them up and make sure they go home to exploit their skills. This they do it harmoniously without threats or hostility, they try their best to pay them well and give them benefits here and there e.g. from our equivalent grade F all civil servants have housing allowance. They therefore keep at least, trained/skilled labourers in their government. In Lesotho we will never develop if we can’t track down people who are studying (with government money) geology, engineering, hydrology, geohydrology, economics, food science, agricultural science, law etc and give them proper jobs. If you say we can’t pay an engineer like what they deserve because we are poor, then there is no logic that we pay a member of a parliament or a minister R30000.00 a month but we can’t pay an engineer. What do we get as a country to keep a minister in government and loose an engineer to a private company?
Comment by dav on 14 March 2013:
@Sandile, thats a good point. Also our institutes of higher learning must strive for international excellence in areas of Engineering, The Built Environment, IT, Medical sciences and Finance. These are key to economic revival. We must also exploit our resources through joint initiatives especially in Crop Irrigation, Fisheries and Animal farming. We need to work collectively and exploit the water resources, i am interested in people who are team work oriented.
Comment by Lets'ekha on 14 March 2013:
Good project proposal. I like. These is a good toy project to tickle the brains of WE Engineers. But I’m appalled by my minister’s comments! how can you say rural villages don’t have water because u hloka ho nyolla metsi mabalane ho a isa lihlabeng, joale ho turu of course like all stupid solutions, that would be expensive! Ke mang a sa tsebeng hore metsi a Lesotho a phalla from the rurals to mabalane kantle ho ntate Thahane! Ntate Thahane, is LHDA “Metsi a Lihlaba” not part of your portfolio? You can’t b saying you need water from low lands to supply 10 sparse houses in a village that’s currently collecting water from a bow hole that never dries! This is toy project to Civil Engineers, all you need is to develop the bow holes and make them sustainable. No need ho nyolla metsi Maqalika oa isa Kolo…lol.
Comment by Nthokasefubeng on 14 March 2013:
Bashana baeso comment tse tjena ke tse ahang, pele-ea-pele. Ba mona ba mahlapa hle ba nts’etse maikutlo a bona ka pelong.
Comment by Tsotsopana on 14 March 2013:
Haeka naha yee ya bo rona e khahloa ke ho rekisa metsi feela mahaeng moo re sokola metsi hakaale. Ebe hoo ho bolela hore metsi a anetse naha kaofela mme e ka khona a rekisoe?
Comment by Derek Griffiths on 14 March 2013:
I hope that I am not interfering in Lesotho’s internal affairs.I am a Welshman who had the honour and privelege of living and working in Lesotho for 9 years as a specialist construction law adviser to the LHDA. Wales is not a sovereign state and consequently has no political powers over its water sources equivalent to those enjoyed by Lesotho.That said it seems to me that some of your correspondents might be expecting rewards that might be unpalatable to its neighbours and care needs to be taken in Lesotho’s negotiations with them lest the opportunities are lost. After all half a loaf is better than none. We in Wales can only wish that we had the same leverage over England when it comes to water. As for Lesotho’s talents I worked with very talented Basotho lawyers and engineers. One Mosotho engineer I met on returning to Wales was highly valued by a leading UK Civil Engineering company that was very sad to lose his services when he went home.
Comment by Noko on 15 March 2013:
Derek Griffiths,
A am glad that you so positively contribute to this important debate, especially with your background in the legal field,and having worked with Basotho Engineers..
My concern though,is that we have a loaf, and don’t need to be told how important or better the half is.
You do not experience the hardships that our people go through every day with this counties that “ARE” our neighbours, especially when it comes to protecting their economies.
If you go to Botswana now..all jobs are reserved for their nationals..if you get a job, it is temporary until one of them completes his/her studies. Same thing with BEE in RSA.
Same with Britain now refusing to abandon the monopolistic Pound in favour of Euro. PROTECTIONISM…remember what Thatcher said in 1988 at one UN conference when the sanctions were to be imposed on apartheid RSA. ” I shall not support that motion if it is not going to benefit Britain”. The British were beneficiaries of apartheid SA…The Beneficiaries are still the British companies now from our water..let me not go to the Free State issue..!
The dynamics may differ, but the essence is similar.
The same way the British are protecting their economy then and now, it is the same way RSA and Botswana are doing…we have water and they have the economy that depends on the very water we are debating…we are not crying for the share of Botswana or RSA territory. NO..!!
We are simply saying, our government officials should negotiate in good faith, for the benefit of this country..we should not become the victims of this projects instate of being beneficiaries…
In Mohale’sHoek now, the factories have been built, they cannot operate as there is no water..It is this experience that taught us a lesson..our officials do what gives them money for now and not what benefits the nation..! The list is long..sorry..!
You must be aware of the bias of the treaty regarding the LHDA treaty signed in 1986. 12 years later Basotho children had died,19 of them, while protecting the same water in 1998.
12 might seem small as the British are used to massacres..eg Irag, libya and Kenya to say a few..
For us one death is just too many. Remember who brought the army then..? BOTSWANA and RSA…a missed opportunity? I doubt..we miss our children and not the opportunity that divides us.
Mr Thahane should only remember that he is representing the interests,not of his family, but Basotho period..! Unless you want to tell me that a missed opportunity is the royalties, in Thahane’s words, where mutual benefit means one getting water and the other getting Royalties. We know better..!! We deserve better than that..!
Comment by Lefefooane on 15 March 2013:
@Tlhase, that we did not get more from our water was not because of our client having lower GNP or lower per capita income as compared to the prospective buyer, rather it was the Moleleki and the DC factor which used the remittances not for our good but for their own narrow personal selfish interests. Only cronies benefited from the LHDA remittances, hence even if you have a fat client if the people entrusted with keeping the remittances decide to be selfish and use the money for their own narrow selfish interest we will not benefit a thing. In Summary, what I am saying is that, had we used the water sales money wisely we would have all benefited but instead we used the money to pay expensive hair saloons to shape and cut our hair and beard.
Comment by semenekane on 15 March 2013:
I don’t care about all these water international treaties. This water is precious resource from God therefore Basotho should benefit from this water than the rest of other countries supplied with water flowing from Lesotho.
Out of our water we can create a lots of jobs as follows :-
- Expansion of fish farm at Ha Lejone which should be run by Basotho
- Expansion of electricity production in order to supply a whole Africa with electricity.
- Promotion of tourism attraction in the rural area by creating water sports and so on
_ our irrigation system should be dynamic so that the production of food should be based on the weather condition.
I therefore advice our government to be proactive and come up with good idea that will contribute to improve the lives of Basotho.
Comment by Tlhase on 15 March 2013:
Semenekane, Lefefoane. Coudn’t agree with you more. Re khathetse ke ho bona metsi a rekisoa re sa bone melemo. Minister Thahane o re kholisa joang hore sena se ke ke sa etsahala hape na? Feasibility study ee ea hae, eo ke tsebang hantle eena o se a ntse a tseba sephetho sa eona na e tla etsa identify and quantify li-projects tse tla runnoa ke Basotho naa? Ke bokae share eo ea Basotho? E tla etsa mesebetsi e mekae, e tlisa ntlafatso tse tla etsa contribution e kae ho unemployment and how much will it contribute to GDP and general growth besides just the focus on royalties. It has been proven that the Government (or individuals) getting royalties has not helped the Basotho at all as the royalties disappear within a corrupt system. Se tla thusa Basotho ke hore ba benfite likhoebong ba hire babang re tsebe ho iphepa le ho tijara. I have lost faith in the so-called system of royalties as it has been a dismal failure to the common Mosotho man or woman in the street.
Thahane needs to convince us with projects such as those mentioned by Semenekane, etc that will help create Basotho SMME’s so that they feed themselves. Re be re li bone ha li thehoa li sebetsa. We are tired of the story of royalties that mysteriously disappear once they get to Government coffers. Makes one to hope this time that the Minister himself as in the past will not have a vested interest or direct benefit from the project. Re khathetse ke li block farming and other shenanigans. Re batla khoebo tsa Basotho li holisoe e seng chelete e ee mokotleng oa mmuso hothoe re royalties, tse felellang feela, ka matlotlo a Basotho eo ba a fuoeng ke Molimo! A ke a re joetse ntho tse molemo ho Basotho Thahane.
Comment by LOBENGULA on 15 March 2013:
Thank you countrymen for the in depth analysis of Ntate Thahane’s press conference and the entire issue of the sale of water to RSA and Botswana. I do not know where Ntate Thahane is from; but haeso Matsoku Ha Seshote we get our water from never drying springs which would only need to be protected by means of resevoirs and thereafter construct a network of pipes across the villages for us to get piped water. We do not need water from Maqalika! How I wish all of you were in parliament; based on the expert comments you posted. As for Metsi a Lihlaba; personally I think the whole issue was rushed without properly assessing how it is going to benefit the affected communities. I worked at Katse Dam for six years during the construction phase, and years after completion communities there have been left with nothing. Pastures are under water, families have been left destitude because their farming land has been taken. The fish farms must therefore be Basotho owned and run; I do not see a reason why a man from Cape Town runs a fish farm at the Katse Dam. The affected communities must therefore be empowered both finacially and human resources capacity to run the project. As for the money that is derived from water royalties; more transparency is needed as to where the funds are used. A very important attery that is the road from Pitseng to The Katse Dam is deteriorating so badly without any worry from the government worries me, and I would assume this road is very important and beneficial to our economy. Lastly, the water funds could also be used to protect the topsoil in the mountain regions by planting suitable trees, protection of pastures and improvement of animals and training of local farmers in environmental protection.
Comment by Lefefooane on 15 March 2013:
Fellow countrymen, I suggest we tell minister Timotia Thahane that he should focus on transforming the economics of water in Lesotho such that the beneficiaries become us the Basotho and only the so-called excess is exported. Tell Thahane to make sure that communities in Lesotho should be able to have uninterpretable access to water before he even thinks of selling the water to Zimbwabwe Botswana RSA etc etc. In fact we should put a 5 year moratorium on this thing of selling water and focus on Basotho getting water because even the revenue from the said sales onle benefits the bureaucrats and cronies in Maseru. Otherwise we just just abandon the entire water sales thing re itsoele pele ka mapholo a rona hobane hahona phetoho le e nyane eo re e tholang thekisong ea metsi. The only thing we get is being brain washed and being bobabaded by the long lists of so-called benefits of water sales yet not even a single Mostho outside the circle of bureaucrats and cronies in Maseru can tell you of direct benefits he has got from water sales. Thus with or without water sales we remain thirsty and hungry so we better stop this sh**t of selling water.
Comment by Noko on 16 March 2013:
THE “LESOTHO WATER RESOURCE FORUM” CONFERENCE SHOULD BE CONVENED CONSISTING OF ALL STAKE HOLDERS INCLUDING SUBSISTENCE, BOTH STOCK AND CROP FARMERS INVOLVED.
NGO’S,ACADEMIA AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD MAP THE FUTURE PRESERVATION AND USE OF LESOTHO WATER AND OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES.
WE HAVE HAD EXPERTS COMING FROM OVERSEAS, INCLUDING GRIFFITH, WHO LEAVE AND WE REMAIN POOR AND POOR AND POOOOOOOR, IS IT NOT A HIGH TIME THAT WE PERSUADE THE GOVERMRNT TO CONVENE SUCH CONFERENCE, AND FORCE THE GOVERNMENT, WITHIN THE LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC MEANS, IF BA ITHIBA LITSEBE.
I AGGREE WITH LEBENGULA FULLY, THE LHDA PROJECT WAS RUSHED, ESPECIALLY PIK BOTHA HAD SEEN AN OPPORTUNITY, WITH THE ARMY REGIME CLULESS OF WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY WERE REPORTING TO PRETORIA, NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT..
REMEMBER, AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE TREATY IN OCTOBER 1986, THE MILITARY COUNCIL WERE ALL BOUGHT “RED NISSAN SANI” STATION WAGONS BY PRETORIA AS A THANK YOU GESTURE.
THE NUL STUDENTS WERE HARASSED, TEAR GASSED AND SHOT AT WHEN THEY PROTESTED AGAINST THE SIGNING AT PITSO GROUND…SHAME…
BOTSWANA AND RSA INVOLVED OR NOT, BUYING OR NOT, IT IS TIME WE DEVELOP POLICIES THAT BENEFIT THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY…KHOTSO..
Comment by Siba-la-mpshe on 16 March 2013:
Ho bohloko ho bona metsi a rekisoa re ntse re lla ka lenyora. A lot of people were affected by the LHDA project. They were relocated to Ha Makhalanyane, forced to abandon their fields, animals and many other means of life. Yet the Minister is telling us that ‘There is still more water for sale.’ Ha ene eba rea bitsoa re be teng ha litaba tsa mofuta ona li reroa, Lesotho would be a better place today for the whole of Southern Africa to take examples and follow in our footsteps. In stead selfish people think for themselves hore na ba tla rua joang ha ba theoha pusong. SHAME
Comment by LHDA Times on 17 March 2013:
@Dereke Griffiths. Greetings! Hope you have now written a book on contract delays and disruptions. I have in the past year or so, joined Metolong Project. It is just one big expensive circus! A combination of incomptent Employer, and Consultants personnel, plus some Chinese Contractors in the mix! Recipe for disaster! I trust sanity will prevail and the same incompetence and Chinese destruction is not exported to LHWP Phase 2.
Comment by Derek Griffiths on 17 March 2013:
Thank you for your greetings LHDA Times.
No I have not written a book on contract delays and disruptions, but I have been trying to persuade my fellow countrymen in Wales to build some Khotso,Pula Nala into construction activity by the procedure that I first experienced on the LHWP. It has not been brought about by the UK wide legislation aimed solely at construction.
As for some other comments from other correspondents.I returned to Wales,at the end of my time in Lesotho because I had no other choice. But I would like to think that some Basotho (particularly my work colleagues)felt some benefit of having worked with me, as I certainly feel from having worked with them. In saying that I don’t deny that I also benefited financially.
I am not proud of British colonialism, but then I don’t approve of any form of attempts at domination by one set of people over others,which has gone on since time immemorial. In that I think that I have something in common with the founder of the Basotho nation and Lesotho’s national motto. Unfortunately the world’s history has been peppered with this search for dominance. This island alone was once the preserve of the Celts, until the Romans overran vast swathes of it and they were replaced by the “English” who colonised “Wales” that has lacked independence ever since. I am classified as a Celt by language, but probably the Celts colonised and enslaved earlier indigenous people along the way. This trend might also have some echos in that part of the world’s land mass called Lesotho before the days of European colonialism.
My connections with Lesotho have not been severed completely as I remain in communication with two friends from time to time and am a member of the charity Wales-Lesotho link or in my mother tongue Dolen Cymru. You see some of the people of Wales are bi-lingual, sharing English as a second language with some Basotho.
Through your columns I would like to wish the Basotho Kohtso Pula Nala irrespective of their station in society.
Comment by Becky on 17 March 2013:
‘Musong oa ntate Thabane we believe we will all enjoy the rewards of selling water to other countries. in the past, instead of gaining,we only suffered.Lesotho mona water is in ubundance,but in other places hona Lesotho mona we watched people ba hloka metsi,while ba boholong ba ne ba leqe-leqetsa re sala re maketse. LETS ALL ENJOY THE ADVANTAGE OF SELLING WATER HLENG, KEA KOPA.
Comment by Patriot on 18 March 2013:
‘…the water will benefit Botswana for their industrial growth and RSA and Basotho will eventually benefit…” Said Mr Thahane on TV. The good exemple of ‘Colonial Education’. Basotho will neva thrive under these kind of ‘leadership’. You can start questioning the education system that Oversees institutions give Africans. Thats why Pres. Mugabe built his own University to do away with ‘tailor made servents’
Comment by Lefefooane on 18 March 2013:
Banna le Basali ba heso, we should not aim at getting so-called royalties by selling water. This way of managing natural resources is out fashioned outdated and does not create wealth along the value chain. For instance, we should not aim at getting royalties from selling our diamonds. Rather we should mine, polish, cut and then finally sell diamonds. In so doing we would have created a lot of jobs along the value chain and enriched a lot of Basotho rather than targeting to get so called royalties that get transferred to a bureaucracy called government. It is wrong to even think that the bureaucracy called government can transfer wealth and enrich citizens. That is a myth. Thahane should be told to come up with a plan that will make sure that our water benefits our communities from source down stream before he even thinks of selling water. We should create wealth from water and stop this sh**t of selling water.
Comment by Patriot on 18 March 2013:
Royalties only benefit politacal parties.
Comment by Tlhase on 19 March 2013:
Couldn’t have been better said guys. Thahane should convince us what Basotho will get down the value chain. This talk of royalties is a typical story by a capitalist lying to Basotho. How many Basotho businesses will benefit down the value chain. Are Basotho going to bottle water? Are we going to have production industries owned by Basotho to produce bottles, etc. Are we going to have Basotho industries producing other derivatives from water, drinks, etc? Will hydroposer also be generated from this particular project? Can Basotho form industrial strength busiensess to distribute this power even if LEC generates? What are the strategies you are going to use to ensure you empower Basotho to benefit a lot more? Lastly Ntate a se ke a re tella ka ho re joetsa hore Basotho ba hahile holima lithaba e le metsi a hlahang hona thabeng ana. Thabeng moo ha ba hloke metsi a letamo hobane ke source ea metsi. All that is required are well-maintained boreholes. Metsi ha a lekana, Khubetsoana le bakeng tse ling? Ntate o batla ho re bolella hore Mabote, Khubetsoana ke metse ea matlo a 10 holima thaba. Ha re se ke ra etsoa bana hleng! How can we sell water when Basotho do not have adequate water. Tell us concrete plans Mr Minister with timelines. We are sick and tired of hogwash and projects that benefit the elites Tlotlo la Basotho leo ba le filoeng ke Molimo le jeoa ba shebile! Khele!
Comment by Lefefooane on 20 March 2013:
A qoute from Botswana MP;
“…….In this event, we would be better placed to react next time that the pipeline goes bust and the water from Lesotho is yet to reach Gaborone. This particular idea is particularly startling – all that way with no pipeline leakages or bursts and with the cost at water-deprived Gaborone being so great that few could afford it when it did arrive…….”
Comment by Lefefooane on 20 March 2013:
Dear Minister Thahane Timothy
Please, I beg you. For a long time now there has been a scramble for the minerals of this land with us as Basotho being placed at the end of the value. We echoed until our voices ran dry that we need to be included at every step of the value chain and not just be promised the so-called remittances/royalties from the so-called sales of our mineral resources. We need to take an active role at every stage of the value chain. As an example we proposed as ABC during our campaigns that it is wrong that the diamond mines procure every service from RSA. For instance, the security companies are all south african, catering companies are all south african, transport companies are all south african, insurance firms at the mines are all south african. In fact the entire commerce at Letseng is South African, while ours is just to wait for 24% dividends at the end of the afater diamond sales. This is wrong. Everything at those mines is foreign yet those diamonds are ours. Now you want to do the same with our water. If those Batsana need our water then we should first do every commercial activity with our water and then put them at the end of the value chain. For instance we need fisheries industries, water bottling, irrigation, electricity generation, drinking water then finally sell the remaining water. While I admit and understand your desire as Potoana/LCD to make sure that Basotho never benefit from their natural resources, I however have a feeling that there is still room to reconsider that policy position.
Regards
Lefefoona