By Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MAFETENG
“We walk for long distances to access health care, even with the elderly and people living with disabilities endure this,” said ’Mabereng Maphathe, a village health worker who knows too well the hardships of the life of Reisi in the outskirts of Mafeteng.
“Our elderly need regular hospital care. Pregnant women are among us; they, too, need to be well cared for,” she added.
Maphathe painted a picture of a community grappling with the absence of essential services. Poor access roads are nearly impassable during the heavy rains and lack of nearby health facilities are some of the problems that continue to define their daily struggles.
“To access transport, we have to walk to a distant place,” she explained. “Some women give birth along the way. We don’t want that to happen but it does. Sometimes a woman sets off when she’s about to deliver, only to find the river overflowing. With no way to cross, she ends up giving birth there.”
When weather conditions suddenly become bad, their challenges are further compounded. “If the weather changes, no vehicle comes and if help doesn’t come on time, lives are lost.”
Reisi is not very far from Mafeteng town yet it is a hard-to-reach place accessible only with rugged four-wheel drive vehicles.
This village remains without a nearby clinic, police station, electricity, or other essential services, forcing residents to walk for long distances or rely on the few individuals who own vehicles.
In some of the most desperate situations, pregnant women have to be transported on tractors or towed in trailers to reach the nearest tarred road. From there, they continue their journey to the Motsekuoa health facility or the hospital in Morija.
These journeys are not only long and uncomfortable, but often dangerous, especially for those in urgent need of medical care.
Maphathe made a deep-seated plea: “We are farmers. We feed our children. But we also need to live with dignity. We need to be supported so we can be resilient in the face of climate change and still harvest despite the crisis. Our biggest plea is to have our roads fixed and we need electricity to make life bearable.”
Chief Majoro Molikoe said there are incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) in his village, a concern that reflects the broader national crisis in Lesotho.
According to Afrobarometer, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Basotho consider GBV the most important women’s rights issue that needs urgent attention from both the government and the public.
About 53% of citizens report that violence against women is either “somewhat common” or “very common” in their communities. Alarmingly, 56% of respondents believe women who report GBV are likely to face criticism, harassment, or shame.
These grievances came to the fore during the field visit undertaken by the Parliament Women Caucus supported by the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) under the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.
The Women’s Caucus is made up of both the members of the Lower and Upper House.
The lawmakers were exposed to the lived experiences of people of Reisi whose access to sexual and reproductive health services (SRHR) is increasingly strained by climate change and lack of good access roads.
The Parliament’s Women’s Caucus Chairperson, Hon ’Makatleho Motsoasele, said that although Lesotho is not responsible for causing climate change, it continues to suffer its effects.
She noted that the changing climate has impacted food security and disrupted the lives of communities, especially those affected by drought.
She explained that even though everyone is affected, the level of impact varies. Some residents are forced to walk long distances to reach clinics, while others are slightly closer to key services. She added that the caucus will support the MP for Phoqoane constituency, Hon ’Matankiso Tekane, in demanding action from the government.
“The laws that we must enact should empower people to become resilient against climate change. Even the seeds we plant should be climate-resilient,” she said.
Motsoasele also raised concerns about rising unemployment, saying it has negatively affected many families and, in some cases, contributed to GBV.
She also addressed the issue of child marriages, urging communities to stop the practice as it is illegal. “We have also robbed our girl child of her future. Who will we send to represent us if we do not take care of our girls?” she asked.
The support groups’ co-ordinator, ’Majirata Khoachele, said she has been working with 16 villages to support vulnerable orphans. She said part of their efforts included encouraging people to attend health facilities, although overflowing rivers often hinder their access.
To support orphans, she said they baked and sold bread, and one of their proudest achievements was being able to buy school shoes and socks for 89 students. The group also bought groceries for patients and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Moiloa Adoro, a villager from Reisi, Ha-Motlokoa, said the conditions they live under are “unpleasant.”
He shared that he had once been swept away by the river but survived. He pleaded with the female MPs to help improve their lives through agricultural cooperatives, potable water, electricity, and the rehabilitation of roads.
He added that many villagers are unable to access government services.
“We don’t want donations. The government should bring tractors to plough our fallow fields,” he said. Adoro also recalled the story of a child who has since stopped speaking, having witnessed their mother being swept away by the river.
“We have the means to make a living without depending on the government. We need to plant vegetables, trees, and crops to survive,” he added.
The crisis in Reisi is reflective of a national emergency. In July 2024, Prime Minister Sam Matekane declared a state of disaster, citing that 700,000 Basotho were facing severe food insecurity as a result of the El Niño-induced drought, which has ravaged crops and deepened existing vulnerabilities.
This declaration, made under the Disaster Management Act No. 2 of 1997, highlights consequences of climate change on Lesotho’s rural communities, where food insecurity, malnutrition, and a lack of livelihood options are becoming widespread.
One woman recalled a tragic incident from 1983 when a heavily pregnant neighbour was loaded onto a tractor to be taken to hospital in Morija but lost her life along the way.
Another shared how, in the absence of phones and with limited support, she was forced to return home after seeking help during labour. She later lost her stillborn child, whom she never got to see.
“We have been voting all our lives in Lesotho, but there is no solution. If it rains while I’m in Maseru, I even forget what I wanted to do because of worry about how I will get back home,” she said.
Another woman, reflecting on her own experience in 2013, said she gave birth inside a trailer after it had rained heavily. She had been accompanied by her mother and siblings. Now eight months pregnant again, she tries to stay close to health facilities to avoid similar risks though walking long distances still poses a challenge.
Meanwhile, Tekane said they have taken stock of the plight of the communities within her constituency and, after consolidating the concerns, they plan as a caucus to have an audience with the relevant ministers, including those responsible for Health, Local Government, and Public Works and Transport to ensure these matters are addressed as a matter of urgency.