Dispute over road

Letuka ChafotsaMAFETENG — Reskol mining (PTY) Ltd, a Kimberlite mining company in Kolo is at odds with the residents of the area over an access road connecting the five villages from Ha Mohlalefi to Ha Petlane.

Joseph Cheka Mabote, spokesperson of Reskol, said the company will only consider building a road in the area after beginning extraction work.

He said however that they would create a gravel road leading to the mining area in order to facilitate smooth transportation of their equipment.

“What we would do is to just pave way to the mining area,” Mabote said.

On the other hand the community councillor of the ‘Mamants’o E02 council said it was not fair that the company was benefiting from the area while the roads remain poor hence making the area not worth investing in.

Councillor Mopako Hlapane said improved access would generally improve living conditions and reduce poverty.

“Inaccessibility on the other hand restricts movement of people, goods and services and limits the development of markets and other service centres,” he added.

He said they did not even expect the company to extensively network the whole area with roads but just a well constructed road linking the five villages in the vicinity of the mining plant.

“We do not even demand more things; we just want the construction of the road that leads to the mining area only as it passes through five villages being, Ha Mohlalefi, Mohale, Lejela-thoko, Petlane –Mothabeng and Ha Petlane” Hlapane said.

Meanwhile the councillors also blame the District Administrator for excluding them in the developments of the project.

“DA did not invite us in the finalisation of the proceedings of the commencement of the mining”, said Hlapane.

“We are not satisfied with the handling of road construction by the DA’s offices, however, its better now that the local government officer has come to address us on the matter,” he added.

On behalf of DA office, Mpobole Phole the local government officer, said, Reskol would be paving the way to the mining area first while road construction would be done thereafter.

Phole added that ten villagers would be employed in the initial road improvement stage with more villagers to be incorporated at a later stage.

He said his office would never attempt to do anything in the area without including the villagers who are directly affected by the work since it is done in their neighbourhood.

Mabote assured the community leaders at a gathering on Friday that Reskol would be building the road as soon as mining starts.

Reskol is a subsidiary of Batla Minerals which government of Lesotho entered into an agreement with in 2011 to mine diamonds.

The Kolo kimberlite pipe is expected to produce 110 000 carats within three years, thereafter, based on exploration results at the Sekameng pipe with an expected life-span10 years.