Author: Sechaba Mokhethi
SGK, an extensive pyramid scheme that conned people into investing money and recruiting new members for guaranteed returns, collapsed over the last few weeks. Some members who rose through the ranks had opened physical stores in Lesotho to recruit more people. In at least one store, on at least one day, First National Bank employees were helping recruits open bank accounts so that they could participate in the scheme. The bank confirmed its staff were involved in an “off-site account-opening activation” as part of its “financial inclusion” commitment, but distanced itself from SGK. On the same day that FNB Lesotho…
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, has launched in Lesotho through T-Connect Lesotho. The launch comes after massive job losses stemming from 50% US tariffs on Lesotho imports and funding cuts that were led by Musk in the Trump administration. Prime Minister Samuel Matekane’s government has granted Starlink a ten-year licence despite local opposition, in what critics see as appeasement of US interests. T-Connect says it will create 10,000 direct jobs. T-Connect Lesotho, a licensed reseller of Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, officially launched on Monday, after mounting economic pressure on Lesotho from the US. The country experienced widespread…
A company which claims to be the biggest trout farm in Africa contributed only R5,000 to the community fund in the Katse Dam catchment area in the Lesotho Highlands. In order to apply for a licence from the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, SanLei Premium Trout had to show how local communities would benefit. But the Catchment Resilience Fund initiative seems to have crumbled after less than a year. Local farmers say the dam has changed conditions for the worse. SanLei Premium Trout, which farms trout on the Katse Dam in the Lesotho mountains, claims to have invested in projects to help the…
Donald Trump told the US Congress on Tuesday that Lesotho is a country “nobody has ever heard of”. But his colleague Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has applied for a licence there. The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) is currently consulting the public on whether Starlink Lesotho Pty Ltd should be granted a licence to operate. Lesotho’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejone Mpotjoane says he is “disappointed to be referred to in such a manner by a head of state”. Lesotho is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest garment exporters to the US. US President Donald Trump says…