Tšosane villagers take on MCC

MASERU – RESIDENTS of Ha-Tšosane this week faced off with the Maseru City Council (MCC) before a parliamentary committee, as they up pressure to force the local authority to relocate a dumpsite that has become health hazard in their area.

Speaking to members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on behalf of the village committee on Tuesday, Jeremiah Mokhothu accused the MCC of ignoring risks posed by the dumpsite.
“We want the MCC to halt using the dumpsite…we are getting their concerns over the health sick because of it,” Mokhothu said.
“It seems the MCC cannot stop this practice because even this morning they were still doing the same,” he said.

The council has also failed to put out fires at the dumpsite for a month despite the health risks posed to villagers. Instead, officials have been feeding villagers with empty promises, charged Mokhothu.
The council has failed to fulfill its pledge to provide mobile clinics for affected villagers.
“I have never seen the promised mobile clinics around the village,” Mokhothu said.

The council also promised to recruit people from the area to work at the dumpsite. “Instead they have hired people who really do not care,” Mokhothu said. “They have failed us.”
But MCC Director of Health Inspector, Motseki Khuto, said council officials had already been to Ha-Tšosane to observe the situation on the ground.

He insisted that the council had provided mobile clinics to people affected and promised to deal with the month-long fires at the dumpsite.
“We are doing everything to stop that fire,” he said, adding that villagers had been informed that the fire would take time to stop.

Khuto told the committee lack of resources affected council’s ability to effectively manage the dumpsite.
PAC chairperson Selibe Mochoboroane was not convinced and said evidence showed that the council does to care about the welfare of people living close to the dumpsite.
“MCC should make sure that this issue is dealt with,” Mochoroane said.

Thooe Ramolibeli