With the people!

MASERU – For a long time, it had been ’Manteboheleng Kheo’s wish to help people in her home area to become self-sufficient and escape poverty.
And when she was elected into the Lilala Community Council, her work was cut out: bad roads, no reliable water sources, gang violence and high unemployment that left many people struggling to feed their families.

“I looked at the myriad of challenges rocking the council and I thought ‘maybe I can make a difference.’ I had already been committed to helping the people anyway,” said the 59-year-old mother of three.
About four years into her tenure, she thinks she has managed to achieve just that even though much more still needs to be done.

Working closely with her Member of Parliament (MP) for Rothe constituency, Mohapi Mohapinyane, she managed to push the government to commit to attend to the poor roads.
“The construction has just started. I am proud because I worked with the MP to push for the developments in the area,” Kheo said.
She says they have also been working hard to ensure the provision of water infrastructure in the area that is a shy 25 kilometres from the capital, Maseru.

“Residents take ages to get to Maseru because of bad roads and the road-unworthy vehicles which operate here,” said Kheo, who has been trained on leadership skills by Non-Governmental Organisation, Gender Links.
She is using part of those skills to mediate between famo gangs that are notorious for violence.

Because of the deaths prompted by the famo gang wars, the council has a lot of orphans to look after.
In many cases, it is left to impoverished women to take care of the orphans.
“The training by Gender Links has really been helpful. I learnt a lot of issues regarding women empowerment in all spheres of life from the training,” she said.

She said the training reinforced the fact that women are capable of changing society for the better.
“We were advised to go out to the election race and compete with men because we have the ability to do so. We were told that we have the strength as women,” Kheo recalled.

Kheo is worried about the significant underrepresentation of women in community councils, Parliament and the national executive.
“It is us women who will bring the change. Women have to grab the raging bull by the horns,” she said.
Kheo admits that it is a tough road, and sometimes women are their own worst enemies.

“I have listened in shame as women drag each other’s names through the mud. Character assassination of women candidates has been the order of the day. This has to change,” she said.
She said she advises women to support each other and vote for female candidates in elections so that their voice can be heard in councils and in parliament.

“What women need to do now is to fight for a new course… that is economic independence and liberation and these issues, including politics, start right at the constituency level,” said Kheo.
She said she joined politics because she wanted the women’s presence to be felt in the corridors of power.
Kheo has already been heavily involved in community empowerment projects even before being elected as a councillor.

Kheo formed a home-based association called Kopanang ka Lerato Lilokoe where members reared poultry, sheep and pigs for a living.
The association comprised both women and men who were committed to fighting poverty.
“We faced some hurdles that frustrated progress so it came to a gentle stop,” she said.

Before that, Kheo had formed another association of 50 women to keep broilers for sale.
“Women can only become confident to challenge for power if they are economically independent. It is something we have to achieve,” she said.

Majara Molupe