Mrs Mputsoe of Thaba-Tseka district is one of the several villagers that have been deprived of their source of livelihood, after they were forced to give up their ancestral farming lands, to pave way for mining operations in the Mohlanapeng village in the Thaba Tseka district.

Like most other villagers, the elderly widow has survived on subsistence farming and fended for her grandchildren, but this is no longer possible after she had to give up her corn fields which fall within the area where the Pure Lesotho Resources Company has been given the nod by government to prospect for alluvial diamonds.

The prospecting licence, which was issued by the former seven parties’ government, expires this year but it could be extended as the company has plans to open the first diamond mine in Thaba Tseka district should the prospecting yield significant finds.

And while the mining project would certainly be a boon for the country’s economy which continues to struggle to attract foreign direct investment, the same cannot be said at a local level for Mrs Mputsoe and other villagers whose livelihoods have been affected.