A thick fog blankets Lesotho’s capital, Maseru, as the southern African nation faces a colder winter than ever. Thousands of garment workers have lost their jobs due to the threat of US tariffs on the textile industry. Additionally, hundreds of thousands have been disconnected from crucial healthcare services following the USAID withdrawal. Unemployed women stand outside factories, hopelessly seeking work. HIV-positive mothers travel long distances to clinics for limited life-saving medicine, cradling their babies wrapped in blankets.
The lives and livelihoods in Lesotho have been severely impacted by US President Donald Trump, who has admitted to knowing little about the country.
Basotho people are now fearful of Trump and his policies, aware of the harm they have caused to other countries like South Africa and China. Workers like Maplape Makhele, a 32-year-old garment worker and mother of two, live in constant worry due to Trump’s unpredictable nature. She has seen the effects of his actions in South Africa and China and believes that Trump prefers not to collaborate with other countries.
Mpalape Makhele was interviewed at her work station in the Afri-Expo Textiles factory where she stitched denim. Despite Lesotho’s previous title as the “denim capital of Africa,” Mpalape now fears losing her job as the breadwinner of her family. Around 500 jobs have been cut across three factories due to the US orders being reconsidered.
Lesotho has declared a national disaster in response to high youth unemployment and job losses tied to US tariffs and aid cuts. President Trump is expected to announce final tariffs on several countries, including Lesotho and South Africa, on August 1. These tariffs could be as high as 50% which would devastate the industry that has thrived for 25 years under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty-free trade agreement with the US.
Minister of Trade and Industry, Mokhethi Shelile, expresses concern over the multilateralism principle that has served the US so well. Lesotho has stopped talking to the US and now awaits a response or a final solution.
Economists like Lebohang Thotanyana, a former Minister of Mining, doubts South Africa’s ability to provide an alternative solution. South Africa itself is facing tariffs and projected job losses due to Trump’s policies, which would also affect the Basotho working in citrus farms and automobile industries.
The situation is dire for Basotho people, who are now in a wait-and-see situation, hoping for a lighter tariff but preparing for the worst.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/lesotho-in-the-country-that-trump-claims-nobody-has-ever-heard-of-his-name-evokes-fear-and-panic-13403636
