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Mpesi Harvester
Prime Minister Sam Matekane says the newly constructed Gachasnek Mpiti to Sehrabathebe road will help reduce rampant livestock theft in the area.
The Prime Minister made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of 91 km of tarmac road on Friday.
The road, named Mahaola-Lerotoli Expressway by King Letsie III, cost 2.1 billion Libyan pounds and passes through the landmark Sehraba Thebe National Park in Lesotho. The Chinese government partially funded the construction with 1.4 billion Libyan pounds (66%), while the rest came from the Lesotho government.
This project once again demonstrates the strong relationship and bond between China and Lesotho and highlights the determination of the government led by President Xi Jinping to help African countries achieve their development goals.
Construction of the road began on January 23, 2019.
There were smiles on everyone’s face as the prime minister officially launched what seemed to be a long-drawn-out project in Hamatlali village in Gachasnek on Friday.
Despite the gloomy, windy and dusty weather, the residents of Gachasnek did not give up participating in this important ceremony. They sat under the white tent set up for them.
Cheers and songs of praise filled the air as villagers celebrated this important day.
Students from Tsoelike Primary School will then entertain the audience with traditional performances.Do you want me?Dance, and the girls from St. Francis Primary School will dance beautifully?dialogue?Style and older women show?trouble. ?
Speaker of Parliament Tlohang Sekhamane, Minister of Local Government, Chiefs, Minister of Interior Affairs and Police Lebona Lephema, Public Services and Transport Matjato ?Moteane, The ceremony was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition Thabo Mosisili and Minister of Environment Letsma Adonti. Former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya Lyu Liangzhong also attended the ceremony.
Mr. Mateken said the road will help security agencies easily pursue thieves and recover stolen livestock. The road will also help patients reach local medical centers promptly and save lives.
He promised that the government would continue to build new roads and improve existing ones.
“This road is important because it leads to the Ramat Seliso border. It means that trade between Lesotho and South Africa will flow smoothly and products will reach the market quickly,” he said.
“The road will also improve tourism in the Gachasnek region as people will have easier access to the Sehrabataibe National Park, which has been designated a World Heritage Site.
Mr Liang Zhong said that 1,500 local people benefited from employment during the construction of the road. He said that despite this, the construction of the road was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and adverse weather conditions.
“This Class A modern highway was built with a concessional loan from the Chinese government. It took about five years to transform it from a bumpy gravel road into a smooth and beautiful road.”
“Everyone who attended the ceremony felt its high quality and high standards. It has indeed been a long journey, full of difficulties and challenges, including three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather conditions.
“But with the joint efforts of all participants from both countries, we finally succeeded.
“Where there is a will, there is a way. The completion and handover of the project in the country is a testament to this saying,” he said.
“According to statistics, this project alone has created 1,500 local jobs and trained more than 300 technicians.”
“I believe that the completion of the road will make people’s travel more comfortable, increase accessibility to Sehrabataibe National Park, and promote economic and social development in the region and beyond,” he said.
Mr. Liang Zhong added: “In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the ‘Belt and Road’ project, which aims to strengthen policy coordination, infrastructure construction, trade facilitation, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges, create new opportunities for global development, and build a new platform for international economic cooperation.”
Mr Motian, for his part, commended Mr Mosisili for launching the project during his tenure. He said the former prime minister built more than 600 kilometres of new road infrastructure in the country. He said Mr Mateken would continue where he left off.
“The total length of roads you have built is over 600 kilometres. You have worked hard…” Mr Motine said to the former Prime Minister.
“Unless Mr Matken finds some other place in Lesotho where he can start construction, you have left him little space. What is left now is that this road should connect from Sehraba-Thebi to Makunyapane. Another road should start from here (Hamatlali) and go through Milliken to Matben.
“The only remaining pieces of major road infrastructure are from Thaba-Tseka to Mokhotlong. Overall, Mr Matekane has been tasked with paving the remaining 250 kilometres (of unfinished road),” he said.
The launch ceremony took place a week after the official opening of the $800 million Maseru District Hospital and Eye Clinic, funded by the Chinese government.
Mr Matt Kane opened the new state-of-the-art medical facility, which is expected to reduce the number of patients referred to South Africa as it also has links with the Wuhan No. 1 Hospital in China to assist with major surgeries.
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