By Poloko Mokhele
The President of the Senate, ‘Mamonaheng Mokitimi has appealed to government to introduce reductions on prices of maize meal to cushion the effects of the recent heavy rains that have destroyed crops.
Speaking during the official opening of the Senate after the Christmas break on Tuesday, Mokitimi stated that the belief was that 2022 would be a good year to farmers, but due to the heavy rains that occurred, chances are high that harvests will not be good.
“The rains that began in October last year have caused severe destruction as farmers failed to start planting on time; crops that had already planted were also damaged. The Disaster Management Authority has indicated that over 300 000 Basotho in the highlands are facing hunger due to these heavy rains; we therefore call on government to reduce maize meal prices to assist the public,” she said.
Mokitimi also recalled that during the 12th sitting of the Senate – before the Christmas holidays – the House passed the National Identity Cards (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Drugs of Abuse (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
She also passed her condolences to the family of former Mokhotlong principal chief, Mathealira Seeiso who passed on in late December 2021. He was late to rest in January this year at Thabang in Mokhotlong while the Senate was still in recess.
