By Neo Kolane
The community of Setibing in the Maseru district, tired of what they call ‘empty promises by the government’s ministry of public works’, have taken matters into their own hands in a bid to ease accessibility to their village, by building themselves a makeshift footbridge to ease villagers’ movement.
Setibing is a village between the Molimo-Nthuse Lodge and Lekhalong-La-Baroa.
The structure made with pieces of old metal, connects two villages of Ha Sempe and Thotapeli that are separated by Molimo-Nthuse River which is a tributary of the Makhaleng River.
Speaking to theReporter, the chief of Setibing Ha Peete Malesa Theko explained that before the erection of the metal footbridge, the villagers used to cross wherever they deemed safe and had to take off their shoes to do so.
Theko said the community has been promised a foot bridge since the government of the former Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas Thabane.
She revealed that Thabane had visited the local primary school which was blown away by strong winds, and that is when he made a promise that the school and the footbridge would be constructed.
“Coffins carrying the dead have to be carried by hands because it’s hard for cars to cross the river especially during heavy rainfall.
“When vehicles have to transport the school children’s food it’s always a hurdle,” she said.
However, Theko said there has not been any major incidents like people drowning in the river when it is in spate.
She recalled a previous incident of a mother who was crossing the river carrying a child on her back and slipped, but nothing disastrous happened as he was able to quickly and easily regain her footing and successfully negotiate her way across.
She disclosed that living close to the river, she and her neighbours always become extra vigilant when it rains heavily, so we can assist children to cross the river from school.
“Some learners do not go to school during heavy rainfalls as we do not want them to risk their lives,” she explained.
One of the villagers of Khubetsoana – a village in the Setibing area – ‘Makopano ‘Maleng aged 76, said she is now unable to attend church services at Thotapeli due to having to cross the river during rainy days as the river breaks its banks.
The councilor of Sebiting, Sekonyela Nkhahle pointed out that footbridges and other bridges are the responsibility of the ministry of public works.
Nkhahle insisted that not having a bridge is a glaring problem impacting on travelling by the residents in the area.
“There are supporting pillars that we erected as the youth of Setibing, but some members of our community – other youth and irresponsible old people messed up the project where the council committee wanted to construct a bridge.
“The school children then decided to construct their own bridge.
“The council committee has bought cement to complete the footbridge while we wait for the ministry of public works,” he said.
The affected villages are Thotapeli, Khubetsoana, Bochabela and Likoaring.
The problem of limited cross-river movement due to lack of bridges is not unique to Setibing as it is witnessed in many hard-to-access areas of the country where carrying coffins of the dead on shoulders is a way of life.
One such place is Ha Sekantṧi, where the Likolobeng River is notorious for leaving adults and children communities marooned and unable to cross to the other side for essential services like clinics and schools when it is in flood and impassable. Many people and livestock have died attempting to cross the choppy waters.
The problem was eventually addressed when rise international sponsored construction of a footbridge over Likolobeng in 2019. rise international is a non-profit organisation that focuses on economic development through job creation and skills development.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Roads Directorate Nozesolo Mpopo says the Directorate has never received a request for the footbridge in question.
The Directorate is responsible for construction, upgrading, rehabilitation and maintenance of primary, secondary, tertiary and other roads as well as bridges on the Lesotho road network.
Mpopo said it is important to note that due to Lesotho’s terrain, there is a high need for footbridges across the country.
“The process to be followed for such requests are as follows: community councils submit requests to District Councils; a prioritized list of footbridges in each district is compiled by the District Council office for each district: the lists are submitted to the Roads Directorate for consideration; and once received, the sites are surveyed, accustomed to a standard design and estimated costs are established.
“The Roads Directorate then uses an internal assessment criterion below to re-prioritize the lists according to the following parameters: frequency and duration of floods. this parameter determines how long it takes for a river to subside and allow traffic after heavy showers. The range is from one hour to two weeks. Population served – population ranking ranges from 250 to 1500 people. Alternative crossing – this parameter determines how long it takes for a person to walk to an alternative crossing within the vicinity of the preferred one. It ranges from one hour to five hours.
“Purpose of usage – this parameter establishes the purpose the bridge is being used for with particular attention to social services. Accidents – this parameter assesses the number of recent drowning incidents in the past five years. The range is from one drowning to four recent drownings. Accessibility – this parameter assesses the difficulty in shipping-in materials to the construction site. This is more of cost issue than a social issue.
“Footbridge type – this establishes the type of foundations required on the site location this is also more of a cost issue than a social issue. While the Directorate appreciates the urgent need for footbridges countrywide, it advises the public not to endanger their lives by constructing structures across rivers and gullies,” Mpopo said.
