UK Diamond Company Linked to Pollution

In February 2023, the company won the 2022 Junior Environmental, Social, and Governance Award for Responsible Water Management and Protection of Biodiversity at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2022, but locals have linked the company to the pollution of the community river.  The investigation also discovered that the company's activities include blasting and waste disposal, which locals blame as the major pollution causes.  The reporters travelled to three villages where locals accused the company of being the primary source of drinking water pollution and illnesses that killed a child and animals to assess the extent of the damage and collect water samples for scientific analysis.  The company denied spoiling the villagers source of drinking water.

Photo: Elfredah Kevin Alerechi

IMPACT

Just five days after the publication by the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism, the mine responsible for polluting the water courses in Mokhotlong hosted a meeting with local journalists in Lesotho. The objective of this meeting was to establish a formal platform for Letšeng to engage with the media. The discussions mainly focused on how the mine contributes to the economy of Lesotho, with no attention given to the negative effects it has on the host communities.

Additionally, the mine donated 11 wonderbags as part of its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and organized community engagement events within the communities we reported to have been impacted by the water pollution caused by the mine.