" Fight over fish in Lesotho’s Katse Dam" 22 April 2025

Pheello Seafo says he was beaten up by police last year because he was fishing in the Katse Dam in Lesotho’s Highlands. Seafo, a fisher from Likheleng village in the Ha Lejone area, says a vehicle from the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) stopped near where he was fishing with four others. Police officers came out of the car and asked the men what they were doing.

“We responded that we were fishing. They asked what we were using, and we said hooks. They told us they would torture us if they found nets with us.” “They mistook one of the lines for a net, began beating us with sticks, and left us there,” he said.

Katse Dam was built as part of Phase One of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, through which Lesotho exports water to South Africa, earning M3.5-billion (R3.5-billion) annually in royalties. But the local fishers, who have traditionally caught yellow fish and trout to sell to passersby, say they are battling to survive. ‘Mathabo Thibeli’s case is one of the few that ever came to court. A few years ago, Thibeli says, she was arrested by armed soldiers in a boat. With guns pointed at her, she was accused of stealing from the government. “They ordered me to leave the net. The soldiers used their guns to assault me,” she said. “The net was heavy as I had caught so much fish. They beat me with sticks and gun butts on my back while I pleaded that I was just trying to support my family.” She and another villager were kept in a police cell for three days. “We were charged and fined M100 each, which we paid, and we were freed.” In other cases, fishermen say they are beaten, their fish are confiscated and then they are sent home. [...]

LHDA Environment Manager Palesa Monongoaha denied any abuse by soldiers or police. Fish patrols were conducted by boat to identify and confiscate illegal nets, she said, accompanied by security forces, she said. Monongoaha said women officers on patrols sometimes encountered hostility from men. Stones had been used to block the road one woman officer was using. “Since then, we’ve requested backup from security forces during patrols,” she said. [...]