Large-Scale Diamond Mining in Lesotho: Unpacking its Impact on Adjacent Communities
This report is part of a pan-African research project called Grassroots research on local diamond mining impact which was run in eight countries by ten African member organisations from the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition.
In Lesotho, the Maluti Community Development Forum (MCDF) investigated the impact of large-scale diamond mining on adjacent communities. Over a period of two months in 2021, civil society surveyors collected observations from 19 villages located near five diamond mining companies in Lesotho’s Maluti Mountain area (Mokhotlong district, Butha-Buthe district and Mafeteng district). They reported environmental pollution (dust, poor water quality), the lack of employment opportunities and insufficient Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) measures by diamond mining companies as key issues. The study also revealed alarmingly high levels of nitrate in water samples taken near the Letseng mine tailing sites, that link to key water sources in Letseng and Maloraneng villages.
Additional Info
- Author(s)
- Maluti Community Development Forum (MCDF) / Thabo Lerotholi
- Publication Year
- 2021
- Language
- English
- Publishing Institution Webpage
- https://www.kpcivilsociety.org
- Data Source Classification
- Program Report
- Research Type
- Primary
- Research Methodology
- Primary - INTERVIEW, Primary - SURVEY
- Thematic Tags
- Political, Large-scale Mining, Social, Community, Livelihoods, Legal, Land Rights, Laws and Regulations, Environmental, Degradation, Pollution, Water
- Minerals
- Diamond
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Country
- Lesotho
- Last Updated
- September 8, 2022