Lesotho Families Lose Case Over Dam Resettlement Payouts

The five families displaced by the construction of the Mohale Dam in Lesotho have finally had their day in court, only to be informed that they must share the long-awaited compensation with their current community.

The families argued that the policy was unfair because their new community did not have comparable communal resources, such as grazing land, to reciprocate. They argued that it was unfair to force them to share compensation with people who had not suffered similar losses. In their court submissions, the families said their relocation to Thuathe had caused them severe and irreversible losses, arguing that "their standard of living and income has been lowered".

In her ruling, Justice Kopo upheld the LHDA's distinction between rural and urban resettlements, ruling that the families' lump-sum payments of over M1-million must be shared with Thuathe, and dismissed the application with costs, ending a legal battle that began in 2018.