“Devastating” conditions trigger rapid spread of TB . Qacha, Quthing, and Mokhotlong facilities “the worst” SEVERE overcrowding triggering the rapid spread of tuberculosis (TB) and other infectious diseases poses a pressing challenge plaguing Lesotho’s correctional facilities, Parliament has heard. This concern emerged as the Chairperson of the Sessional Select Committee on Pandemics and leader of the Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC), Reverend Paul Masiu, tabled a report on the committee’s recent site visits to correctional institutions across the country.
Rev Masiu told legislators this week that the living conditions in Lesotho’s prisons are “devastating”, despite the country being a signatory to several international human rights treaties designed to protect inmates. “We observed the devastating situations inmates live in, despite the fact that there are international laws the country has ratified. He revealed that the committee embarked on the nationwide inspection “because we wanted to see these things with our own eyes”.
“We realised that there are too many prisoners, surpassing the number each correctional institution is supposed to accommodate. That means people’s lives are in danger due to the squalid living conditions. Take TB for example, when space is limited and overcrowding is rampant, many people are likely to be re-infected.” Rev Masiu urged Parliament to prioritise discussions aimed at addressing these challenges.
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He singled out Qacha’s Nek, Quthing, and Mokhotlong correctional facilities as some of the institutions in the worst condition. “The situation of these prisons is not good for a person to live in,” he said, highlighting poor ventilation as a major concern. “Ventilation is a big problem.
It contributes to the rise of diseases. The windows are too small, and there is extreme overcrowding. There are even large ants no one has ever seen.” Rev Masiu’s comments follow a May briefing in which Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) officers told the committee that the prisons, which housed around 2600 inmates at the time, were struggling to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and TB due to a lack of resources.
LCS officers also disclosed that their annual health budget of M150,000 was too little and that the department relied heavily on the Ministry of Health for medical supplies and treatment. The issue resurfaced recently when Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) MP for Mokethoaneng, Mokhothu Makhalanyane, questioned the Minister of Law and Justice, Richard Ramoeletsi, about severe overcrowding in the country’s correctional facilities.
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