TWO Sehlabathebe men froze to death in the snowy mountains of Qacha’s Nek last weekend. Chieftainess ‘Matheko Makhaola of Sehlabathebe confirmed the two deaths. She said one of the deceased was travelling from South Africa to Lesotho with two other men through an illegal entry point as they did not have passports.
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“The men were coming home for the weekend. They work in South Africa,” Chieftainess Makhaola said.
She said the men were not aware that the weather conditions were extremely bad in Lesotho when they left South Africa.
“They only felt the cold on their knees but they kept on walking up the mountains till their feet were unable to move anymore,” Chieftainess Makhaola said.
They then decided to seek shelter in a cave and gathered some firewood to warm themselves.
“They even called home for help,” Chieftainess Makhaola said, adding that some villagers came on horseback to assist them.
One of the men however refused to leave insisting that he wanted to warm himself and that he would later walk himself home.
They left him behind.
But the man did not arrive home and a search was launched to find him.
Chieftainess Makhaola said other villagers found him almost freezing in the cave and on the verge of dying.
“He was taken to the hospital in Qacha’s Nek where he was confirmed dead upon arrival,” she said.
Another man from the same village died after he was caught in snow going to the shops.
“He came back home late that day. It was very cold because of the snow,” Chieftainess Makhaola said.
“He slept on the way and he was found dead covered in snow the following day,” she said.
Thooe Ramolibeli
