Some 40 years ago, Linoto Pholoane was among commuters who were travelling in a bus from Matelile to Maseru. It had just rained and Tsoaing River was in flood. The driver however insisted that he could cross and when they were in the middle of the bridge, the bus was swept away, triggering howls of panic among commuters.
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While all other passengers were eventually rescued, Linoto Pholoane was swept away by the raging waters.
His body was never found, denying his family a sense of closure.
While the accident happened some 40 years ago, the community has never forgotten what happened. They have kept Pholoane’s memory alive by telling a newer generation of what happened on that fateful day in 1983.
What happened some 40 years ago came to mind last Friday as Prime Minister Sam Matekane officially opened the Linoto Pholoane Memorial Bridge in Matelile.
The old bridge which had served the rural communities was washed away in floods that hit the area in December 2021.
The communities in the four constituencies of Phoqoane, the whole of Matelile, parts of ’Maliepetsane and Thabana-Morena were cut off after the bridge was swept away.
Those who wanted to travel to Maseru had to either risk using a temporary improvised bridge or travel some extra 120 kilometres via Mpharane on rugged terrain.
This was a huge inconvenience.
That improvised bridge, built by the local communities, was washed away three times since 2021 which meant that they could not reach Maseru, where they get basic services, as fast as they needed to.
Speaking at the official launch of the bridge, Matekane said the bridge, built by the Road Fund at a cost of M61.6 million, was a testament of his government’s commitment to delivering services to the people.
“Building this bridge was our first priority when we came into office,” Matekane told hundreds of people who had come to witness the opening of the bridge.
Ten Basotho construction companies were sub-contracted for the building of the bridge.
Matekane said his government, which was elected into power in October 2022, “walks the talk to change people’s lives with the construction of safe and durable bridges”.
“Proper roads will help people move from one place to another on time,” Matekane said.
Matekane said if there are roads, people’s lives will change for the better and this includes ferrying them to the hospitals on time.
“We have seen Basotho carrying bodies of the dead on their shoulders from one place to another,” he said.
“That is a wrong way of living.”
For him, it is only through proper road networks that people’s lives could be improved.
Matekane said the new bridge will help improve business and tourism in the area.
Last year a group of tourists heading to Malealea was almost washed away when their bus stuck in the mud in the Tsoaing River after the makeshift bridge was flooded.
Of the main problems that the country is facing is the absence of highly skilled local engineers, Matekane said.
Public Works Minister Matjato Moteane said he is happy that he was entrusted to be the minister in this portfolio.
He said the building of bridges connects people from different places.
“I have been sleepless during rainy days thinking that the (temporary) bridge would be washed away,” Moteane said.
He said 70 people were employed during the construction of the bridge.
He said the main contractor, China-Geo Engineering, was told to sub-contract the small contractors.
Moteane said the 10 sub-contracted companies have not approached his office complaining about the main contractor’s misbehaviour.
“So it is my belief that they worked harmoniously,” he said.
Tšeliso Nyaama, the site manager of China-Geo Engineering, said after the December 2021 heavy rains washed away the bridge they had to completely demolish it to build the new one.
Nyaama said they were able to complete the bridge on time because the Road Fund never made any delays in terms of payments.
Nyaama said the local people were also cooperative during the construction process.
“It was not easy that the bridge was completed,” he said.
The Matelile MP, Maimane Maphathe, said the collapse of the bridge has had a devastating impact on their lives.
“It’s like we were mourning someone. We were dealt a heavy blow. We were really frustrated,” Maphathe said.
Maphathe said the people were thinking that the reconstruction of the bridge could be done overnight.
He said people on the other side of the bridge had to cross the bridge to go to the church and those on the other side used the bridge to go to town.
“The collapsed bridge had brought serious problems in the area,” he said.
He said movement of students to schools has also been hampered.
Maphathe said he has run out of words for the construction of the new bridge.
Majara Molupe
