26 March 2025 by Pascalinah Kabi 

Est. Read Time: 2m 16s

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Four people have died after consuming contaminated water in Mokhotlong. A healthcare facility serving the Malubalube community in Mokhotlong has confirmed that the deaths were caused by consuming unsafe drinking water.

“I am reporting the deaths of four patients from Moeaneng, Malubalube,” reads a letter from Malubalube Clinic to Bobatsi Member of Parliament, Bataung Makhakhe.

Makhakhe confirmed receiving the letter in an interview with Uncensored News on March 25, 2025.

Dated March 25, 2025, the letter states that the four deceased arrived at Malubalube Clinic on unspecified dates, indicating that they were suffering from prolonged diarrhea and vomiting.

“Immediately after reporting this to the District Health Management Team, a surveillance officer investigated and found that the cause of the illness is contaminated water from an unprotected dam and well,” the letter states.

The letter further warns that more people are seeking treatment at Malubalube Clinic with similar symptoms.

“This means we now have an outbreak on our hands,” it reads, adding that the clinic may soon be forced to shut down temporarily due to a water shortage.

“This is because of a pipe burst, which has led to the clinic’s water supply being turned off to prevent wastage. We are asking for help,” the letter concludes.

In an interview, Makhakhe said he was making arrangements to purchase and install a new pipe to restore uninterrupted water supply to Malubalube Clinic. 

However, he stated that he could not personally fund the construction of a safe water facility for the community, as it was too large a project to handle alone.

“I have reported this matter to the parliamentary committee on Natural Resources and Land. I have also talked to the Minister of Natural Resources,” Makhakhe said. 

Meanwhile, Menoaneng councilor Mohlomi Monyane told Uncensored News that residents began experiencing diarrhea and vomiting in January 2025.

“In February, people started dying. I must say that some were already sick, and diarrhea further weakened their immune systems, leading to their deaths. However, the first person to die had no prior illness—he suffered from diarrhea alone,” Monyane said.

He explained that government officials were sent to investigate the cause of the illnesses, accompanied by nurses and their supervisor. A public gathering was then called to inform the community.

“At first, they suspected poisoning as the cause of the diarrhea, but they eventually confirmed that the water was contaminated,” Monyane said.

“We used to rely on a water-pumping borehole, but the system collapsed. This forced us to return to the old water sources we had abandoned—unprotected wells. The borehole system is too expensive for the community, and we cannot afford to restore it without external donors or funders. Now that we depend on unprotected wells, people are getting sick, and some have died.”

Monyane explained that the village is shaped like an “L,” with some residents collecting water from two unprotected wells located downstream from a defecation site and a cemetery. A third unprotected well is also downstream from a cemetery.

With Mokhotlong experiencing heavy rainfall since the beginning of 2025, Monyane warned that runoff from the defecation site and cemeteries has been contaminating the wells that villagers rely on for drinking water.