By Sunday Express

Copyright sundayexpress

Rethabile Pitso

ALLIANCE Insurance has transformed Ha Palama, a remote village in Matsoku, Leribe, by building a brand-new police station, giving hope to an area once plagued by lawlessness such as rampant mob justice.

The insurance giant donated a three-roomed park home to replace a dilapidated makeshift single thatched room which had been used as a police station since 2020.

“Before 2020, the community of Ha Palama, a far-flung village in Matsoku was ungoverned. Crime was rampant with tactics such as repaying ‘an eye for an eye’ a common feature between feuding parties,” Lance Sergeant Teboho Ntsoele, one of three officers designated in the area, narrates.

L/Sgt Ntsoele and three others were deployed to the area in 2020, arriving after over six hours of what seemed like an endless road to the end of the world. They found themselves in a village border linking three districts: Leribe, Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka. Rusty, old and neglected-looking, they were shocked by the non-existence of any infrastructure whatsoever denoting the presence of a police station, nor was there any visible sign of proper accommodation.

Seeing their dilemma, the area Chief identified two houses to cater to their immediate needs; one for sleeping and the other to be used as an office. This arrangement was made on a temporary basis.

Five years later however, L/Sgt Ntsoele and his two colleagues, L/Sgt Tohlang Ntseuoa and Sergeant Mazibuko Nhlapho, are still waking up in the same rondavel that served them on the first day they stepped foot in Matsoku.

“Two beds were set up for us in the room, each bed accommodating two officers sharing. You can just imagine two men forced to sleep together by circumstances. But we had no choice. The other officer was soon deployed elsewhere, leaving us just three to man the challenges by ourselves,” L/Sgt Ntsoele said.

“Before our arrival, the village was filled with vengeful people who, acting out of desperation, would avenge feuds amongst themselves. They acted this way because the nearest police station where they could resolve their problems was Hlotse Police Station which is over two hours away. Public transport is scarce, is hardly accessible, and the pain of taking one’s claims all the way to Hlotse with high possibility of returning many times during police investigations made the process unbearable. The easiest solution was to take the law into their own hands.

“At this rate, at least 15 crimes used to be recorded per year, with a significant decrease following the intervention by the trio.

“To curb the high rate of crime, calling public gatherings often worked to our favour. Most of the gatherings became educational; teaching residents basic laws which were surprisingly unheard of. For instance, we fought tooth and nail to uproot the malignant practice of underage marriages. Ignorance of such laws was their excuse as many here are uneducated. Teaching them these things was a true revelation.

“A large majority of these people lack basic reading and writing skills with many never having stepped inside a classroom. It’s the kind of places where as soon as a child learns how to walk, they are sent to initiation school.”

A tour given around the now former office by L/Sgt Ntseuoa painted a picture of complete hopelessness. Upon approaching the office, a door hinged with a string stood out spectacularly, leading to a single thatched room. As soon as one enters, eyes are drawn to the left side where horse saddles, cultivating equipment, and a thin dirty mattress are among things randomly thrown about.

“Exhibits,” responds L/Sgt Ntseuoa pointing towards the items.

To the right, a chair is carefully placed, next to it is a box with papers on it. Some of the papers are placed on the windowsill, while others scattered on the floor close by.

“That chair and box represent our desk, where all the official work takes place. These papers here are the official dockets. It’s so unfortunate.”

The other seats, he said, were two short stools made from the bark of a tree.

“There was a proper table in here once, but one night, we locked up a drunk person in this room which used to function as a holding cell. We suspect he got up in the middle of the night and got freaked out by the strange surroundings. That guy caused a ruckus in here; banging the table and other things until the table broke into pieces. By the time we got here, the whole office was a mess.

“From then on, we stopped using it as a holding cell and started tying suspects in our custody to that tree outside,” he explained further, pointing to a nearby old tree.”

On the wall facing the door, a huge signpost with the words “Palama Police Post” leans against the wall.

“We have never put up the signage because we did not see where the appropriate location would be for it. Look at our office, it’s someone else’s home. Other people live here also. But now that we have a new office, the signage will finally be hoisted up there for all to see,” he remarked proudly.

The new office, a three-roomed park home, was recently donated by Alliance Insurance. Together with ablution facilities, the new structure stands out significantly against the backdrop of the huts around. One room is for office use, the other a private room for the officers, and the third has been split into two holding cells; male and female. There is even room for a reception area where the main door opens. Alliance Insurance made the donation through its Corporate Social Responsibility unit.

It was Alliance Insurance Claims Manager, ‘Maneo Lelimo, who stood firm on convincing the company to direct this financial year’s CSR to the desolate village.

“Among the applications we received, the one from Ha Palama touched me the most so we elected to go with it. Having grown up in Pitseng, one of the villages located en route to this place, we had long learnt of the challenges caused by the absence of modern infrastructure in the area, especially police presence. It was an easy decision and we hope the new premises would be cared for and protected,” Ms Lelimo said.

In his keynote address, Police Commissioner, Borotho Matsoso, applauded the initiative saying Alliance has eased the work of the police officers.

Alluding to the deplorable living conditions his officers had been living under, Advocate Matsoso said it was the duty of members of the force to integrate within communities they are assigned to.

“We are committed to upholding the law even under circumstances such as these. We ensure that police officers should live wherever a Mosotho lives, regardless of how far or deplorable the circumstances. However, that is not to say that we must turn a blind eye to these situations and not work to improve them.

“We are undertaking the situation here as an assignment to see how we can also assist to improve the living and working standards here. But I would like to thank Alliance for their remarkable work in the project. They have raised the bar. We feel compelled to carry the baton from their hands and create more for this area.

“As anyone can tell, the roads here are better accessible by horses than vehicles, so the police department has plans to build stables for horses. We will be hiring horses from the locals while we work to secure our own.

“Plans are also underway to construct houses for our three officers deployed here. The job they perform here is already stressful, as they service about three villages bordering Ha Palama,” Adv Matsoso said.

He appealed to residents to assist during the construction process of the stables and houses.

“Please work together with our contractors to ensure that sand is collected from the nearby river. The projects are for your own good. These projects are undertaken for your benefit, therefore we ask you to assist in all the processes.”