11 June 2025 by Limpho Sello

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At least 8,300 Village Health Workers across Lesotho have effectively stopped assisting patients after government failed to pay them the M2,444 monthly wage ordered by the Labour Court in January 2023.

Their decision has left patients—especially those needing help with illnesses like tuberculosis—desperate and without support in their communities.

Village Health Workers also provide essential services such as referring patients to health facilities, but these have now been suspended indefinitely. According to their representative body, the Lesotho Workers’ Association (LEWA), services will only resume once an agreement with the government is reached.

Currently earning only M800, the Village Health Workers (VHW) say they have been waiting for the government to implement the court ruling, which recognised them as formal employees entitled to fair wages.

Ministry of Health Public Relations Officer, ‘Mateboho Mosebekoa, told Uncensored News that discussions around the formal employment and enrolment of Village Health Workers into the civil service are ongoing between the Ministries of Health and Finance.

Meanwhile, LEWA Secretary General, Hlalefang Seoaholimo, told Uncensored News that workers began an indefinite strike on June 9, 2025.

“The Ministry of Health appeared before the Social Cluster portfolio committee and acknowledged this (judgement that VHW are entitled to minimum wages) and sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance requesting funds to pay the VHWs,” Seoaholimo said on June 10, 2025.

“Unfortunately, there has been no response so far. The promise was to receive feedback by 29 May 2025, but to date, nothing has come through. As a result, the VHWs have decided to halt their services, as it seems the Ministry of Health has not complied with the court’s judgment.”

In a separate interview, Mosebekoa said: “The other concern is funding. The Ministry of Health has made a request to the Ministry of Finance and is still waiting for a response. These are ongoing matters being addressed.”

When contacted for comment on June 10 2025, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Social Cluster Committee, Mokhothu Makhalanyane, he told Uncensored News that all relevant ministries had committed to providing a written update on 29 May regarding the progress made on the issue, but they have yet to respond.

“The committee was only acting as a mediator and is waiting for the ministries to comply. They agreed to submit their response to the committee, and our role was to involve LEWA once this was done.” 

However, we have not received any written update on what has been accomplished so far. I am expecting their progress report, but it must be in writing before we call all parties affected to meet,” Makhalanyane said.

He added, “When I heard about the decision to down tools, I asked their representatives to wait until July to give all parties involved more time to work on the issue. We have only been engaged with them on this matter for a few weeks, though they may argue that they have been seeking resolution for much longer.”

meanwhile, Seoaholimo outlined a series of events that led to the current situation. Among these events, he noted VHW’s realisation that Village Health Workers were being treated as volunteers, as stated in the Village Health Workers Policy.

He also highlighted a legal case that LEWA filed with the Department of Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR), arguing that Village Health Workers should not be classified as volunteers but as employees, based on the nature of their work.

“We identified clear signs of an employment relationship, which led us to file a case at DDPR. However, DDPR ruled that Village Health Workers are volunteers,” Seoaholimo said.

“We then filed a review with the Labour Court, which overturned the DDPR’s verdict, declaring that VHWs are indeed workers and should be paid according to the country’s minimum wage. This judgment was released in January 2023.”

Seoaholimo said since then, LEWA has been working with the Ministry of Health to find the best way to implement the court’s ruling.

“However, the issue resurfaced when another case involving Chiefs highlighted that a previous agreement had not been implemented,” Seoaholimo said.

“This led LEWA to request mediation from the Parliamentary Social Cluster Committee because the Ministries had not complied with the court’s verdicts.”