LCCI donates mobile phones to NACOSEC

‘MASENTLE MAKARA

MASERU – The Lesotho Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Private Sector Solidarity Fund has donated over 100 mobile phones to the National COVID-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC) yesterday. The handsets were given to the LCCI by telecommunications company, Econet Lesotho, and according to the Private Sector Coordinator within the NACOSEC, Paseka Ramokoatsi, the initiative is a joint effort with the Chamber to support it fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our work is to ensure that the NACOSEC engages all the private sector stakeholders. COVID-19 has affected all the sectors of life a worthwhile fight needs everybody’s assistance, especially from the private sector players,” said Ramokoatsi. Ramokoatsi continued that this further helps the NACOSEC to attain its goals such as avoiding needless deaths as a result of the pandemic as well as developing health centers to aid confirmed positive cases.

“In doing so, we need input from business either by donating material needs such as beds and personal protective clothing,” he said. He mentioned they also need participation from hotel owners for case management or for quarantine of COVID-19 suspects and patients. “Our office allows business people to participate in COVID-19 issues to avoid later complaints, so we want to include them in every strategy we make concerning the pandemic,” Ramokoatsi added.

The handsets were distributed to Districts Administrators, Districts Council Secretaries, the police, chiefs and NACOSEC District Heads Quthing, Qacha’s Nek, Botha-Bothe, Mohale’s Hoek and Mokhotlong. This is aimed at easing communication for whistleblowers to report suspicious individuals to the districts’ NACOSEC offices upon reports of persons who may have crossed into the country from abroad without officially reporting themselves to officials for proper diagnosis. The mobile phones are packaged with sim-cards and three months airtime.