MASERU – Thousands of Basotho workers have been left jobless and desperate after former United States President Donald Trump imposed a steep 50% tariff on Lesotho’s exports, effectively collapsing the country’s once-thriving garment industry.
The tariffs, introduced in April as part of a broader trade policy shift, have forced factories to shut down operations or scale back dramatically. Lesotho, which had built its textile sector under the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), had relied heavily on duty-free access to the US market to drive exports of denim and garments — including Levi’s and Wrangler jeans.
Limpho Lefalatsa, 29, spent 12 years sewing jeans in a Maseru factory before losing her job. Her income of E3,000 per month supported her daughter’s schooling and her grandmother’s medication. “I thought I was going insane. It made no sense,” she said. “When the truth started sinking in, I felt so helpless.”
The impact is not just personal. With around 40,000 people employed in the sector before the tariffs, the garment industry was the largest private employer in Lesotho, responsible for about 90% of manufacturing exports and 10% of the country’s GDP.
Factory floors that once buzzed with activity are now silent. Teboho Kobeli, owner of Afri-Expo, which used to ship jeans to the US, walked through his factory surrounded by idle machines. “You can see there are no people here,” he said.
The tariffs came without warning. While the Trump administration claimed Lesotho imposed 99% duties on US goods — a claim Lesotho officials dispute — the move has left the small landlocked country scrambling for answers.
Orders from American buyers were cancelled almost overnight. Some factories, fearing further losses, pre-emptively dismissed hundreds of workers, while others remain uncertain about future operations. Kobeli said his company laid off 200 employees after orders evaporated. “Employers are just scared of taking more orders lest they plunge themselves into costs they are not ready to service,” said local analyst Lefu Thaela.
Although Trump delayed full implementation of the tariffs by 90 days, that grace period expired on Wednesday. The Lesotho government has since declared a national state of disaster, citing rising unemployment and economic instability.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade said the government would await official communication from Washington before responding publicly. But for garment workers like Nteboheleng Hlapane, who now cannot afford her son’s asthma inhaler, the damage is already done.
“I just pray to God that he touches your soul,” she said, addressing Trump. “Think about other people. They are suffering because of your selfishness.”
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