Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Disk Jockey Association of Lesotho (DJALE) has appealed to the Prime Minister (PM) Dr Moeketsi Majoro to open the entertainment industry to curb the increasing rate of unemployment in
the country. DJALE is an association which is trusted for protection of DJ’s Human Rights and promotion of their work. In the letter dated September 07th,
DJALE indicated that the PM is well aware that Lesotho has a ticking time bomb in a form of unemployment as per various studies by development partners and
Bureau of Statistics at the Ministry of Development Planning. It further reads; “We, as DJALE in the entertainment industry have taken it upon ourselves to curb the spread of
unemployment by not relying on government to hand us jobs. Despite our efforts to comply with the Public Health (COVID-19) (Risk Determination and Mitigation
Measures) regulations 2021 we as Dee Jays and musicians have been at the receiving end since clubs and social spaces have been closed. “We solely depend on events and
renting out sound systems for such in a bid to earn a living. To further illustrate how the regulations have had impact on us take notice of the following ills: [we are] unable to pay rent at our places of residence which
puts us at odds with landlords, hunger, insurance policies have lapsed, unable to pay staffers whom we have hired, closure of bank accounts and unable to pay
school fees for our children”. They sadly included that one of them, Rethabile Lekometsa Alias (DJ Rochester languishes) in a jail cell in Klerksdorp, South
Africa (SA) and they are unable to help since the industry has been closed. “We ask that entertainment spots be opened in compliance with the regulations put in place,” it continued.
In an exclusive interview with Arts&Lifestyle on Wednesday, DJALE President Malefetsane Tsoeliane – known as Davertz or Nkobonyane on stage, stated that the situation
is critical now that restrictions have since been made. Tsoeliane said since the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the entertainment industry has been stuck
whereas others industries in the country are freely carrying out their everyday duties. He indicated that now they begin to think that the restrictions are
bias. He highlighted that to accommodate all these conditions, they seek piece jobs and noted that they do not want to lose track on their professional endeavors.
