{"id":37595,"date":"2024-01-09T18:12:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T18:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt"},"modified":"2024-01-10T18:12:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T18:12:03","slug":"when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","title":{"rendered":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will plough their fields. But for the people of Tebellong, a village in the backwaters of Qacha\u2019s Nek, Tsietsi Ramphalla\u2019s tractor meant much more.<\/p>\n

As the tractor was engulfed in flames last week, the villagers knew what that disaster meant. The tractor, which the 66-year-old Ramphalla bought with nearly all of his terminal benefits payout in 2014 after working in a South African mine for decades, was much more than just a farming implement for the villagers.<\/p>\n

It was the ambulance that ferried their sick to the clinic miles away.<\/p>\n

Many mothers have the tractor to thank for making it to the hospital just in time for their delivery.<\/p>\n

Nearly every family in the village had a neighbour, friend or relative who knocked on Ramphalla\u2019s door for help to get themselves or their loved one to the clinic.<\/p>\n

The tractor was also a hearse that carried the dead from the morgue to the village or the cemetery. Sometimes local churches would hire the tractor to travel to meetings in nearby villages. When it was not on the roads it was in the fields.<\/p>\n

It only rested when Ramphalla had his nose in the bonnets to fix something. Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was theirs too.<\/p>\n

That explains why the villagers were left distressed when the tractor was burned last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect it was burnt by someone,\u201d Ramphalla says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat breaks my heart is that this tractor was the only hope for me because I am no longer employed\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am old and cannot be employed again. There is nothing left for me that can bring in money,\u201d Ramphalla says, his voice laden with anguish. He says it was around midnight when he was awakened by frantic voices calling out his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmediately I saw something that was engulfed by flames and I noticed that it was where I parked my tractor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still half-sleep, he stumbled out of the house to be greeted by a blazing flame. His neighbours were trying to put out the fire with anything they could find. Some scrambled for soil but others used tree branches.<\/p>\n

Others brought buckets of water from their houses. Ramphalla joined in the frenzy but it was too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried all we could to fight the fire but failed. My tractor was burnt beyond repair. I cannot see where to start if I were to repair it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramphalla and his neighbours also believe that someone torched the tractor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am staying with one boy who is helping me, and my wife died two years ago while my other children have grown up and are living their lives in different places,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am trying to be strong… I can even die because it feels like I have lost all I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has since reported a case of arson to the Qacha\u2019s Nek police.<\/p>\n

The village chief of Tebellong, Chief Sebatli Phatela, says much as the tractor belonged to Ramphalla \u201cthe fact is it belonged to all of us\u201d.<\/p>\n

Although Tebellong is fairly close to Qacha\u2019s Nek town it is in one of the most mountainous and hard-to-reach areas in the district.<\/p>\n

The area is separated from Qacha\u2019s Nek town by the Senqu River, which does not have a bridge and people use boats.<\/p>\n

There are no cars on their side of the river and Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was the only vehicle used by residents in several villages alongside the Senqu River.<\/p>\n

It picked them and their goods on the river bank after the boat trip across the river.<\/p>\n

People from other villages used it to go to Tebellong Hospital, the only one in the area, and it was also their taxi to the river bank which is their \u2018bus station\u2019.<\/p>\n

Chief Phatela said this is why the villagers are struggling to understand why someone would be so evil to burn the tractor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very poor on this side of the river and other people are trying to bring us to a good level of living but others are just destroying everything,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Ts\u030cokolo Phaloane, the local councillor, is equally disappointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tractor was helping us deliver sick people to the hospital, it was delivering our dead loved ones to their resting places and also the furniture from the river,\u201d Phaloane says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am wondering who decided to do this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to make Tebellong a better place but other people are still stopping that from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tebellong is one of the most underdeveloped areas in the district.<\/p>\n

The residents have since 2021 expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the government has ignored their plight.<\/p>\n

In July 2021 residents told thepost that they did not feel that they had a caring government.<\/p>\n

One of them, \u2019Mamonts\u030ci Liaho, said \u201cit is a disgrace that politicians spend so much money on their salaries yet they forget that people living in rural areas suffer a lot\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day we spend the last cents we have and go to Qacha\u2019s Nek to do small things like certifying our documents,\u201d Liaho said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat transport we use for travelling to Qacha\u2019s Nek would have been used for other basic needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big place like this one without a police station means we can have many criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many who talked to thepost said the government should do something to bring services near them.<\/p>\n

Now, with their tractor burnt down, the situation is even dire.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will plough their fields. But for the people of Tebellong, a village in the backwaters of Qacha\u2019s Nek, Tsietsi Ramphalla\u2019s tractor meant much more. As the tractor was engulfed in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":37594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[233,246,245],"class_list":["post-37595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\"},\"wordCount\":951,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Lesotho\",\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\",\"name\":\"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt - Lesotho\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/\",\"name\":\"Lesotho\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt - Lesotho","description":"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt","og_description":"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","og_site_name":"Lesotho","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt","datePublished":"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt"},"wordCount":951,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Lesotho","Lesotho"],"articleSection":["all news","community"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt","name":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt - Lesotho","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-09T18:12:49+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-10T18:12:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"WHEN the only tractor in a village breaks down in the middle of the summer, the community\u2019s main worry is how they will ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2024\/01\/sm_1704812111.31314.jpg","width":1024,"height":768,"caption":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/when-ramphallas-tractor-was-burnt#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When Ramphalla\u2019s tractor was burnt"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/","name":"Lesotho","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}