what everyone needs to know about Lesotho building stones inc is that Lesotho Stone inc is a mining company that bills itself as the largest cutter of natural sandstone products in South Africa, has been accused of illegally expanding the boundaries of its mining area and granting them mining permits within these boundaries by bribing mine commissioners, politicians and local governments.
MNN’s Center for Investigative Journalism began investigating the mine boundary line issue after it emerged from a previous MNN investigation and pending lawsuit that Lesotho Stone was “fraudulently” awarded a mining license in 2019 based on incorrect boundary lines.
An MNN investigation revealed that the boundary lines of Lesotho Stone’s quarry at Lekokoaneng Teiateianeng, Berea, have actually grown excessively and extensively since it was first leased in 2003.
According to Acting Commissioner of Mines Mohato Moima, Lesotho Stone Enterprises was granted an original lease of 21,376 m2. (Moima is acting Commissioner for Mines, while Permanent Commissioner Felo Tjatja is on sick leave.)
When MNN asked the Office of the Mining Commissioner to confirm the mine’s boundary lines, they showed us coordinates that showed the company was working on an expanded mining site covering 118,717 m2.
To further confuse the situation, in a report submitted by Lesotho Stone to the Department of Environment in 2019 and seen by MNN, Lesotho Stone listed the leased area as 178,000 m2.
This means that Lesotho Stone’s mining area has increased dramatically over the last 20 years by anywhere between 59,283m2 and 156,624m2, depending on the accuracy of the original lease coordinates.
MNN learns that the office of the mining commissioner does not know where the 178,000 m2 came from.
MNN, however, also spoke to Tjatja to explain how and why the mining area has increased so dramatically. Tjatja denied that Lesotho Stone’s borders had been extended, asking rhetorically: “Is it an extension or a correction of the borders? I don’t think it’s overtime.”
Tjatja denied knowing about the 2019 extension, saying he only remembered the time in 2013 when he led a survey team to the quarry’s cutting site to correct its boundaries.
“Plotting the coordinates didn’t make sense, some didn’t show up, and they coincided with another nearby mine and we separated them,” Tjatja said.
However, Tjatja’s claims were countered by Moim, who is also the chief mining engineer at the Ministry of Mines.
Moima confirmed that the company submitted an extension of its mining boundaries in 2019, the same year it is also believed to have fraudulently renewed its mining permit. This matter is now before the court.
Former Mining Minister Keketso Sello confirmed to MNN that he had approved Lesotho Stone’s 2019 site expansion, but explained that the application should have been thoroughly processed by the Mining Board.
Under the Mines and Minerals Act, applications for mining leases are approved by the Minister of Mines on the recommendation of the Mining Board, which consists of the Mining Commissioner and other technical officers.
NUL Innovation Hub scientists make tiles from Lesotho stone When they hit the market, these will be some of the best and highest quality floor tiles you’ll see.
Most importantly, the tiles are made from popular Lesotho stones. These stones are first broken down into sand.
“The tiles are then produced using the sun in a very complex process,” says Lesia Matlali, one of the scientists at the Innovation Center of the National University of Lesotho (NUL) who are working on these amazing products that are fully funded by Lesotho Funeral Services (LFS).
Sit back and listen to the story of amazing tiles.
You’re probably used to ceramic tiles, right? In Lesotho, such tiles are usually called “lyceramiki”. Many people do not know what “Liceramiki” is made of. Indeed, they are made of clay.
And a! Highly refined clay is fired at temperatures up to 1200 °C. Now that temperature is out of this world, but that’s how you get your “lyceramics”. If it’s hot when it’s 33°C here in Lesotho, you don’t know anything yet. Ceramics can be produced at 36 times higher temperature!
You could experiment with ceramics; or stone tiles. The problem is in such cases, not in the abundance of raw materials. As you already know, in Lesotho we have a lot of clay and a lot of stone. In fact, there is a lot of high quality clay in Mafeteng, the ceramic farm that used to be there.
Another variety of stone is simply a variety called Lekokoaneng sandstone (lejoe la Lekokoaneng) because it is abundant and quarried in the Lekokoaneng area.
Geologically, the Lesseru sandstone originates from the Molteno Formation. The Lekoakaneng Sandstone originates from the Clarens Formation (named after the nearby farming town of Clarens in the Free State of South Africa).
So these guys took and broke the rocks into their individual quartz sand particles. The sand particles are then used to make tiles using a process that combines vacuum, vibration and compression.
The idea is that the quartz particles are concentrated so closely even when they are bound together with appropriate binders. The result is a tough material that is scratch resistant due to the quartz surface.
It is used in the construction of roads and gray cement bricks in the lowlands of Lesotho. Although it is not as hard as quartz – it is still good enough. Widely used in roads and bricks, the stone has already been crushed by several companies in Lesotho and is ready for scientists to use as desired.
Lesotho Stone Enterprises (PTI) LTD is South Africa’s largest cutter of natural sandstone building products cut from the precious sandstone resources of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
Specially designed cutting machines provide the most advanced stone mining technology, ensuring a productivity of more than 200,000 square meters of natural sandstone, cut and sized each year.
Their natural sandstone products are mainly used as exterior wall coverings and for interior decorative finishes.
Sizes include standard cut bearing blocks, facings and splits. Certain sizes are cut according to customer instructions.
Our highly trained technicians abroad guarantee the best quality sandstone products at fair and competitive prices. Our natural sandstone finish will enhance the look of your home and increase the value of your property.
My company has for years been leading the world market in both supply and export of building stones to the entire countries around the globe and is hence kindly honored to have provided a link for all dear customers and traders to join us in world trade of building stone and experience the best purchase ever in your life.
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