Lesotho lawmakers’ ‘demand 100% pay rise’

Lesotho’s Members of Parliament (MPs) are reportedly demanding a 100% pay increase despite being already among the best-paid people in the landlocked African country.

According to the privately owned Lesotho Times newspaper, Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has instructed Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro to explore a “revised salary structure” for the parliamentarians.

If the lawmakers’ demands are met, their monthly salary would double to $5 344 while ordinary Basotho workers earn a measly $144 a month, said the report.

At least 75% of country’s population live in rural areas and depend directly on agriculture and livestock, an AFP report says.

Nearly half of household incomes come from remittances by migrants who are employed in South Africa, especially in the mining sector.