Factory worker shot dead by police at demonstration

A woman died after being shot during violent clashes between factory workers and police during protests over pay, in Maseru. Demonstrations spilled over into violence in the second week of industrial action, with looting and damage to several businesses in the capital, Maseru.
The strike started in mid-May 2021, and workers have been fighting running battles with police and army officers who have been blocking the protests, which they say are “in contravention of Covid-19 regulations”. Last week, workers blocked roads with rocks, logs, broken streetlamps and rubbish bins, which the police dispersed with a water cannon. Armed police and army officers were deployed. Gunfire could be heard until early on Wednesday morning. During these clashes, a worker, Motselisi Manase, was fatally shot.