Lesotho factory that gave a tough competition to Trump shirts with American tariff

A garment factory in Lesotho, which has produced a trump-branded golf shirt, may have to shut down soon Earlier this year, after mass import taxes imposed by the US government, or tariffs.

The small, southern African state was killed with a “mutual” tariff of 50% – a high rate compared to any other country – when he was declared by US President Donald Trump in April.

Although he has been caught ever since, Trump says he will be resumed with other countries around the world this Friday, until a separate deal is made.

“We don’t know how we are saved from this one. We are going to die,” Eleta Celeso tells the BBC in a foggy voice standing outside the precious clothing in a foggy voice, where Trump Golf shirts are made.

The mother of a small child has worked there for nearly a decade, supporting her extended family at a monthly salary of $ 160 (£ 120).

Lesotho is known as the “denim capital of Africa”. The country’s apparel factories also produce jeans for prestigious American brands such as Levi and Wrangler.

But uncertainty on the future of the country’s clothes industry is one of the reasons why Lesotho Earlier this month was declared a national “disaster situation” To speed up job-building.

The BBC meets Ms. Seleso during her lunch break outside her lunch break during her lunch break.

She connects hundreds of workers who go out of the factory with their lunch box in one hand and water bottles in the other as they try to find a place in the weak sun of the southern hemisphere to enjoy their home-baked food.

Most activists, wrapped around their bodies with blankets, swing in the sun in groups with their back as they try to soak a little heat.

She has been working in a factory as a embroidery for the last eight years and was very few reasons for worrying about her job – until the US tariff was announced in April.

She says that the workers have been told that the firm “can close any time from now”.

“She says it’s about a tariff,” she says.

Meanwhile, Ms. Seleso and her colleagues have been asked to work two weeks a month, meaning that she only gets half the salary.

She says that now her child, mother and her late younger sister’s two children are “so hard” for her, who are all in her care.

The BBC has approached precious clothes for comments.

But Sam Mokhel, General Secretary of a union representing 150 workers in the firm, says the company did not indicate any signal at the moment “.

“But what he said was [they may have to] Close if things do not change, “he says.

Ms. Seleso is appealing to the government to join the US and Tariff is trying to find a viable solution for the question.

Despite his desperate situation, he is still at least an income – but others are not so lucky.

On the other side of the city, in the Thetsen Industrial Site in Maseru, one more desperate job seekers gather outside the CGM.

The factory has closed a half of the CGM presidency jeans manufacturer, but rumors have come that it may soon open again.

Working employees stand in small groups, hold water bottles, the only source of their subsistence for the day, as they hear and hope that they will be among the lucky few.

In this group, most of the women are Gulng Selen, who have been doing jobs since March.

Since 2018, the mother of three has worked as a security guard, as well as with many other jobs.

The woman now depends on the sale of a medical face mask to support her family – which brings enough money to buy only maize food and paraffin even on a good day.

“Life is very difficult now … we often eat once a day but sometimes go to bed without any food,” she says.

Although 50% of tariffs have been stopped, Lesotho’s exports to the US are still subject to 10% tax like the rest of the world.

Until this year, its exports were not subject to any American tariff under the African Development and Opportunities Act (Aga) – a law passed in Washington in 2000 to reduce poverty and make jobs to the US to allow duty to America for goods to some countries to reduce jobs. This was part of the philosophy of “not aid”.

The textile and garment industry is Lesotho’s largest private sector employer, who is at its peak, in about 50,000 jobs, out of a population of over two million.

This figure is now about 36,000 according to the government, with 12,000 jobs directly affected by the American tariff.

At one point, precious clothes hired 4,000 workers.

But lesotho textiles boom was already extended, which meant that it was a business surplus with the US – exporting more than importing from the country.

And this is the reason that Trump put such high tariffs on the country, which had already ended, endangering the future of a bright place in the country’s economy.

Despite the relative success of clothes factories – so far – the country is still struggling to create enough jobs for its youth population.

According to official data, unemployment is 30%, but the rate for young people is about 50%.

Young activist Tosolo Thaseli tells the BBC that even without the latest threat to the textile sector, the situation is “tragic” because “there is truly no jobs in the country, especially for youth”.

“We have graduates from every level … not a job. There is a serious condition of disappointment among the youth,” they say.

And when there are innumerable reasons, Mr. Thakili “blamed brother -in -law. [and] Many allegations that “corruption” run on a large scale in the country.

31 -year -old entrepreneur and qualified lawyer is a vocal critic of Lesotho’s government and was arrested after posting a video on social media, did he inquire whether Prime Minister Sam Matene’s promise to generate 70,000 jobs in two weeks was realistic.

He tells the BBC that the Prime Minister lacks a proper plan to deal with the crisis.

“There is nothing tangible that the government has done or determined to solve the problem. [It’s just] Empty promises, “he says.

The business minister is denied by Mokhethi Shellile, who insists that the government is working to solve and resolve the issue.

“We already had some solutions, even before the announcement of the tariff, because the American market was already a difficult market for us,” he tells the BBC.

He says that the country is “already transferring to South Africa for production” and as things are standing, only “supplies 20% of the apparel industry” American market “.

Mr. Shelli is talking outside another factory outside the BBC that gives a tough competition uncertain due to tariffs.

Tzicc, In ownership of a Taiwanese national, Jesse Penny, Walmart and CostCo’s choice has been operated in Lesotho since 1999.

At the height of operations, the firm produced 400,000 clothing a month, but when a BBC is visited, hundreds of sewing machines collect dust in one of the warehouses.

Rahila Umar, a manager of the firm, says that 1,000 employees of the company, most women have been closed for the next four months due to the stop in orders.

“Because … due to tariff pressure, our buyers wanted us to complete the order or quantity as soon as possible. We were given the deadline of 30 June, but we finished before June 30, and that’s why we have a sorting,” she says.

Ms. Omar says that the current tariff structure will be reviewed before the next step on the Tziccaaa and whether the next step will be reviewed. Even if the current 10% tax is made, without the first, it would not be enough to reopen the firm because there will be “some additional fees” to consider, she explains.

And when the factory also supplies clothes to South African retailers, Ms. Omar says what this firm earns from the American market compared to the income generated from these pellets.

Despite the assurance of the government that it is working to resolve the issue – a desperate passerby was also promised with the minister who saw him during our interview that “it is going to do this work [out] At the end of the day ” – for Ms. Seleso and Sri Thali, these are hollow words for the country’s disappointing and disappointing workforce.