"As Trump's tariff deadline looms, a clothing factory in the tiny African nation of Lesotho goes dark", 30 July 2025

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In...Lesotho, clothing manufacturer Tzicc's business has dried up in the face of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. A few months ago, work was steady. The factory's 1,300 employees has made and exported sportswear to American stores, including JCPenney, Walmart and Costco.

But when Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners in April, Lesotho found itself topping the list, with a rate of 50%...

...During a monthslong pause for trade talks, the U.S. has charged a baseline 10% tariff and announced new rates for dozens of countries starting Friday. Lesotho’s rate will be set at Trump’s whim, with aides suggesting that tariffs charged on goods from smaller African countries could top 10%...

The damage has already rippled through Lesotho’s economy...

For Tzicc and its customers, the threat and apparent singling out of Lesotho were enough. Management decided to rush to deliver preexisting orders before tariffs resumed. But American buyers stopped placing new orders. With no work left, virtually all the factory's employees were sent home — potentially permanently...

Omar is one of a handful of employees left in the eerily quiet factory. A few remain in the accounting department; others empty leftover stock to a warehouse elsewhere...

The threat of tariffs has exacerbated the national unemployment troubles, prompting the government to declare a state of disaster this month...

Most of the 12,000 people hired by Lesotho's 11 factories exporting to the U.S. are women with children to feed and school fees to pay.

Of those, 9,000 jobs are directly in the line of fire and an additional 40,000 will suffer indirectly from the U.S.-imposed tariffs, Shelile said...

Mapontso Mathunya used to work on Tzicc’s cutting room floor and is now unemployed...She now tries to sell snacks and cigarettes on the street but finds it a daily struggle to bring home even a few cents.

“Our financial burden has been heavy," she said. “Things are bad.”...

The future of the Tzicc factory depends on what happens Friday, compliance manager Omar said...

Key U.S. customers for Tzicc — JCPenney, Walmart and Costco — did not reply to AP to comment.

...even if American buyers return, it’s unlikely the factory could rehire all its 1,300 workers, she added.

Today, just a few blocks away, former employees try their luck looking for work at other factories that are still operating. Most are turned away.

“Life is difficult,” former worker Mathunya said. “There is nothing, nothing at all. People don’t have money.”