In July 2012, Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane declared an emergency food crisis and formally requested support from development partners and the international community.
Following a meeting with President Jacob Zuma in October 2012, the South African government, through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, responded to the appeal with a donation of R180 million.
South Africa had struck a deal with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to buy maize from the country's smallholder farmers as part of the R180-million donation to Lesotho.
On Friday, maize from the Zivuseni agricultural co-operative and the Ziyibane farming project -- milled at the Pride Milling plant in Nigel, Gauteng - was loaded into four trucks and is on its way to Maseru.
The maize includes 4,920 bags, each weighing 25 kilograms.
Smallholder farmer from Zivuseni agricultural co-operative, Themba Congwane, said: "It feels great to see our first batch of maize as smallholder farmers in Gauteng being transported to help our Lesotho neighbours.
"To us, it means that the job that we are doing of fighting hunger is recognised and appreciated. This gives us [encouragement] to keep working very hard in order to produce more food for our people in the Southern Africa region."
The cooperative was in the process of trying to get more land and wanted to buy land through the Land Bank.
"We are hopeful that by the end of next year, we will get about 200 hectares of land."
Congwane said the plan was to plant 300 to 400 hectares of maize next year.
Zivuseni comprises four women and two men and has created four permanent jobs for the unemployed locals, with an additional 15 to 20 temporary jobs for seasonal workers during harvest.
Last week's consignment is the first of many that are planned for Lesotho. Several donations will be made in January next year with maize from smallholder farmers from the Eastern Cape, the North West and Limpopo.
The WFP, which is an internationally recognised agency of the United Nations, will distribute the maize meal to the school meals programme as well as health and nutrition activities in Lesotho.
WFP Deputy Regional Director Brenda Barton said 15% of the rural population in Lesotho could experience food shortage between October this year and February 2014.
"With the contribution made by the South African government, WFP will be assisting 226 000 children, pregnant and nursing women in Lesotho, who are malnourished.
"This support is essential to break the cycle of poverty, which is driven by malnourishment and food insecurity," she said.
WFP Senior Programme Assistant in Lesotho, Kekeletso Mabaleng, said the humanitarian aid has been received with excitement by the beneficiaries.
"When we inform those Basotho communities currently experiencing the food crisis that their neighbour South Africa will be helping them with maize, they were so excited.
"As from next week, we will be distributing the maize consignment to the mountainous and foothills districts of Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, Qacha's Nek and Berea," Mabaleng said.
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