Leemisa Thuseho

FORMER Kick4Life (K4L) Ladies assistant coach, Teboho Monare and Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) head coach, Lehloenya Nkhasi, are back at work after the lapse of their 10 game suspension by the Women Super League (WSL).

The duo was suspended for their part in an altercation involving players from both teams during a league match at the K4L ground in March 2019.

Apart from the 10-game suspension, the two coaches were also warned that a repeat of the offence would automatically trigger a permanent ban from WSL activities.

WSL chairperson Chris Bullock confirmed to Lesotho Times that the duo is now free to return to the game.

“Yes, their 10-game suspension is over and they served their punishment accordingly,” Bullock said.

“I hope that shows everyone how seriously we take such behavior.”

Although, he has no official notification from the WSL, Monare told Lesotho Times that he was aware that he had now served his suspension completely.

“I have been doing my own counting and of course we served the suspension accordingly,” he said.

Monare also revealed that after leaving K4L towards the end of last season, he is now working with Basetsana Ladies Football Club even though he is yet to be contracted.

On the other hand, LDF coach Nkhasi said he started siting on his team’s bench last Saturday during their game against National University of Lesotho (LDF) side, Rovers in Mafeteng.

LDF welcomed the coach back with a style by defeating Rover 0-6.

“I am back on the bench; it is good to be back as because being away has been frustrating as I had limited influence on the team during games. When players made mistakes, I couldn’t rectify them.

“The only good part was that I still could train the team during my suspension. I could still plan the game with the technical team although I was barred from making any contributions during games,” Nkhasi said.

Nkhasi gave credit to his technical team saying despite his absence from the bench, the team still continued with on unbeaten run.

The defending champions, LDF are currently leading the WSL league campaign with 18 points after six games. They are also enjoying a six-game unbeaten run having won all their games so far.

K4L are second with 13 points while league newbies Limkokwing Ladies are at the the bottom of the log after losing all their games.

The post Monare, Nkhasi end 10-match suspension appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Moorosi Tsiane

APPROXIMATELY a year after Metropolitan Lesotho pulled out from co-sponsoring the Independence Cup, the insurance giants have found their way back into football injecting M500 000 into five Econet Premier League teams.

Metropolitan revealed this week that it would give M100 000 each to Liphakoe, Lifofane, Lijabatho, Swallows and Sefotha-fotha in a one season contract.

The money is meant for purchasing playing gear for the five teams.

Another local company, Basutoland Ink, has also joined the fray pledging to buy away playing kits for the same teams.

Metropolitan managing director Mamello Phomane said they were excited about the initiative and said they hoped it would go long way in assisting the five teams increase their competitiveness against other teams.

“We are excited to be launching this sponsorship whose aim is in line with our ethos and principles to always partner and invest in the communities that support our business,” Phomane said.

“We are also pleased that Basutoland Ink also loved the idea and came on board not just as suppliers but went beyond and also decided to sponsor the teams’ away jerseys.”

Phomane said the sponsorship is meant for teams without any technical sponsors. Metropolitan gets branding rights in return.

“The sponsorship will benefit league teams without technical sponsors and Metropolitan will get branding rights for all associated gear and matches for the five teams.

“Each team will have an outlay of M100 000 of which they are expected to buy a Metropolitan branded kit and a minimum of 100 replicas. The balance would be used to procure any technical equipment that they might need. The teams are expected to make some revenue out of the 100 replicas which they will sell to their supporters.

“We hope this can help promote the five teams to compete at the same level with other teams because we have selected teams that often struggle for finances.”

On his part, Basutoland Ink director Bokang Kheekhe said he was thankful for the opportunity to be involved in the initiative.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to be part of this deal. We were inspired by Metropolitan to also lend a helping hand. While Metropolitan will purchase home kits for these teams, Basutoland Ink will buy the away kits.

“It gives us an opportunity to grow as a brand and we thank the football family for the support that they have given us.”

Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) chairperson Ikarabele Sello thanked the two companies. He said he believed that the assistance would help the selected teams improve and become more competitive.

“We identified the teams to bridge the gap between league sides to improve competition in the league. Others have dominated aided by their healthy finances and we also want to give the five sides a boost.

“We thank the two companies for joining hands in this initiative,” Sello said.

Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) chief executive officer Mokhosi Mohapi urged the teams to use the initiative to their advantage and desist from doling out free replicas.

“The teams should take this opportunity and use it to make money. Stop the behavior of giving free replicas to people in high positions who can afford to buy.

“Use these replicas for the intended purposes and ensure they grow your teams,” Mohapi said.

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Moorosi Tsiane

THE Matekane Group of Companies (MGC) has injected M540 000 into the upcoming Roof of Africa race.

Some of the funds have been channeled towards servicing nine motorcycles and racing gear for 10 local athletes who are being sponsored the company.

Among the athletes is 16-year-old Nkhasi Matete who says he is ready to become Lesotho’s first teenager to participate in the annual Roof of Africa race from 5 to 7 December 2019.

The announcement was made at a press briefing in Maseru this week.

Matete will ride in the bronze category alongside Tobatsi Maseatile, Peter Andrews, Timello Tsolo, Sechaba Chabeli, Shabeer Moosa and Moshate Letlela. Joseph Motenane, Basia Masiatile and Teboho Moretlo will ride in the silver category.

The first day will be round the house competition at Maseru Club before silver and bronze riders head to Thaba-Bosiu for their time trial.

Matete expressed gratitude to MGC for making his dream come true.

He said he was ready to make history and become the country’s first teenager to take part in the race.

“This is my first time in the race and I have mixed emotions, on one end I am happy but at the same time I am nervous because I know that the task ahead is huge,” Matete said.

“However, I am ready to step up and have fun.”

He said his preparations were on track as he has participated in different races in and outside the country.

“We have been racing in different races and my last race was the Retro-Roof last month where I came first in junior class.

“I know it is not going to be easy, so I don’t want to put myself under any pressure. I just want to take it one day at the time and see where I will be on the last day of the race,” he said.

MGC head of corporate communications and marketing, ‘Mamotake Matekane said they were proud to assist the riders as the sport was expensive.

Matekane said the sponsorship entails servicing nine motorcycles to ensure they are race-ready, purchasing of the riders’ race gear, branding of the bikes. The company will avail its helicopter for emergency services and taking pictures.

“We are proud to be sponsoring local riders in this year’s race. The team is mostly made up of youngsters and we are happy to invest in young talent.

“We want to be part of the efforts to nurture that talent. We know that the sport is expensive and MGC is fully committed to sponsoring the local riders. In past years, we have bought some motorbikes for some of the riders. However, since the riders were many this year, we decided to service their bikes at KTM, and bought the racing gear for each rider and have also branded their bikes. On the day of the race, we will transport the families of all the riders to Thaba-Bosiu.

“We have also pledged our chopper which will be used for taking pictures and also for emergency purposes. All our sponsorship amounts to M540 000,” Matekane said.

Matekane also encouraged the sponsored riders to continue working hard as they are expected to excel by virtue of their association with MGC.

“Once you associate with us, we expect certain standards from you and that is very important. We are a big brand known for good things and that is what is expected of you.

“We are also calling on other companies to come forward and help sponsor athletes so that we can share responsibilities and shine when the riders excel,” Matekane said.

Lesotho-Off Road Association (LORA) spokesperson Keketso Malebo thanked MGC for the support and exhorted the bikers to jealously guard the equipment they received.

“We thank MGC for this support and to you the riders, please take good care of this equipment. MGC has done its and now the ball is in your court to see how you show your appreciation.

“Use this equipment for the intended purposes so that the sponsors will also continue supporting you in future,” Matekane said.

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Moorosi Tsiane

FIFA president Giovanni Vincenzo “Gianni” Infantino, is in Lesotho to cement relations with the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA).

LeFA president Salemane Phafane  told the Lesotho Times that Infantino’s visit in the country is “inspirational”.

The Swiss–Italian football administrator, who was elected FIFA president in 2016 is making his debut tour of the country. He becomes the second FIFA president to visit the country after his predecessor Sepp Blatter’s visit in 2002.

Phafane told the Lesotho Times in an exclusive interview that this was the best news.

“We are happy that he is coming to our country, this is the biggest story that we have received and we must make use of this opportunity,” Phafane said.

“This will be the second visit by a FIFA president after Blatter’s visit. The visit is meant to cement the cordial relations between FIFA and LeFA. All footballing countries are members of FIFA but what is important is the status of the relations and that is what we will be working on.”

Phafane said they have huge projects (reconstruction of Bambatha and Mohale’s Hoek Grounds) that are about to take off and it would be vital for the FIFA boss to get firsthand information on the challenges and the weaknesses they are facing.

“We have huge projects that are about to take off which are funded by FIFA so it is also important that he comes to get the firsthand information on the challenges and the positives we have encountered.

“We are definitely expecting to experience much bigger things following his visit and at the moment, we must work on the relations between these two associations. This visit is very inspirational to us as members of FIFA,” Phafane said.

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Nthatuoa Koeshe

LESOTHO Deep House Movement (LesMove) will on Saturday host this year’s installment of the annual Vinyl Escapade gig at Kaycees Club in Roma.

DJs to play at the event include South African Linda Meyer, Holly Herb, Poka Moloi and Zakes, eSwatini’s Nkam V and Jazzinsoul and Lesotho’s Kixx The rythmic groover, Saint Mitch, Nchelax inthe House, DeepTaac and Montek.

LesMove founder, Deep Taac (born Tsolo Chabeli) told the Weekender in a recent interview that this event aims to create smooth relations between local DJs and those from eSwatini and South Africa.

“The two countries that have been invited are proof that beautiful music connects nations and goes beyond boundaries,” Deep Taac said.

He said they are also running a special for deep house lovers to purchase tickets and get free Vinyl Escapade T-Shirt.

Deep Taac said they would also have vinyl sales at the event courtesy of South African Linda Meyer’s South Store Record Shop.

“Our idea is simple. With the majority of incoming and veteran DJs leaning towards mainstream house, there is a huge gap in the Deep House and we intend to exploit it and be the main innovators locally.”

He said their focus was on matured audiences who seek “something rare, something of an art that one just can’t find in every corner”.

“Last year the second edition was held at The Deck and we had the privilege to work with one Uni DGeoff M, a renowned deep house spinner from South Africa.  He brought an exclusive international act from Berlin, Germany.”

Uni performed alongside JA PA N and Ashley K. They were supported on the decks by some local DJs.

Deep Taac said the event would underline a whole new milestone for deep house in Lesotho and ensure enhanced global recognition.

Additionally, the show will exhibit a fusion of analogue (vinyl) and digital (CDs) “to deliver the best experience for the revelers.

The post Preps on course for Vinyl Escapade appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe  

A LOCAL social club, Team Shanghai recently partnered with Cuban Linx for a blood donation initiative at LNDC Square in Maseru.

The initiative was meant to encourage Basotho youths to donate blood and help mitigate the current blood shortage.

Dubbed “Give the Gift of Life and Save Lives”, the initiative was held under the tagline #Partywithadifference with over 100 people donating blood.

The initiative comes after the Lesotho Blood Transfusion Services (LBTS) last month announced that it was in a dire situation as its stocks had been depleted.

So serious was the situation that patients requiring blood transfusions were being asked by hospitals to bring their relatives or other donors to give them blood. Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (also known as Tšepong) — the country’s largest referral hospital- had gone to the extent of asking patients’ relatives to donate blood. The hospital also said the blood shortages also delayed the performance of operations on patients and other life-saving medical procedures.

Even Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein was also said to be turning away patients who were referred to them without their own blood units.

LBTS has been facing challenges in collecting enough blood after the Ministry of Education and Training imposed stringent regulations that made it difficult for the LBTS to source blood from learners who were among the biggest blood donors three years ago.

The regulations were imposed after parents complained to the ministry that they were not consulted over health services provided to their children in schools.

LBTS blood donor recruiter Khatala Liphoto recently told the Lesotho Times that the decision has left several patients in need of blood transfusion vulnerable to otherwise treatable conditions.

At the time, Mr Liphoto said they had been left with only five group O positive blood units, eight A positive units, four group B positive units and nine AB positive units.

“The situation is very critical as we ought to have 40 group O units and 10 other blood groups every day. Annually we are supposed to collect at least 8000 blood units.

“The blood shortages are deepening and the situation has been worsened by the Ministry of Education and Training’s regulations that make it difficult for the LBTS to source blood from learners.

“It was said that learning time was taken up by the blood donations and it was also said that parents also demanded to be consulted to give their consent before their children could donate blood.

“We gave out consent forms to learners but this is not working because the forms were not returned to us, thus leaving us with very few donors,” Mr Liphoto said.

Team Shanghai secretary general Rethabile Makhobole told the Weekender that the initiative was necessitated by the need to mitigate the blood crisis.

“Last month we read an article that Lesotho was facing a blood shortage crisis and we thought it would be ideal if we came up an initiative which will help the situation,” Rethabile said.

He said the event came at an opportune time as the festive holidays, which are known to be bloody with many road accidents, are around the corner.

“Apart from people who came but failed to donate blood because of health issues, 110 people donated 55 litres to the blood bank.”

He said Team Shanghai and Cuban Linx found it easy to collaborate on the initiative because they both work with the youths.

Formed this year, Team Shanghai started off as a football club playing on Sundays against other amateur teams in what is popularly known as old-stock games.

The football initiative is aimed to uniting Maseru men but it has grown to attract a diverse following of people among them women.

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Nthatuoa Koeshe | Bataung Moeketsi

THE government must create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive instead of becoming a major player at the expense of business.

This was said by the Basotho Enterprises Development Corporation (BEDCO) interim chief executive officer, Pesha Shale during the ongoing fourth annual Entrepreneurship Exposure Business Summit at Maseru Mall this week.

Now in its fourth edition, the expo is being held by BEDCO in partnership with The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN). It started on 18 November 2019 and ends tomorrow.

The summit is aimed at empowering small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) the theme: Building Sustainable Value Chains.

Industry leaders and experts in agriculture, technology, manufacturing and tourism will be leading panel discussions on each day examining the challenges and benefits that are to be expected in business.

The 231 registered SMMEs are space to market and sell their products at stalls that are placed all over the mall.

Addressing guests at the official opening this week, Mr Shale said start-up businesses were unable to survive in the local economy as they are elbowed out by bigger corporations, whereas the latter should “assist the smaller ones”.

He said entrepreneurship is the key to stimulate the country’s economic growth and that the government’s role is to provide adequate geo-policies instead of meddling in the business space.

“We are at a point where the government is taking the lead and is playing a major role in the eco-system…but that is not the government’s role, it is the space for entrepreneurs,” Mr Shale said.

“The government should provide a conducive environment for businesses to thrive, so we need those policies that enable businesses to survive.”

Mr Shale added that the expo’s theme “Building sustainable value chains” also augurs well with the global entrepreneurship week’s (GEW) four thematic areas namely:

• GEW-education where any level of education can enable people to gather information relevant to business;
• GEW-ecosystem where all segments of business should co-exist to build linkages between large and small businesses;
• GEW-inclusion where all citizen have equal opportunity to be entrepreneurs there should not be gender, age, or disability discrimination;
• And GEW-policy, in the sense that government must create conducive environment through enabling policies and regulations that level the playing field for entrepreneurship and business at large.

Organisers of the event said its goal is to “showcase aspiring entrepreneurs and investors from across the African region to create new opportunities for investment, partnerships and collaborations”.

TEN chairman, Thabo Stephen Monyamane, said the entrepreneurs are expected to address issues that hinder their work.

“A lot of businesses that we are in never grow beyond a certain point because there are so many gaps in any value chain that we have,” Mr Monyamane said.

He said Lesotho must become self-sufficient and in doing so, it was important to take into consideration what the missing links in industry were and how Basotho may participate in them.

Ministry of Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing Principal Secretary Lerata Pekane said their work was to make that aid small businesses.

He said one of their policies was to help small businesses grow and help them market their products.

“We will not be apologetic about the need to empower our people and we must do it within so that every Mosotho gets a chance to run their own business,” Mr Pekane said.

He said there were laws and principles that must be changed so to accommodate small business holders to enable them to grow.

“The government must change the principles and laws that do not talk to our people.

“We encourage initiatives such as this one so that Basotho in business can take part and learn new ways in helping their business grow,” Mr Pekane said.

The post Govt must create a conducive environment for business-BEDCO appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

MINISTRY of Home Affairs Principal Secretary ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie has come under fire for allegedly masterminding a deal between two local construction companies that has now gone sour.

Ms Lemphane-Letsie was this week quizzed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) about her role in the partnership between Legends Construction and Bafani Construction Company earlier this year. According to the PAC, Ms Lemphane-Letsie allegedly advised representatives of Legends Construction to approach Bafani Construction for funding after winning a tender to supply park homes to the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this year.

The two companies subsequently entered into a deal that saw Bafani Construction taking control of a 51 percent stake in Legends Construction.

The deal has now gone sour after a M7 million payment from the Ministry of Home Affairs was allegedly mysteriously transferred from Legends’ bank account into that of Bafani Construction.

Ms Lemphane-Letsie however, refuted the allegations and said this was not the first time that Legends has levelled them against her.

PAC chairperson Selibe Mochoboroane said it was curious that after being advised to approach Bafani Construction for funding, Legends Construction representatives discovered that Bafani had already ordered park homes. Mr Mochoboroane said Bafani Construction is owned by controversial Chinese businessman Yan Xie, popularly referred to as John.

“Legends won the tender and you referred the company’s representatives to Bafani – which is owned by Mr John – for John to be the financier,” Mr Mochoboroane said.

“And then when the Legends representatives went to John as you had told them to, they surprisingly discovered that even the park homes had already been ordered,” he added.

He said that the two companies subsequently came with a deal that saw Bafani Construction taking control of a 51 percent stake in Legends Construction.

All hell broke loose the M7 million payment transferred into Legends Construction’s bank account was mysteriously transferred to Bafani’s account. An ongoing legal battle ensued soon thereafter.

“The Legend Construction representatives people rightly claimed that after being contracted, money was deposited into their account and immediately afterwards, it was transferred into John’s (Bafani’s) account. The same people say they got to know John through you (Ms Lemphane-Letsie),” Mr Mochoboroane said.

“If the Legends representatives were to come here and say you mediated between them and Bafani, would they be making up stories about you? After Bafani took money from Legends, did Legends representative come to you to ask that you mediate between them and John?”

Mr Mochoboroane said they would summon the bank involved to enlighten the committee as to how Bafani accessed Legends’ bank account and how the M7 million payment from the Ministry of Home Affairs ended up in Bafani’s bank account.

“In the same breadth, the Legends representatives will help us. This matter is in the public domain. A case has been filed in court and we will get to the bottom of it,” Mr Mochoboroane said.

“There is a part of this issue that we will unearth. We will issue the summons, the bank will assist us and we will summon everyone involved in this matter to come and assist us to get to the bottom of it,” Mr Mochoboroane said.

In her defence, Ms Lemphane-Letsie said her ministry did not know of any existing relationship between Legends and Bafani prior to the awarding of the contract. She said they only came to know that there was a relationship through the court papers.

“We got to learn from the court papers that Bafani owns 51 percent shares in Legends. It is not true that I mediated between Legends and Bafani,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said.

“They (Legends) have said that (I mediated the partnership) in the court papers and I have refuted the allegations. They say that I told them to go and meet with Bafani, which is not true. Unless their story is more powerful than mine, that is not the case.

“…It is not true that I told them to go to ntate John after they won the tender…I didn’t facilitate the partnership,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said.

The post Home Affairs PS under fire appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

OVER 100 ambulance drivers engaged to transport patients from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)-funded clinics are threatening strike action over non-payment of salaries.

The drivers say that they have not been paid their monthly salaries since they were engaged to transport referral patients from MCC-funded clinics in the country’s seven districts in August 2019.

The 105 ambulance drivers are engaged by 23 contractors who were awarded contracts by the Lesotho Millennium Development Agency (LMDA) to transport patients from clinics to hospitals under the Emergency Transport Services (ETS) contract.

LMDA Emergency Transport Services Manager Lebona Moshesha yesterday told the Lesotho Times that the delays in processing some of the payments were caused by late signing of contracts.

LMDA was created by the government to complete, oversee and manage implementation of ongoing projects that were not finalised by the Millennium Challenge Account Lesotho when the Lesotho Compact closed in 2014.

The LMDA has since taken over the management of the Emergency Transport Service from the Ministry of Health. In August this year, the LMDA engaged 23 contractors to transport patients from the 105 clinics in seven districts but has failed pay the contractors.

Some of the drivers told the Lesotho Times this week that they were planning strike action over the non-payment of their salaries.

“The situation is so dire…our families are suffering yet we have been working for the past four months without any salaries,” one driver said.

He said that they initially did not believe their employees and consulted the LMDA to establish whether or not the contractors had been paid.

“We have it on good authority that the LMDA has not paid the contractors and in return we are suffering. We are heading for Christmas and there are no guarantees that our salaries will be paid.

“We have no option but to embark onto a go-slow. While we understand the situation that our employers are in, we cannot continue to work like this. We compromised so much in the past four months hoping that we would eventually be paid but it does not look like that is going to happen this year,” he said.

One of the contractors who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said they signed contracts on 1 August 2019 but have not been paid since then.

“Each contractor has been awarded a contract to provide ambulance services for five clinics. We started work on 1 August 2019 and we have all not been paid. This is despite the fact that some of the contractors have outsourced ambulances elsewhere to do the job,” the contractor said.

He said that the LMDA advised the contractors to form joint ventures which would be prioritised during payment processing. He said while some of the contractors followed the advice and formed joint ventures, the non-payments have affected both individual companies and joint ventures.

“Right now, I am supposed to transport a patient but I am running low on fuel. I am worried that I may fail to reach the destination endangering the patient if I set off on the journey. It is that difficult,” the contractor added.

Another source said he was forced to borrow M10 000 from a loan sharks to continue servicing his clients in the hope that LMDA would eventually process their payments.

“I signed a three months contract with the loan sharks and the time has lapsed but I am still to repay and the debt is accruing interests,” the source said adding that they have also failed to service their vehicles due to lack of funds.

“We are suffering, the drivers are suffering and worse of all; the clinics are beginning to feel the pinch. It is going to be worse if the drivers make good on their threat to down tools. Some of the drivers have called us demanding that we terminate contracts with LMDA but how do you terminate a contract when you don’t have money to pay salary arears,” the source said.

Another source said: “We are a crisis situation right now”.

“We don’t know what to do. We don’t want to be part of a crippling health system but we cannot just go on like this. The situation is bad and the LMDA keeps telling us that they will pay next month, come next month, it is another story.”

Contacted for comment, Health Minister Nkaku Kabi said he needed to consult first since the LMDA is managing the service independently.

“We are no longer involved in this issue because we let the LMDA to run the service independently after accepting their offer to assist us. They manage the project so independently that they don’t even tell us when they engage contractors and contractors do not come to us when there are problems.

“I will therefore, have to make a follow-up on the matter and get back to you,” Mr Kabi said.

On his part, Mr Moshesha said there were teething problems that needed to be dealt with at the start of the project in August 2019 and that the problems had a serious bearing on the processing of payments.

He said some of the problems included delays in signing of contracts and that the contractors were only given letters of intent on 1 August 2019 when they commenced their duties.

“The project covers 105 clinics in seven districts and we have contracted independent contractors to do the job. Most of these clinics were constructed and renovated under the MCC project but we have had to accommodate some of the health posts that the Ministry of Health has improved and accredited them as clinics,” Mr Moshesha said.

He said that the 23 contractors had been contracted for the next two years starting from 1 August 2019 to 31 March 2012. He attributed the payment delays to a protracted contract signing process that dragged up to late September as the contractors had not signed contracts on commencement of duty.

“The payment has been slow but we have made it clear in the contract that payments would be made within 30 days after the submission of invoices. The payments can only be processed within that 30 days if it is correct and sometimes, we must send them back to correct the invoices but the payment is slow. Sometimes we don’t get enough money from the government to pay them and when that little money comes, we pay those who came first,” Mr Moshesha said.

He said they wrote to the contractors informing them of the payment delays. He however, said they had not heard of any strike action threats by the drivers.

“They have been very understanding and we are hoping that this problem will be addressed very soon because some of them have already been paid. We however, cannot prioritise the ETS, we pay all invoices in the order in which they are submitted,” Mr Moshesha said.

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Mohalenyane Phakela

THE office of the Registrar of the High Court says it will soon decide whether or not to pay the legal fees of 23 soldiers and police officers who are currently in detention over murder and attempted charges.

This after the suspects applied for the state to take over the payments of their legal fees in terms of the pro deo arrangement, granted to suspects who cannot afford to pay for themselves. The soldiers had argued that they could no longer afford to pay their own fees as the costs had escalated as a result of the long-drawn court processes.

Some of the soldiers include Major Pitso Ramoepane and Captain Litekanyo Nyakane who face various charges including the 25 June 2015 murder of army commander, Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Maaparankoe Mahao and the 5 September 2017 murder of army commander, Lt-Gen Khoantle Motšomotšo.

The soldiers initially applied to the High Court’s Acting Registrar, Pontšo Phafoli, for assistance in May 2019. Adv Phafoli approved their application and agreed to pay their lawyers M400 each per court appearance. But the soldiers rejected the amount, saying it was too little and they subsequently filed a High Court application to compel the state to pay their lawyers M17 000 per appearance.

Their application was successfully challenged by Attorney General, Haae Phoofolo, who argued that they should not even have been granted the M400 legal aid because they were still getting their salaries and should therefore foot their own bills.

Justice Charles Hungwe, who presided over the case, concurred with Adv Phoofolo and dismissed the soldiers’ application citing lack of evidence that the accused “soldiers and police officers could not afford to pay legal fees”.

Justice Hungwe however, said they could reapply to the registrar for pro deo assistance as long as they could justify the need for such aid.

The soldiers subsequently re-applied for state assistance and it was against this background that the office of the registrar recently visited them for interviews and other assessments to determine their eligibility for state assistance.

The High Court’s Assistant Registrar, Advocate Starford Sharite, this week told the Lesotho Times that they had completed the assessments and they would soon decide whether or not to provide legal assistance to the applicants.

“Part of Justice Hungwe’s ruling was that we should determine each applicant’s capacity to pay their own legal fees and therefore we visited the Maseru correctional facility on 12 and 18 November 2019 to interview the 23 soldiers and police officers who applied for assistance,” Adv Sharite said.

“We considered the income of each of the accused soldiers and police officers, each’s responsibilities and monthly expenses. We have completed our assessments and we are currently in the process of determining whether or not to pay the legal costs of the accused.

“The 23 want to keep their lawyers but whether or not that will happen is at the discretion of the registrar. Normally, we randomly choose pro deo lawyers from the pool of lawyers in the country who are willing to take over the cases.

“Under the pro deo facility, a junior lawyer is paid M800 as consultation fees and senior counsels are paid M1500. The lawyers are paid M200 per day if the case is postponed and M400 if it is heard. The fees can go as high as M2000 but that is only upon the recommendation of a sitting judge,” Adv Sharite said.

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Pascalinah Kabi

BARELY a fortnight after her reinstatement, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Director of Elections, Letholetseng Ntsike, has a fresh headache after more than 100 IEC employees demanded her suspension to facilitate investigations into her fitness to remain in office.

The 128 employees accuse Dr Ntsike of misleading the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in January 2019 in relation to the IEC’s new organisational structure which they argue that is discriminatory.

The employees want the IEC to implement a new organisational structure based on the recommendations of a study that was conducted by a consultant, Dr Griffith Zabala, which would see them being promoted and receiving higher salaries.

They allege that instead of implementing the Dr Zabala structure, the IEC has decided to implement another structure which allows it to hire new employees- development that would prejudice them.

They also accuse Dr Ntsike of making misleading the PAC by stating that the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service did not approve of the positions they were appointed to in terms of the structure which was proposed by Dr Zabala.

The said in view of her alleged misleading statements to the PAC, it was therefore necessary to suspend Dr Ntsike to facilitate investigations into her fitness to remain in office.

The IEC employees make this and other allegations against Dr Ntsike in a confidential letter they wrote to the United National Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Director, Betty Wabunoha, on 11 November 2019. They wrote to the UNDP in its capacity as the institution which facilitated the engagement of Dr Zabala as a consultant on the IEC’s organisational structure.

The employees’ letter is titled: ‘Critical Perspectives into the decision of Dr Ntsike to deprive employees of IEC the benefits, salaries and entitlements accruing from the approved organisational structure executed by Dr Griffith Zabala’.

In the letter, the employees’ lawyer, Advocate Christopher Lephuthing, argues that instead of adopting Dr Zabala’s recommendation, Dr Ntsike approved a different organisational structure which prejudiced his clients.

“They (employees) have been assigned to those positions from 5 December 2013 but to date their remunerations to the promoted positions has been stalled,” Adv Lephuthing states in the letter which was copied to Dr Ntsike, the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Forum of Registered Political Parties.

“As your office would recall, it facilitated the engagement of Dr Zabala for and on behalf of the IEC as a consultant. There is some difficulty with the IEC management. They are refusing to avail the original organisational structure by Dr Zabala.

“They have refused to produce it even after Mr (Tanki) Mothae had directed them to produce it for presentation during deliberations which ensured before Mr Sekoala,” Adv Lephuthing said. Mr Mothae is the principal secretary in the Ministry of Law and Constitutional Affairs.

Mr Sekoala chaired negotiations between the IEC management and the employees aimed at resolving the impasse over the IEC’s organisational structure.

He said instead of producing the a copy of the structure proposed by Dr Zabala, the IEC management produced a “truncated version” which lacked the necessary details to facilitate the payment of arrears due to  his clients.

“In our view, it is inappropriate for the IEC management to hide such an important document quite obviously because they are determined to deprive our clients their deserved salaries which derive from the said organisational structure.

“There is a constitutional imperative to maintain the position of parliament and for that to happen we require that there be an IEC headed by a credible Director of Elections and Commissioners. In the present case, we have Dr Ntsike who misled the parliament during her appearance before the Public Accounts Committee around 18 January 2019.

“She testified that the Ministry of Finance and/ or Public Service did not approve of the positions contemplated in the structure by Dr Zabala contrary to the true state of affairs. Our clients are armed with letters of appointment to these positions as envisaged in the organisational structure of Dr Zabala.”

Adv Lephuthing goes on to state that it is a criminal offence for Dr Ntsike to mislead parliament and the nation as she allegedly did.

“In progressive democracies, the misstatements which the Director of Elections have made are enough to warrant her suspension to allow for investigations into her fitness to hold office.

“The expectation must then be that the disciplinary process (against Dr Ntsike) will unfold in compliance with the constitutional imperatives of a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal per section 12 (8) of the constitutional and the panoply of procedural protections of due process provided for in the appointment, disciplinary and removal of errant officers of IEC. We are looking at section 66 A (2) and (3) of the constitution in respect of the powers of IEC to employ and exercise disciplinary control.

“We accordingly demand from her to discover the names of what she calls the ‘management task team’ which formulated the impugned structure that seeks to discriminate against our clients. It is necessary that their names be disclosed so that necessary measures can be taken to assess their credibility and fitness to lead such an important institution like IEC,” Adv Lephuthing states in the letter.

Dr Ntsike only returned to work on 1 November 2019, eight months after being suspended by former IEC commissioners for alleged insubordination.

Dr Ntsike resumed her duties at the troubled electoral body in the aftermath of the Constitutional Court’s 16 October 2019’s dismissal of former IEC commissioners, Justice Mahapela Lehohla (chairperson), Advocate ‘Mamosebi Pholo and Dr Makase Nyaphisi’s application to remain in office until the processes of appointing new commissioners have been finalised.

Dr Ntsike said her “suspension automatically became ineffective after the court ruling” because “the people who suspended me are no longer IEC commissioners”.

The post Workers demand IEC Director’s ouster appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• as DC leader takes a dig at First Lady

Mohalenyane Phakela

DEMOCRATIC Congress (DC) leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, says snap elections are imminent and “witchdoctors will not be able to save the Thomas Thabane administration from collapse”.

Mr Mokhothu said this while addressing a weekend rally in Sefikeng, Tṧoana Makhulo. His comments follow the recent leaking of an audio clip where Dr Thabane’s daughter, Advocate ‘Mabatṧoeneng Hlaele, alleges that the First Lady, ‘Maesaiah Thabane, sought the services of traditional healers in Durban. In an astonishing tirade captured in her recorded audio message to a relative, Selimo Thabane, Adv Hlaele is also heard suggesting that the First Lady had a hand in the murder of Dr Thabane’s former wife, Lipolelo Thabane in June 2017.

Adv Hlaele alleges that Ms Thabane enlisted the help of the traditional healers to ensure that members of the All Basotho Convention (ABC)’s old national executive committee (NEC) prevailed against Professor Nqosa Mahao and his allies at the ABC’s February 2019 elective conference.

Despite the First Lady’s alleged dalliances with the South African traditional healers, Prof Mahao won the deputy leader’s post, beating the likes of then acting incumbent, Prince Maliehe, Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro and former ABC chairperson, Motlohi Maliehe. Prof Mahao’s victory was however, rejected by Dr Thabane on the grounds that he was a relative newcomer who should not have been elected ahead of seasoned party stalwarts. His rejection set off a train of events which have culminated in the no confidence motion against Dr Thabane by ABC legislators loyal to Prof Mahao.

The DC and other opposition parties, except the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), have thrown their weight behind the motion which could bring down the four party coalition comprising of the ABC, Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).

On Sunday Mr Mokhothu and members of the DC’s NEC began by attending a church service at the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA) in Sefikeng.

Thereafter he told a rally at the Sefikeng High School grounds that the DC was a God-fearing party and witchdoctors would not save the Thabane regime from the looming no confidence vote. Former DC leader and Primer Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, and his wife ‘Mathato also attended the rally.

“We all heard that the daughter of the prime minister has also grown tired of the corruption in government and she has made serious allegations in an audio clip. If it wasn’t for her, we would not know who Lipolelo’s killers are,” Mr Mokhothu said.

“We also heard that they (First Lady and the ABC) run after witchdoctors in Durban but no Zulu witchdoctors will save the government from collapse. They can go to Durban all they want but that will not help. God will deliver this nation.”

The Tṧoana Makhulo constituency was won by the ABC in the 3 June 2017 elections.  Mr Mokhothu apologised for the DC’s failures while in government and implored the constituency to vote them back into power in the event of snap polls.

“Tṧoana Makhulo, we wronged you prior to 3 June 2017 elections and we are sorry for that. Ntate Thabane has no option but to either hand over power or call for elections. We should gear up for elections and work hard to lure more people to the DC so that we overturn our loss to the ABC which was by 1000 votes when they beat us in 2017.

“That 1000 votes variance is now a minor issue looking at how they (ABC) are conducting themselves. They have disappointed you by failing to fulfil the promises they made during their 2017 campaigns. They vowed to end poverty but they are now in the forefront of causing it.

“There have not been any meaningful community developments under the ABC in terms of roads construction, rural electrification and provision of water because the government is busy misusing public funds for international trips which have now cost over M200 million.

“All they are good at is fighting over tenders. They recently fought over the M380 million Mpilo road tender which they want to give to the Chinese. They crippled the wool and mohair industry through their regulations. The DC has always called for the repeal of that law which forbids farmers from selling their wool and mohair to whoever they want from wherever they want. The multi-billion medical cannabis industry has also been given to foreigners under the guise of promoting foreign investment.”

Mr Mokhothu said the governing coalition were hypocrites for accusing the previous DC-led government of murder after the “accidental killing” of just one soldier yet they (current government) have turned a blind eye to the killings of at least 50 civilians by the police.

This was in reference to the June 2015 murder of army commander, Maaparankoe Mahao, by fellow soldiers. The army, then under the command of Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, alleged that Lt-Gen Mahao had been killed while resisting arrest but this was rejected by a SADC commission of inquiry and the Mahao family who insisted that he was murdered in cold blood.

Commenting on the issue on Sunday, Mr Mokhothu said, “When they were in opposition they accused us of being murderers just because one soldier had died by mistake while he was being arrested by his colleagues. But more than 50 people have died at the hands of the police after the prime minister publicly instructed them to torture suspects”.

He vowed that a DC government would prioritise the welfare of all Basotho.

The post Witchdoctors can’t save Thabane; vows Mokhothu appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Staff Reporter

THE new royal palace building in Maseru is almost complete and could be officially handed over to their majesties next July, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Public Works, Mothabathe Hlalele, has said.

Mr Hlalele said all that was left were the interior fittings and decorations before the completion of the much-delayed project. He said they were currently awaiting “furnishings for the interior decor” which would only be delivered to Lesotho in May 2020.

“The Royal Palace building is now at a stage where it is almost complete and we are now just dealing with the inside of the building,” Mr Hlalele said in a recent interview with the Lesotho Times.

“We are now dealing with the decorations and we are waiting for some of the furnishings for the interior décor which will only arrive in April or May 2020.  But by June 2020 I believe that everything will be perfectly done and finished. I believe that by July 2020 there will be a huge ceremony where we will be handing over the royal palace to their majesties.”

The project has experienced several challenges including the withdrawals of two architects since work began in 2010.

Architects, Makeka Design Lab, withdrew in July 2018 citing a “breakdown of their relations with the Public Works ministry” as the main reason for abandoning the project.

Makeka Design Lab founder, Mokena Makeka, said several factors had contributed to the breakdown of trust between the two parties including the government’s failure to pay them M5 million in arrears for some of the work they had done.

Mr Makeka said they felt compelled to withdraw from the project to protect their reputation as they were frequently made the scapegoat whenever there were problems  besetting the project.

Makeka Design Lab was the second architectural company to withdraw from the project after another South African company, Palace Architects.

Palace Architects began designing His Majesty King Letsie III’s palace in 2010 but left the project after a contractual dispute with the Ministry of Public Works.

Prior to their departure, part of the building they had designed had been demolished over failure to meet the stipulated standards.

The architects’ withdrawals cost taxpayers dearly as the project spiralled out of cost from an original budget of M170 million to M450 million.

Mr Hlalele conceded that the withdrawals of the architects had delayed the completion of the project and caused the costs to escalate.

“I came into this office (in 2017) when the Royal Palace was in a state of comatose. You wouldn’t know whether it was alive or it was dead because of so many things that surrounded it. There was a change in the architect which really delayed the whole project for so many years and changed the costs in a way that is substantial.

“We have had some problems of late payments to contractors due to the financial system installed by the government. Sometimes it causes delays in payments and those delays in turn cause more delays in the construction programme of the contractor. It also causes us to incur additional expenses but unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it.

“The second architect (Makeka Design Lab) also unceremoniously ditched that project. I am still going to take him to task for that because he cost us time and money. There is also information that Makeka is still withholding which we, as the government, paid for. That information is needed for the interior decoration of the building.

“The withholding of the information is unethical because that information does not belong to them. It belongs to us because we paid them to deliver that information. It was part of the contract. And even if we have a misunderstanding I don’t believe they are can legally withhold information which is not theirs. I will write to the association of architects in South Africa where Mr Makeka is a consultant to say that we are not satisfied with one of their members.

“We are not going to court yet. I believe that they (Makeka Design Lab) are professionals and if they release the information we have no reason to go to court. “But if they persist in withholding the information we are definitely going to court,” Mr Hlalele said.

Mr Makeka could not be reached for comment despite many attempts.

The post Royal Palace building almost complete: Hlalele appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

PARLIAMENT has slowed a joint bid by the opposition and disgruntled All Basotho Convention (ABC) legislators to expedite the overthrow of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane by fast-tracking an amendment of the constitution to strip the premier of powers to dissolve parliament and order fresh elections if he loses a no confidence vote.

This after opposition legislator, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane, had on Monday moved a motion seeking to suspend the parliamentary Standing Order Number 52 (7) which requires that all bills be referred to the relevant portfolio committees for scrutiny before they are passed by parliament.

The suspension of the standing order would have enabled Adv Rakuoane to have his bill for the amendment of the constitution to strip the prime minister of his arbitrary powers to dissolve parliament tabled and passed without first being referred to the Law and Public Safety Portfolio Committee for scrutiny.

Adv Rakuoane agreed to withdraw his motion after a petition against the motion was submitted to the speaker of the national assembly, Sephiri Motanyane, by the Development for Peace Education (DPE)’s National Animator, Relebohile Senyane.

Ms Senyane called on parliament to reject Adv Rakuoane’s motion on the grounds that suspending the standing order to facilitate the fast-tracking of the constitutional amendment bill “would contribute to denying citizens the opportunity to give their input on the bill”.

“We therefore petition the national assembly to exercise its powers to defer this bill pending the responsible portfolio committee gathering voices from the citizens and different stakeholders to inform the law,” Mr Senyane said.

A fortnight ago legislators from across the political divide cleared the way for Adv Rakuoane to present the constitutional amendment bill by unanimously endorsing his motion calling for the amendment of the constitution to strip the prime minister of his arbitrary powers to advise the king to prorogue or dissolve parliament.

The adoption of the motion is seen as a crucial first step in ensuring that Prime Minister Thabane does not scuttle plans to oust him by advising King Letsie III to dissolve parliament in the event of a successful no confidence vote against him.

Until yesterday, Dr Thabane was faced with a no confidence vote after a motion for his ouster was filed in June 2019 by Motebang Koma, the Koro-Koro constituency legislator from the premier’s own ABC party, and seconded by opposition Democratic Congress (DC) deputy leader Motlalentoa Letsosa.

Mr Koma proposed that the ABC’s Mosalemane constituency legislator, Samuel Rapapa, takes over as caretaker prime minister and effectively warm the seat for Prof Mahao.

The adoption of Adv Rakuoane’s motion meant that the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) leader could now bring before parliament a Private Member’s Bill to amend sections of the constitution to strip the prime minister of his powers to unilaterally prorogue parliament without the backing of two thirds of the country’s 120 legislators.

But on Monday Adv Rakuoane’s bid to fast-track his bill by-passing the Law and Public Safety Portfolio Committee came unstuck after the DPE opposed him.

The DPE’s Ms Senyane said the bill should go through the normal processes to enable the portfolio committee to consider the input of citizens and other stakeholders into the proposed constitutional amendments.

Immediately after Ms Senyane read out her petition in parliament, Mr Motanyane adjourned the parliament for almost three hours to give parliamentarians time to discuss and agree a way forward.

Mr Motanyane adjourned parliament after stating that citizens had “a right to petition their legislators on everything that might be discussed in parliament”.  This means citizens who are not parliamentarians like Ms Senyane can bring issues of concern before the legislators.

Adv Rakuoane agreed to the adjournment and thereafter the government and opposition legislators huddled in two separate caucuses to discuss the DPE’s petition.

The government leaders’ caucus was made of Dr Thabane and his coalition partners; Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki of the Alliance of Democrats (AD), Labour Minister Keketso Rantšo of the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL), Communications Minister Thesele Maseribane of the Basotho National Party (BNP), Energy Minister Ntoi Rapapa and Home Affairs Minister Mokhele Moletsane (both AD) and Water Minister Samonyane Ntsekele from Dr Thabane’s ABC.

The government meeting was joined by legislators from the four governing parties – the ABC, AD, BNP and the RCL.

Even pro-Mahao ABC legislators, most notably Thabo Sophonea (Thaba-Bosiu), Nyapane Kaya (Mechachane), Fako Moshoeshoe (Mabote), Sentje Lebona (Mohale’s Hoek), Motlatsi Maqelepo (Berea) and Matebatso Doti (Lithabaneng) joined the government side for consultations.

The opposition caucus comprised of Adv Rakuoane, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader Mothetjoa Metsing,  the Democratic Congress (DC)’s  Mathibeli Mokhothu, Movement for Economic Change (MEC) leader Selibe Mochoboroane,  Basotho Congress Party (BCP) head Thulo Mahlakeng, Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) boss Moeketse Malebo and Democratic Party of Lesotho (DBP) leader Limpho Tau.

The two separate caucuses went on for about an hour and thereafter the legislators mingled and courted each other on the way forward.

Parliament reconvened almost three hours later at about 5:55pm and Mr Motanyane called on Adv Rakuoane to make his submission.

“The honourable speaker of parliament…As per the consultations that we went for, I have been advised that it would be unwise to go ahead with the proposal for the suspension of the powers of a relevant committee. We have reached an agreement to withdraw this motion to give the committee and interested parties the opportunity to make submissions on this (constitutional amendment) bill,” Adv Rakuoane said to applause from some of the legislators from the government side.

Mr Motanyane subsequently announced the withdrawal of the motion. This means that Adv Rakuoane’s bill will now have to go through the normal processes including presentation before the Law and Public Safety Portfolio Committee for scrutiny.

Adv Rakuoane, fellow opposition legislators and the Mahao camp were eager to fast-track the constitutional amendment bill to ensure that Dr Thabane does not survive a successful no confidence vote by advising King Letsie III to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections.

Despite the motion being filed in June 2019, Dr Thabane has hung on after parliament was abruptly adjourned soon after Mr Koma had filed it.

Although no reasons were given for the move, it is widely believed that the adjournment was to give Dr Thabane ample time to resolve the power struggle in his fractious party.

However, talks between Dr Thabane and Prof Mahao have failed to end the infighting in the ABC and the Mahao faction and the opposition resumed their bid to oust the premier after parliament was re-opened on 18 October 2019.

The post Setback for bid to oust Thabane appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• says burglary stems from “baseless claims” that he keeps M10 million cash from tenders

’Marafaele Mohloboli

THE Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works, Mothabathe Hlalele, says he fears for his life after burglars this week broke into his offices in Maseru and got away with a computer, printer and M4000 cash stashed in his drawer.

The break-in could have occurred on Tuesday night or early yesterday as it was only discovered yesterday morning when Mr Hlalele reported for work.

The Lesotho Times crew visited the principal secretary’s offices yesterday and saw papers strewn all over the floor, wide open drawers and a safe which Mr Hlalele said had been moved from where it was usually kept. The safe had one of its sides partially grinded probably in an attempt to open it.

A visibly shaken Mr Hlalele said it was a mystery how the criminals broke into his offices without being detected by the security officers. He also said only his office had been broken into and he could not rule out the possibility that this was an inside job. Or it could have been orchestrated by members of his own All Basotho Convention (ABC) who mistakenly believed that he was Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s blue-eyed boy.

He said the incident occurred barely a fortnight after he approached Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli to inform him that he no longer felt safe and needed protection because of widespread rumours that he was an extremely wealthy man who kept at least 10 million in cash at his home or offices. He said the police commissioner had since given him security because he did not feel safe and “I fear for my life and that of my kids”.

He said only an HP laptop, a toner cartridge and M4000 had been stolen from his offices. He said although the burglars did not steal much, the incident had shaken him and left him fearing the worst after recent allegations on social media that he had M10million stashed in his house. He said some people believed that he had so much money because he occupied the “hottest seat in the country”- that of principal secretary for a ministry in charge of all the government tenders for construction jobs.

“As soon as I heard those rumours, I approached the office of the commissioner of police and told him that I no longer felt safe as people might break into my house thinking that I have money,” said Mr Hlalele.

“The rumour that I could have that kind of money lying around is the one that has caused this. This is a war that has been declared on me by people who think that I have money from alleged bribes in return for tenders.

“I occupy the hottest seat and I am fingered whenever something goes wrong (with the tenders). There are people who believe that I keep the alleged M10million in a safe at work hence the attempt to open the safe. It is sad to see that there are people who believe that I could have so much money just lying around.”

He said it was a mystery how the criminals could have broken into his offices without being detected by the security officers.

“Only my office has been broken into. The CCTV footage will help us with leads in this case. This break-in could have been orchestrated by any of my colleagues in (ABC) party circles as there are some who see me as a threat and accuse me of being favoured by the prime minister. Anything is possible and this could have been done by anyone. Not so long ago there were some contractors who said since I was not reshuffled, they would remove me by any means. There are so many suspects and I even suspect some of the officers in this ministry.

“There is need for my security to be beefed up because I don’t feel safe anymore. I fear for my life and that of my kids. The national economy is weak and people can do anything to lay hands on any amount of money and I have spoken with the commissioner of police to deploy some police officers to my place because I feel threatened.

“The break-in is a reminder that one day I will die and being alive is like walking on a very thin line which might be cut someday by someone without even notifying me.”

He said although he was “traumatised, people should know that I am not going to quit my job for anything.

“I am staying put to serve the nation because leaving would only mean that the perpetrators have won. It would be as good as letting them run the show in terms of deciding who gets appointed into which office and who gets to be fired.

“Even if I wanted to be reshuffled, it is not my call to make. Quitting would mean that this country would be run by criminals. God help them so that the police find them before I do. If I find them first, they will rue the day they ransacked my office. I will kill them with my bare hands,” said Mr Hlalele whose initial fear had given way to anger.

Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, said investigations were still ongoing.

The post PS fears for his life after break-in at offices appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Staff Reporter

THE government is nowhere near securing a financial rescue package from the International Money Fund (IMF), almost 18 months after it first began negotiations with the Bretton Woods institution for the bailout.

Instead an IMF delegation which was recently in the country for talks “on the economic outlook in the context of its regular surveillance activities” wants the government to rein in on its high expenditure on large projects, salaries of civil servants and to cut down on foreign trips.

The Joseph Thornton-led IMF team visited Lesotho from 6 to 13 November 2019.

A statement issued after the visit by Mr Thornton did not say anything about Lesotho’s request for a financial bailout. The statement only focused on the IMF demands which it expects the government to implement to “maintain a sustainable fiscal position”. If at all an agreement on a financial rescue package will be reached between the two parties, it can only be in early 2020 when the IMF delegation visits Lesotho again.

The government and the IMF have been in discussions since June 2018 for the bailout which Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro says will help to reduce the budget deficit and boost foreign currency reserves.

Dr Majoro previously expressed confidence that an agreement would be reached by the end of August 2018 but this has not been the case.

When it became apparent that a deal would not be reached in August 2018, Dr Majoro said in subsequent interviews that the negotiations were continuing and it would be premature to say when they would be concluded.

“The interaction with the IMF is continuing and it is premature to respond to any of your questions (about when the deal for the financial bailout will be reached),” Dr Majoro said in one of the interviews.

He said the discussions with the IMF and other development partners were about “putting together a package of measures that would ease the current situation (of the budget deficit and the government’s failure to timeously pay service providers) while protecting the vulnerable segments of population”.

“The type of support we are seeking is called foreign currency reserve support. It differs with project support in that it supports the financing of (foreign currency) reserves build-up as well as the budget and deficit.”

Dr Majoro did not disclose how much the government had asked for, saying the size of the bailout package would be determined by both parties during the talks.

Last time the IMF visited the country in February 2019, Mr Thornton refused to commit to any specific timeframe by which the IMF would have given Lesotho the rescue package. Instead, Mr Thornton merely told the Lesotho Times in an exclusive interview that negotiations between the parties were on-going and the IMF team was “always willing to come back whenever the government wants to talk”.

But almost 18 months after the two sides began talking, there is still no deal. Even after the latest visit by Mr Thornton and his team a week ago, there are still no indications as to when a deal will be agreed on if at all.

Rather, a statement issued by Mr Thornton after the 6 to 13 November 2019 visit to Lesotho, shows that the IMF is unlikely to release any funds as it is still worried about the government’s failure to meet its prescriptions which include reining in on high expenditure on the civil servants’ wage bill and “large projects which have major implications for the country’s debt burden and fiscal sustainability”.

The IMF has even come up with additional demands for the government to eliminate ghost workers from its payroll as well as to cut down on spending on foreign embassies and foreign trips by government officials.

“While the authorities’ efforts to maintain economic stability have ensured that international reserves remain at adequate levels, Lesotho continues to face challenges in adjusting to a context of lower Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenues. With sluggish growth limiting the potential for domestic tax receipts, an improved outlook for government finances will require strong policy actions on spending.

“In this context, effective expenditure controls, including careful vetting of new projects and their financing, will be more important than ever. This particularly applies to large projects which have major implications for the country’s debt burden and fiscal sustainability. Investment should support the achievement of key development objectives, including growth, job creation, and poverty reduction.

“The constrained environment for government finances implies a need to keep public sector wages in check until such time as efforts to increase the size of the economy through private-sector driven growth can bear fruit. Some savings may be generated by eliminating ghost workers.

“Other current expenditures, such as on travel and foreign embassies, should be reviewed with the aim of eliminating waste. At the same time, greater efforts should be made to ensure that budgetary allocations are sufficient to protect the most vulnerable, including from the effects of recent poor harvests,” Mr Thornton.

The IMF however, promised to return in “early 2020 for the annual consultation for IMF member countries” meaning that a deal for the rescue package cannot agreed before then.

The post No IMF bailout this year appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Following the Lesotho Times article published last week, titled ‘DCEO INVESTIGATES FORMER BANK CHIEF FOR ALLEGED CORRUPTION’, I, Mpho Vumbukani have sought the right of reply in order to set the record straight. This becomes important given that Lesotho Times published the article without approaching me to get my views on these unfounded allegations.

First and foremost, the article presented false allegations, which are clearly intended to tarnish my good reputation. The transaction relating to the property in question, that was entered into between myself and the bank was clearly above board. There is documentary proof to this effect. Secondly, I have never had any personal transactions with a foreign broker or received any bribes as purported in the article.

This therefore begs the question as to who is behind this story which amongst others, narrates a property sale transaction which occurred seven years ago. Why is this negative narrative against me being pushed now?

State institutions such as the DCEO should therefore professionally engage me when there are genuine matters to be investigated. In this case, I can sense some abuse of state institutions and the media by some unknown forces. As a banker myself, I am aware that any bank would avoid commenting on internal client issues or transactions to the media and I personally would not like to engage on these issues through the media. However, having been pushed to this corner, I found it prudent to explain myself and challenge these false corruption allegations which were published last week.

When I joined Standard Lesotho Bank in 2011, the bank had already embarked upon selling some of the properties which were deemed excess to its requirements. Some of these properties were sold to staff members and the general public even before I joined the bank. It is only in 2012 when I expressed interest to my superiors to purchase the property referred to in the article. I followed the required processes and got approvals from both the Standard Lesotho Bank Board of Directors and the relevant

Standard Bank group executives to purchase the property. It is mind boggling that I can buy a property that the Bank is selling for more than M 3 million in terms of its valuation then and duly pay the bank and that is deemed corruption.

This article published last week further talks about the bank’s procurement policy of 2018, which it is claimed that I contravened. How could I purchase a property in 2012 and be rendered to have contravened the 2018 policy? It is indeed not true that the bank’s policies were disregarded.

I should also clarify that the sale and deed of transfer of the property was effected in 2012. The Bank then approached me to enter into a separate tenancy agreement with them in January 2013 after an expatriate employee requested to stay in that property after his contract extension. Relevant authorities within the Standard Bank Group approved the tenancy agreement and limited it to the tenure of the expatriate employee who had made this specific request to stay in this property. This expatriate employee could have been relocated to other bank houses which were vacant then and are still vacant now, but he requested to stay at House No 1 and the bank facilitated that.

The decisions relating to his accommodation were not made by myself as the chief executive then but by my superiors within the Standard Bank Group.

I was very much surprised to learn from last week’s article that the DCEO is investigating me. To date, nobody from the DCEO has ever approached me regarding the alleged investigation. I find it very unprofessional that an investigation can be undertaken and even confirmed to the media without me being approached to give my side of the story. I have all the documents that relate to the purchase of

House No 1 which I can provide to the DCEO as and when required. Even the bank leadership can be approached to provide their documents regarding this transaction. One wonders as to who is the complainant on this matter who does not want to come to the open but hides behind State institutions.

Since when has the DCEO been an investigator of the bank’s internal policies and matters?

I have also noted with concern allegations against me about bribes from a foreign broker. I have never had any personal transactions with either brokers or farmers. My only interactions with them have been in my official capacity as the bank’s chief executive whereby I was simply dealing with them as Bank clients. All payments or transfers were handled by their respective Relationship Managers in Business Banking.

As the chief executive, one does not handle client’s payments at all, so the allegations that I delayed payments from being processed to farmers are baseless and false. The bank’s management can be contacted if need be to clarify how payments are processed and explain what caused the delays.

I should explain that by virtue of my role as the chief executive then, I also led the bank’s team in the presentations made and meetings held with both cabinet sub-committee and parliament sub-committee on wool and mohair. This I performed officially as the chief executive of Standard Lesotho Bank.

I therefore find it odd that the wool and mohair issues have been heaped around me and false allegations thrown at me as a person. I kindly appeal that the nation should not be misled or misinformed about the payments to wool and mohair farmers. The intention may have been to make me a scape goat for the policy failures arising from the 2018 wool and mohair regulations which

Parliament has recently recommended that they ought to be repealed given the damage they have caused to the sector.

In conclusion, I should emphasize that I have served my country with integrity over the years that I had the privilege to lead in the financial sector and I shall not allow people with bad intentions to destroy my reputation with unfounded allegations. As a law abiding citizen, I am willing to be subjected to proper investigation by the authorities. However, I vehemently challenge abuse of institutions by people with ill intentions to drive personal vendettas. Jealousy, greed and abuse of power and authority will destroy this great nation if left unattended.

The post Top Banker Sets Record Straight appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• additional charges stem from the August 2014 attempted coup against Thabane’s first govt

Mohalenyane Phakela/Pascalinah Kabi

FORMER army commander, Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, and others will soon face treason charges in connection with the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against the first government of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, government sources have revealed.

Yesterday the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Hlalefang Motinyane, refused to comment on the issue saying “criminal charges are not communicated through the press.

“The press and the public only get to learn about charges preferred against suspects when they have finally been preferred in a court of law,” Advocate Motinyane said in a telephone call from Johannesburg where she was attending a meeting.

However, judicial sources close to the developments said treason charges would be brought against Lt-Gen Kamoli and others in connection with the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against Dr Thabane.

Lt-Gen Kamoli and several soldiers are already facing murder and attempted murder charges. During their 22 October 2019 court appearance the chief prosecutor Adv Shaun Abrahams asked Botswana judge, Justice Onkemetse Tshosa, for more time as the state wanted to prefer more unspecified charges against them and add more suspects to their case.

Last Friday, Justice Tshosa granted Adv Abrahams’ request for more time to prefer the additional charges against Lt-Gen Kamoli and others and postponed the matter to 21 January 2020.

“The court orders that the Lesotho Correctional Services should ensure that the accused are at court by 8am on 21 January 2020,” Justice Tshosa ordered.

This after Adv Abrahams had told the court that he and the police were still busy compiling the charges which he said “revolved around 29 and 30 August 2014 which was an evening and morning of mayhem”.

“The facts surrounding the charges is not as simple as I had thought and it revolves around 29 and 30 August 2014 which was an evening and morning of mayhem,” Adv Abrahams told the court.

“During the previous court appearance I indicated that the police were investigating another matter regarding the incidents of those days and I have had the opportunity to peruse the evidence collected by police. There are technical legal issues and material facts connected with it and therefore the past two weeks were not enough (to prefer the additional charges).

“However, we met with the investigating officer and gave ourselves a deadline and we promise that by the 21 January 2020 date, all will be clear regarding the said charges. We want this matter to be finalised in the interests of justice……”

Although Adv Abrahams did not elaborate on the charges, judicial sources told the Lesotho Times that the state intended to press treason charges.

“The state wants to prefer treason charges against Lt-Gen Kamoli and others who were allegedly involved in the attempted coup of 2014. This has been a long time coming because the state wanted to ensure that it had a water-tight case before proceeding. The state even engaged a private law firm to study the events of 29 to 30 August 2014 and prepare its legal opinion on the issue,” a source within the judiciary told this publication this week.

Another source told this publication that the government wanted to press the treason charges as per its undertaking to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state Double Troika Summit in Luanda, Angola in April 2018

At that summit, the government presented its report on the political and security situation in Lesotho and indicated that treason charges would preferred on the suspects “who include some soldiers who are already in custody facing other charges”.

Lt-Gen Kamoli is currently in custody at the Maximum Security Prison and among other cases, he is awaiting a murder trial in connection with the 30 August 2014 killing of Police Sub-Inspector, Mokheseng Ramahloko.

Sub-Inspector Ramahloko was shot and killed by soldiers who stormed the police headquarters in Maseru as the attempted coup got underway the same day. The soldiers who allegedly acted on the instructions of the then army commander, Lt-Gen Kamoli, also raided several other police stations in Maseru and seized an assortment of weapons. There was bad blood between the police, then led by now local government principal secretary Khothatso Tsooana, and the army then commanded by Lt-Gen Kamoli.

Three other army officers namely, Captain Litekanyo Nyakane (38), Lance Corporal Motloheloa Ntsane (34) and Lance Corporal Leutsoa Motsieloa (31) are charged alongside Lt-Gen Kamoli in the murder of Sub-Inspector Ramahloko. The three are also in detention with Lt-Gen Kamoli at the Maseru Maximum Prison.

Last year, the Lesotho Times obtained a confidential report prepared by a leading law firm commissioned by the office of the DPP to help in formulating the charges to be preferred against all the suspects in the 30 August 2014 attempted coup.

The report recommended  that at least three cabinet ministers in the first Thabane coalition, which ruled from 2012 to 2015, and 15 Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) officers  face several charges including treason for their part in the 30 August 2014 events.

The DPP’s office had requested the law firm to state whether or not there were any prosecutable offences arising from the army’s raids on various police stations which set off a chain of events culminating in Dr Thabane’s flight to South Africa that year. Dr Thabane only returned to Lesotho under heavy South African police guard.

The law firm’s report recommended that three former ministers and 15 soldiers be charged with treason, contravention of internal security regulations, murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault kidnapping or unlawful detention, robbery and malicious or unlawful damage to property, among others.

The three former ministers, according to the law firm’s report, “met with the army officers and planned and executed the operation of 29 to 30 August 2014”.

“The salient facts that led to the events of 30 August 2014 was the removal of the then army commander, Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli on 29 August 2014 by the then Prime Minister Thabane and the appointment of the late Lt-Gen Maaparankoe Mahao as the commander.

“This move by Dr Thabane became unpopular and was not well received by Lt-Gen Kamoli and most of the army command as well as some coalition partners in government, in particular, members of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD).

“In the evening of 29 August 2014, the removed army commander Lt-Gen Kamoli called an urgent meeting of senior members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) at Makoanyane Barracks (in Maseru),” the law firm states in its report.

“It was in this meeting that Lt-Gen Kamoli informed the senior LDF members that he had received intelligence that the police were going to hand over guns to some members of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) which they will use to shoot and kill members of the LCD on 1 September 2014 during the LCD’s political rally to protest the prorogation of parliament.

“Lt-Gen Kamoli said the army had to intervene and stop the police from handing over guns to the ABC. There was more to this operation than what was suggested by Lt-Gen Kamoli and his LDF command,” the law firm states.

The law firm further states that Lt-Gen Kamoli’s “so-called intelligence” which was the basis of the authorisation to conduct the army operation on 29 to 30 August 2014 was unfounded, unlawful and malicious in all material aspects.

“Firstly, there was no supporting evidence or any evidence at all, to suggest that indeed there was ‘intelligence’ that members of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) were going to hand over guns to ABC members to shoot and kill members of the LCD.

“The only tangible evidence is that LCD members were pained that parliament was prorogued at the time when there was a motion of no confidence against Dr Thabane. Secondly, three army officers met with three (former) cabinet ministers to plan the whole operation and justify it to the nation,” the law firm states.

The firm said it was clear that the three former ministers and the LDF command were bent on coercing the government to accept the demands of the opposition parties who desired to oust Dr Thabane from office.

“Another factor that makes the operation unlawful is the fact that during the day of the 29^th of August 2014, Lt-Gen Mahao was appointed the new commander of the LDF by Dr Thabane acting in accordance with Section 145 (4) of the constitution of 1999. This means Lt-Gen Kamoli had been removed as commander of LDF and was no longer occupying the office of the commander of the LDF in the evening of 29 August 2014.

“In order to disguise and hide behind their unlawful actions, some or all of the persons committed or knowingly with intention, failed to prevent or report treasonable acts of 29 to 30 August 2014.

“When examining closely the incidents of 29 to 30 August 2014, all the requirements of high treason…were met. All persons who participated in the events of August 2014 are citizens of Lesotho who owe allegiance to the Kingdom of Lesotho….They acted with the intention to overthrow the government or coerce it by force.

“What makes matters worse is that some of the persons who participated in the conspiracy to commit the offense of treason as contemplated under Section 74 were cabinet ministers while others were high ranking LDF officials who were expected to respect and uphold the constitution of Lesotho,” the law firm states in its report.

The post Kamoli to face treason charges appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

SPEAKER of Parliament Sephiri Motanyane has thrown out a no confidence motion against Prime Minister Thomas Thabane saying it has no basis in law and parliamentary practice.

But members of parliament bidding to oust Thabane immediately lambasted the Speaker’s “biased” action and vowed to reject his ruling and restore the motion using parliamentary procedures and regulations.

Although Speaker Motinyane’s ruling is an obvious blow, at least for now, to the opposition and the Nqosa Mahao-led faction of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), who have united in seeking the premier’s ouster, they nevertheless see it as a minor and temporary setback. Their immediate concern is to first push through an amendment to the constitution barring the prime minister from dissolving parliament if he loses a no confidence motion (see story on page 8). Once that is done, they would then focus on the no confidence motion itself.

Mr Motanyane threw out the motion yesterday on the grounds that it did not have “any basis in both the constitution and in the practice of parliament”. This is all despite a legal opinion from Attorney General Haae Phoofolo’s advising the Speaker that the no confidence motion had essentially been properly filed.  The Mahao faction had been within their rights to file the motion as any MP was entitled to file any motion of their choice without any let or hindrance. That was in fact the very essence of democracy, Advocate Phoofolo had advised.

The no confidence motion was originally filed in June 2019 by Motebang Koma, the ABC’s Koro-Koro constituency legislator and it was seconded by opposition Democratic Congress (DC) deputy leader, Motlalentoa Letsosa.

Mr Koma proposed that the ABC’s Mosalemane constituency legislator, Samuel Rapapa, takes over as caretaker prime minister and effectively warm the seat for Prof Mahao. Prof Mahao is not a legislator and could therefore not be nominated to replace Dr Thabane despite his election as the latter’s deputy at the party’s contentious February 2019 elective conference.

Much to the chagrin of the pro-Mahao legislators and their opposition allies, parliament had then been indefinitely adjourned since June, without a vote on the motion. This after Mr Motanyane, ruled that the motion did not meet “procedural and constitutional requirements” for it to be accepted. He said the motion ought to have been filed by the opposition and not by Mr Koma, an ABC legislator. He also said the motion was flawed in that it proposed Mr Rapapa as the caretaker prime minister instead of an opposition leader.

“In terms of parliamentary procedure, it is the opposition that files a motion expressing lack of confidence in the government…,” Mr Motanyane had said then.

“I am not being naughty in saying that Ntate Koma, the proposer of the motion, is part of the government. Even the nominee for the caretaker prime minister’s post, Honourable Rapapa is part of the government. I have not seen that in my long years in parliament,” he added in the June 2019 remarks that were subsequently trashed by Adv Phoofolo.

In the legal opinion he prepared for Mr Motanyane in August, Adv Phoofolo said denying any legislator the right to file a motion against the executive was “undemocratic and inimical to the right to participate in the public affairs of the country and the function of parliament to exercise control over the executive”.

Shortly after receiving Adv Phoofolo’s opinion, Mr Motanyane said Mr Koma was free to proceed with his motion if he so wished.

But in a new turn of events yesterday, Mr Motanyane threw out the motion, citing his original arguments that Mr Koma’s motion could not be tabled and debated in parliament because it had not been filed by a member of the opposition as per parliamentary conventions.

He said although he had sought and obtained Adv Phoofolo’s opinion on the issue, the opinion was not binding and he was free to rule as he saw fit on the admissibility of the motion.

“This is the decision of the chair,” he said, adding, “my considered ruling is that it (no confidence motion) is not admissible”.

“I repeat, my ruling is that this motion, as it is, is inadmissible…This motion is not acceptable because it does not have a basis both in the constitution and in the practice of parliament,” Mr Motanyane said. He said his ruling was based on section 87 (2) of the constitution which states that “the king shall appoint as prime minister a member of the national assembly who appears to the Council of State to be the leader of a political party or a coalition of political parties that will command the support of the majority of the members of the national assembly”.

He also said his decision was based on the writings of a 19^th century British parliamentary affairs expert, Erskine May, who said that no confidence motions were filed by the opposition “expressing lack of confidence in the government or criticising its general conduct”.

The gist of Mr Motanyane’s argument was that the no confidence motion could not stand because it was filed by Mr Koma, a member of the ruling ABC and not the opposition. The motion was also flawed in that it proposed Mr Rapapa for the premiership when he was an ordinary member of the ruling ABC and not a leader of the opposition.

This means that, according to Mr Motanyane, a fresh motion would have to be filed by the opposition and it should propose a leader of the opposition to take over from Dr Thabane for it to be acceptable.

DC leader Mothibeli Mokhothu said last night the opposition had already challenged Mr Motanyane’s ruling by filing a motion to enable legislators to debate and set it aside as allowed by parliament’s own rules.

“By the time we left parliament buildings today (yesterday), we had already filed a motion seeking to set aside the speaker’s ruling. This was made in accordance with standing orders that allow members to challenge decisions of the speaker.

“The no confidence motion will be back in parliament for debate after parliamentarians have set aside today’s (yesterday’s) ruling,” Mr Mokhothu said.

ABC spokesperson Montoeli Masoetsa said they were not surprised by Mr Motanyane’s behavior because they had anticipated the ruling. But the most immediate task was to achieve the constitutional amendment stopping the PM from dissolving parliament if he loses a no confidence vote.  The actual no confidence vote would then follow.

“We anticipated that this would happen and it is not a setback. Parliamentarians have already filed a motion challenging today’s decision by the Speaker but we are not bothered. Our immediate worry is to get rid of legal hurdles that empower the Prime Minister to dissolve parliament whenever they lose no confidence ballots. I am happy that we are on the right track to achieve that.

“There is no stopping the motion of no confidence and it will eventually be filed and it will succeed. This (ruling) is just a delaying tactic because they know very well that they have run out of options and they have no hiding place,” Mr Masoetsa said.

The post Motanyane rejects no confidence motion against Thabane appeared first on Lesotho Times.

•  pleads with First Lady and ABC officials to allow him to rest
• says he has lost his mojo and has become an “international embarrassment”

Mohalenyane Phakela

PRIME Minister Thomas Thabane’s daughter, Advocate ‘Mabatṧoeneng Hlaele, has issued an impassioned plea to First Lady ’Maesaiah Thabane and other senior All Basotho Convention (ABC) and government officials to allow the veteran leader to retire from office saying he had become an international embarrassment.

In an interview on a local radio station this week, an emotional Adv Hlaele, nee Nkoea Thabane, said it was time for her father to step down as he had now become a parody of his former vibrant self and was merely being used by selfish people who benefited from having his official signature on government documents.

The forthright lawyer said even if her 80 year old father should hate her for calling for his retirement, it had to be understood that she was motivated by her love for him and could not stand and watch him become the laughing stock of the country and the world.

“Mr Thabane is not fit to be the prime minister and if you love him, I ask that he be allowed to rest,” said Adv Hlaele, adding that matters had “reached a point whereby Ntate Thabane has become an embarrassment internationally”.

“Honestly, there is no reason why Ntate Tom is still the prime minister and he should be given room to rest. I say this with my head held high as Ntate Thabane’s child. You can crucify me for that, Basotho.

“Let go of Mr Thabane and allow him to retire. I plead with you all so that he may go home and rest. I have nothing to lose if he should get home and one day say that ‘Nkoea disgusts me, I do not want to see her’. This is because I have had 49 years of basking in his love. But I refuse to allow my love (Dr Thabane) to be a laughing stock. I would have failed him if I did.

“If my siblings, uncles and aunts feel what I am saying does not sit well with them, they should please forgive me. I ask that they be kind to me, I do not like the situation my father has found himself in because I don’t want him to be laughed at. There are children born in the 1990s who when Tom Thabane is spoken of they ask, ‘which one, the clown?’  This is because they do not know about Tom the legend and I want to protect that legacy.”

She said she despised people who used Dr Thabane and even wrote speeches for him to achieve their own ends.

She said during his prime in the 1980s and 19990s Dr Thabane did not even need a written speech because he knew issues so well and could articulate them from the top of his head. He however, could no longer do that because of a medical condition she did not explain.

“Wherever he arrives he is simply handed a paper with a speech. But the Ntate Thabane that people from 1980s know is not a speech person. If Ntate Thabane was fully aware of his surroundings he would not need a written speech to communicate. I challenge any person that knows Ntate Thabane to contradict me when I say that he does not need a written speech to articulate governance, policy and leadership issues.

“I am not a medical doctor but I think there are things happening that are beyond his control because of his medical condition. The Tom Thabane that I know and the one that anybody who lived in the 1980s and 1990s knows is a Tom Thabane who does not need a written speech. International relations are at his fingertips.”

She said God will punish those who forced him to remain in office for their selfish ends.

“Truthfully speaking, the Mr Thabane I know does not want to be the prime minister at this stage in his life. I detest people who use him to their advantage because I do not see any reason why Ntate Thabane is still the prime minister except to protect some people’s interests. I remember hearing some people saying at one of the ABC rallies that the thing they loved most about Ntate Thabane was his signature because when he signs off a document it becomes authentic. These are the conditions we live under, where Ntate Thabane is only useful for his signature.

“Woe to those who allowed Ntate Thabane to reach this point (of infirmity). I feel bad for them because when the Lord’s wrath catches up with them, it will wipe away the tears of the children of Ntate Thabane who speak the truth, those children who cry on a daily basis for that man.”

Adv Hlaele also pleaded First Lady, ‘Maesaiah Thabane, and other senior ABC and government officials to allow Dr Thabane to go into retirement.

“I am a very strong woman but this issue (of Dr Thabane) is not easy for me. I try to walk with my head held high and pretend to be fine but this wound is festering. If ‘Maesaiah loves Ntate Thabane, she must look at him with an honest eye as if he was Ntate Ramoholi (‘Maesaiah father) and ask herself if she would want the same to happen to him. That is how I feel about this matter and if I am wrong, I ask for forgiveness….

“Ntate Thabane has a lot of children, some of whom are not his biological children and we call them Ma-ABC (ABC members). I don’t blame them when they say they are his children. They love him perhaps even more than I do but if they love Ntate Thabane they will emulate his good principles. No one has seen or heard any of us the four biological children of Ntate Thabane swearing in public. Even if we drink alcohol, no one will ever see us staggering in the streets. So those that say they love Ntate Thabane more than I do, I say please emulate his good principles that he propounds.

“One of my father’s greatest passions is exquisite clothes. My father loves to be fashionable. I will love him even when he is no longer fashionable. In my house, there is a room where Ntate Thabane will live in when the world no longer needs him. It has everything. If he will need a nurse I will hire one for him.”

Adv Hlaele said it was time for her father to let go because he had a cushy retirement package and a home which is awaiting him when he steps down from party and government positions.

“I am not saying this in an arrogant manner but just like Ntate (Pakalitha) Mosisili and others, the state has guaranteed Ntate Thabane a generous pension. What more would Mr Thabane want at 80? What more would he want?

“He has a home. He has a legacy that is still burning bright to this day,” Adv Hlaele said.

Adv Hlaele, who is married to ABC secretary general, Lebohang Hlaele, a close ally of Dr Thabane’s estranged party deputy, Professor Nqosa Mahao, has not enjoyed the best of relationships with her father in recent times.

In July 2019, Dr Thabane addressed a party rally in Qeme and hit out at Adv Hlaele for taking up the cudgels on behalf of the premier’s antagonist, Prof Mahao, in the battle for control of the ABC.

The premier also tore into his son-in-law, Mr Hlaele, suggesting that he had only entered into a loveless marriage of convenience with his daughter so that he could one day take over the ABC.

And last week, a leaked audio surfaced where Adv Hlaele attacked her father and the First Lady for allegedly meddling in her marriage.

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