• one of the suspects burnt beyond recognition in retributive mob justice killings

Nthatuoa Koeshe

A FEMALE student at Lerotholi Polytechnic was raped and murdered in Thabong, Maseru, last Friday.

Enraged by the horrific incident, Thabong villagers on Saturday morning took the law into their own hands and murdered two of the men suspected of raping and murdering the student. The name of the victim has been withheld by the police until her next of kin have been informed.

Police spokesperson, Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, confirmed the rape and murder of the student. He also confirmed an angry mob had apprehended three suspects the following morning and savagely beat them before setting two of them alight.

He said after they received a report that the body of a 20-year-old woman had been discovered in Thabong, they went to the scene of the crime. He said they managed to rescue the first suspect from a mob which was in the process of meting out instant justice through beatings.

He said two other suspects were later apprehended by the mob, savagely beaten before being set on fire. One was burnt beyond recognition and died on the spot while the other later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

“One of the suspects was burnt beyond recognition while another was saved from the fire and rushed to hospital where he later died,” Supt Mopeli said.

“A third suspect was beaten to pulp and remains in police custody.

While we condemn such barbaric deeds of rape and murder, we are also against mob justice and appeal to communities to report to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands. That does not solve anything,” he added.

A woman who lives near the late student, this week told the Lesotho Times that she was awoken by loud screams from the deceased’s lodgings late on Friday.  She said she looked through his window and saw a man attempting to enter the now deceased woman’s house through the window. She could not help as she felt vulnerable herself.

“I saw a man attempting to enter the house though a window and I banged my window to make him aware that I was watching him but that did not deter him,” said ‘Malebohang Makoetla who lives with her two teenage granddaughters.

She said the now deceased woman bolted from her house into the night, screaming at the top of her voice for help but no one came to her rescue.

“After what I had witnessed, I couldn’t sleep. I kept wondering what had happened to the woman until the morning when I heard that there was a body of a young girl which had been discovered right next to where we stay,” Ms Makoetla said.

She said the murder had traumatised her and left her fearing for the safety of her two granddaughters.

She endorsed the mob justice, saying it would probably deter like-minded criminals from attacking vulnerable women.

“We live among young rebellious men who spend the day doing nothing and that gives them time to examine this small village and target their victims,” she said.

Her views on mob justice were not supported by the local chief, Khotsi Gwele, who said the police could have prevented the attacks and deaths of the suspects had they promptly attended to the crime scene.

“The police arrived much later even though we had called them at about 6am. If they had arrived earlier, they could have prevented the lynching of the suspects by the angry crowd.

“The wait for the police was too long. People were angry at what had happened and so they resorted to mob justice,” he said.

He said the police arrived much later to find a mob in the process of assaulting a suspect and rescued him. Before he was taken away by the police, the suspect named his two accomplices and the mob searched and found them after the police had already left. The suspects were beaten and set ablaze leading to their deaths.

The woman’s rape and murder is the latest in the long line of brutal rapes and killings of women and girls in the country.

Some of the suspects remain at large and those who are well known are not brought to trial, in a show of the flagrant incompetence of the police and the criminal justice system.

The post Lerotholi student raped, murdered appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Staff Reporter

LESOTHO’S legislators are hogging the spotlight with their demands for a whopping 100 percent salary increment- a demand analysts say is “heartless and selfish” given the parlous state of the economy.

Their salary demands are not new as they were first made in November 2018.

At the time, the MPs who are also lavished with a number of perks including M500 000 interest free loans, also demanded that they be eligible for pensions after serving for only two years in the House. They are presently only eligible for pensions after serving two five-year terms.

Back then the MPs even coerced the then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane into ordering his then Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro to establish an inter-ministerial team to consider a revised salary structure for them.

A massive public outcry eventually forced the MPs and the government to abandon the proposals to award the legislators salary increments.

While the salary demands appear to have united legislators from across the political divide, they have however estranged them from the larger society including their constituents, who rightly argue that the government cannot afford such a fancy scum. It should instead channel scare resources to the fight against the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and other more pressing socio-economic initiatives to improve the lives of ordinary people.

Even if the economy was in a much healthier position, analysts say, resources should not be expended in feathering the nests of politicians. They should be used in improving the lot of Basotho who live in abject misery and poverty.   The MPs already rank amongst some of the highest paid people in the Kingdom. Yet a big chunk of the population, including hard working factory workers, the largest segment of workers after civil servants, earn barely enough to get by.

Aware of the backlash over the MPs’ outrageous salary demands, ABC parliamentary caucus chairperson ‘Mathato Phafoli tried to downplay the issue, saying although the legislators wanted salary increments, they were not demanding 100 percent increments to take them to M75 000 each per month.

But in seeking to downplay the issue, Ms Phafoli only succeeded in opening the window to reveal the even greater extent of the MPs’ selfishness and insensitivity.

“I don’t know where the M75 000 figure is coming from,” Ms Phafoli told the  Sunday Express last weekend.

“People are making up stories.  All that the MPs want is a review of their salaries but not to that figure.

“All legislators sat down and agreed that MPs’ salaries should be reviewed in line with salaries of their Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) counterparts. In other countries, MPs’ diplomatic passports are not revoked when they lose their seats. They continue to enjoy their former benefits and that is what Lesotho legislators want. They also want an official funeral when they die even after their terms have ended,” Ms Phafoli said.

By her own admission, MPs want salaries at par with their SADC counterparts even though it’s obvious Lesotho cannot afford that. Former finance minister now Prime Minister Dr Majoro has eloquently explained that Lesotho can only pay salaries that its  depressed economy can afford.  It boggles, the mind how a Lesotho MP expects a salary at par with a counterpart from South Africa, whose economy is a million times bigger than ours. Or even Botswana, Namibia and Angola, countries with viable economies and wealth?

This only shows our politicians go into politics for one thing; their own aggrandisement instead of serving the people, analysts note.

By revealing that the MPs want to continue enjoying their benefits even beyond their tenure, including hanging on to their diplomatic passports as well as being given state funerals, among other things, Ms Phafoli has only succeeded in painting them as a narrow minded selfish bunch.

Simple calculations show that if the government accedes to their demands, the legislators, who currently cost taxpayers M67, 9 million per annum, would then cost taxpayers M135 million annually. Each MP would cost the taxpayer M888 000 per annum once the hike is approved.

Lesotho’s parliament is made up of 120 members of the national assembly and 33 Senators.

When the MPs first made the salary demands in 2018, Montoeli Masoetsa, who is now the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) spokesperson, labelled the demands as “completely ridiculous and cruel”.

Mr Masoetsa said the MPs were exhibiting outright narcissism and should not be condoned by any self-respecting citizen of the country.

“There are people who are more deserving of pay rises and the MPs should be the last people to demand such increments.

“We have the police and teachers. Factory workers were also denied a M2 000 minimum wage and had to settle for M1 600 instead,” Mr Masoetsa said at the time.

He further argued that the MPs’ demands were not in sync with the prevailing dire economic state of the country characterised by declining Southern African Customs Unions (SACU) revenues and the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA)’s inability to meet revenue collection targets.

He said that the country still had to attend to issues of food insecurity and poor infrastructure.

“Any reasons they (MPs) are giving for the hike cannot be justifiable under the current economic conditions in the country. The country is living from hand to mouth at the moment.”

Now if the MPs’ demands were unreasonable in 2018 and could not be met due to the precarious economic situation then, their demands are even more unreasonable now that the economy has taken an even bigger knock from the effects of the Covid-19 induced slowdown in global economic activity.

Less than a fortnight ago, Dr Majoro announced that the economy was expected to contract by a massive 10 percent in the current financial year due to Covid-19.

He said as a result of the Covid-19 induced global slowdown in economic activity, 6000 jobs were on the line in the country’s crucial textiles sector.

The former Finance minister’s dire forecast paints a far worse picture of the effects of Covid-19 on Lesotho’s economy than earlier assumed by the government.

Last month the Finance ministry said the economy, which was already shrinking at an average rate of 0,3 percent over the past three years, would contract by 1,2 percent in the 2020/21 fiscal year due to the impact of COVID-19. But Dr Majoro said the contraction will be much larger.

The contraction will mirror that of South Africa, predicted to contract by as much as  between 17 and  20 percent.

The Finance ministry had also said important revenues obtained from Lesotho’s membership of the SACU would dry up with the country expected to lose as much as M1,2 billion as a result of the Covid-19-induced slowdown in regional and global activity.

The budget deficit is now projected at 11,8 percent of GDP up from the 4,7 percent earlier predicted by Dr Majoro in February when he unveiled the 2020/21 budget.

More worryingly, Lesotho is expecting its worst hunger crisis in recent years with about 900 000 people, almost half the population, projected to be in need of urgent food interventions during the current fiscal year which started on 1 April 2020.

Even without Covid-19, awarding salary increments would still have been a tall order as the government is under pressure from multi-lateral financial institutions most notably, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to implement tough fiscal measures to improve the economy.

The IMF has demanded that the government reduces the high public wage bill, undertakes public financial management reform as well as implement the multi-sector reforms recommended by SADC in 2016.

The IMF first tabled the demands in 2018 as a precondition to granting the government’s request for a financial bailout to reduce the budget deficit and boost foreign currency reserves.

Although the IMF-government talks began in June 2018, the bailout has so far not been given with some government sources attributing this to the government’s failure to meet the IMF’s demands.

It is therefore inconceivable that the government can be expected to prioritise the salary demands of the already well-paid MPs when it has more pressing issues to address with the meagre financial resources at its disposal.

National University of Lesotho (NUL) public administration lecturer Mamello Rakolobe says given the prevailing economic circumstances, “the MPs’ wage demands are uncalled for and highly unreasonable”.

“The government is not only operating at a deficit but is faced with the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. It cannot afford the MPs’ demands. Making such demands under the current scenario is cruel and insensitive to the plight of the electorate who are mostly experiencing food insecurity,” Ms Rakolobe tells the Lesotho Times.

She accuses the MPs making the demands of sabotaging the new Dr Majoro-led government so that it is viewed as insensitive to the plight of ordinary people.

“This is sadly an indication that some of the MPs are not there to serve the interests of the populace but personal ones. What have they done to deserve a 100 percent increase on their already fat pay cheques? In fact, they should be proposing a cut on their salaries to lessen the financial burden that the government is currently facing,” she says.

NUL political science lecturer Mohlomi Mahlelebe says he is surprised by the MPs’ outrageous demands when the government is already struggling to meet its obligations.

“My take is that there would be nothing wrong with MPs demanding more perks if the economy was in a healthy state. However, making such outrageous demands at this time is an insult to the people who voted them into power.

“I am surprised by the MPs’ behaviour because in his February 2020 budget speech the then Finance minister Dr Majoro said the government already had a high wage bill and that money lending institutions like the IMF said they would not assist unless Lesotho reduces its wage bill. It is totally out of order for the MPs to be making such demands when they are fully aware of the government’s predicament. They are the very people who should be guiding the government to implement prudent economic polices instead of making such demands,” said Dr Mahlelebe.

Economics analyst Arthur Majara blasts the MPs for making “ridiculous, selfish and inconsiderate” demands when they are fully aware that the government is already operating at a deficit and is struggling to contain expenditure.

“Such demands are ridiculous in that they are coming from the same MPs who know very well that the government is operating at a huge budget deficit.

“Lesotho cannot afford such outrageous demands by the MPs especially at a time when the country, like all other countries, is faced with the Covid-19 threat.  The government is already struggling to raise enough resources for testing suspected cases of Covid-19 as well as procuring personal protecting equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. It does not need this additional problem (MPs’ salary demands),” Mr Majara says.

He and other analysts say instead of selfishness, the MPs should rather focus on helping the government device appropriate policies to reduce its high expenditure, fight poverty and Covid-19, high unemployment and achieve economic stability.

Debate on such critical and pertinent policies to achieve wealth for the nation is conspicuous by its absence in Lesotho’s parliament, meaning Basotho vote for selfish incompetents to become their MPs. Hence their focus on their welfare and not those they are elected to represent.

The post  MPs’ salary demands “heartless and selfish” – analysts appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

FORMER Defence and National Security minister Tšeliso Mokhosi has called on the government to capacitate the police with proper investigative skills so that they do not resort to torture and other brutal methods to extract confessions from suspects.

The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) deputy leader served as Defence minister in the Pakalitha Mosisili-led seven party coalition government from 2015 to 2017. He said he had experienced first-hand how brutal the police could be when he was allegedly tortured in 2017 to get him to confess to murdering Police Constable (PC) Mokalekale Khetheng. He however, denies the murder charges.

Responding to Police and Public Safety Minister ‘Mamoipone Senauoane’s pledge in parliament on Friday to prioritise the re-training of police officers to improve their performance, Mr Mokhosi said such training programmes were long overdue as the police continued to brutalise suspects.

Ms Senauoane, who had requested a M741 million budget for her ministry, said among other things, the money would be used to recruit more police officers as well as conduct training programmes to boost their crime fighting capabilities.

“We are going to conduct training programmes during the 2020/2021 financial year to improve police officers’ skills to investigate crimes,” Ms Senauoane said.

“We will also recruit an additional 250 police officers to increase the strength of the police force to tackle crimes such as murder, stock theft and burglary.”

She said the ministry would also refurbish existing police stations and construct new ones as well as housing for police officers in different parts of the country.

Legislators approved the proposed budget for her ministry but before that, Mr Mokhosi had applauded her commitment to the capacitation of police officers with investigative skills.

He said it was appalling that “in this day and age, suspects continue to be tortured and forced to eat their faeces” by police officers.

“Equipping police officers with relevant skills for investigating crimes is long over-due,” Mr Mokhosi said.

“I have a first-hand experience of appalling treatment by the police. It is despicable to say the least. It is wrong for the police to force suspects to eat their faeces or burn them with a hot spade. I suspect that they resort to these brutal tactics due to lack of proper investigative skills.”

Mr Mokhosi made headlines in September 2017 when he sensationally accused the police of torturing him, to a point where he soiled himself, to get him to confess to the murder of PC Khetheng. The murder occurred while Mr Mokhosi was still a cabinet minister in 2016.

PC Khetheng, who was stationed in Mokhotlong, was last seen alive being arrested by his colleagues at a traditional feast in Sebothoane, Leribe, on 25 March 2016.

He had been arrested and charged on allegations that he torched the house of a senior officer in Mokhotlong district where he was deployed.

His remains were eventually exhumed at the Lepereng Cemetery, Maseru in August 2017. Mr Mokhosi handed himself over to the police after being summoned to assist with the investigations into PC Khetheng’s murder.

He was subsequently charged with murder. At some point in September 2017, he even fled the country claiming police wanted him dead after brutally torturing him while in custody.

Other suspects in the PC Khetheng murder case are police officers, Senior Superintendent Thabo Tšukulu, Senior Inspector Mabitle Matona, Sub Inspector Haleokoe Taasoane and Inspector Mothibeli Mofolo.

The case is still pending.

The post Mokhosi speaks out against police brutality appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Limpho Sello

RESTIVE nurses have given Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro a seven-day ultimatum to address their salary and other grievances failing which they will take “drastic measures” against his government.

Although the Lesotho Nurses Association (LNA) did not say what “drastic measures” they would take, some nurses who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said they would embark on a go-slow strike action which could cripple the fight against the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and the health delivery system in general.

The LNA submitted the petition to Dr Majoro’s office on Tuesday but by yesterday, the premier had not yet responded.

The nurses first raised the demands for risk allowances and protective clothing for their work against the deadly Covid-19 in March this year.

The professionals want the risk allowances calculated at 30 percent of their gross salaries. They argue that they should be given the allowances and protective gear because they work around the clock with patients and therefore have higher chances of contracting the deadly virus also known as Covid-19.

They first made the demands shortly after then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane had announced that there would be a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19. The lockdown lasted from 30 March to 5 May 2020. To date, Lesotho has recorded four Covid-19 cases amid fears that infections could escalate due to the Kingdom’s proximity to and porous borders with South Africa which has the highest infections on the continent.

As of yesterday, South Africa had recorded about 53 000 Covid-19 infections and 1162 deaths. Three out of Lesotho’s four Covid-19 cases are of Lesotho nationals who illegally crossed back into the country from South Africa. The other case is that of a citizen who had been studying in Saudi Arabia.

The nurses and other health professionals went on a go slow at the beginning of April but abandoned the job action less than a week later after the then Thabane regime agreed to their demands.

But almost two months later, the government is yet to pay the risk allowances and provide enough protective clothing- something  that has riled the nurses, forcing them to issue a fresh petition to Dr Majoro who succeeded Mr Thabane on 20 May 2020.

In their latest petition seen by the Lesotho Times this week, the nurses demand the urgent payment of risk allowances, payment of salaries for all nurses recently recruited to boost the fight against Covid-19, provision of protective clothing, food accommodation and transport for them and nursing assistants.

The nurses also want the government to establish a health commission to address human resource issues, improve the infrastructure at all health facilities in the country as well as engage them in decision making.

“We ask for a response and implementation because of the urgency of the grievances aforementioned… failure to implement will force nurses to take drastic measures,” the LNA states in its petition signed by its president, Raphael Tlali.

On Tuesday about 10 members of the LNA executive arrived at the Government Complex, the main seat of government, singing songs and holding placards demanding an audience with Dr Majoro. In one of their songs, they called for the praising of parents who had given birth to nurses.

Their tempers rose after they were denied entry into the premier’s offices by his security team. They were even told to return to their work stations because they had not approached the premier’s office the “right way”.

They, however, refused to leave. The LNA secretary general, Monica Mokhesi, was heard telling one of the security officers they would go on a fully fledged strike if they were dispersed without their grievances being addressed.

Ms Mokhesi and Mr Tlali were eventually allowed in to meet the Minister in the Prime Minister’s office, Kemiso Mosenene, and other government officials. Their meeting lasted until after 8pm. Mr Mosenene was not reachable on his mobile phone for comment.

However, Ms Mokhesi yesterday told this publication that they had been given evidence that the government has begun paying some of the nurses.

“We learned that the government has begun processing the salaries in batches and the first batch will soon get their salaries.

“We will push hard to ensure that the second batch is also paid and the government addresses our other concerns,” Ms Mokhesi said, adding they still expected the premier to address their concerns within the seven-day ultimatum.

The post Nurses give Majoro seven-day ultimatum to fix their problems appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

A DISPUTE has erupted between the director general of the Directorate on Corruption and   Economic Offences (DCEO), Advocate Mahlomola Manyokole, and the DCEO’s board of directors after the former defied the board’s directive to reinstate suspended Chief Investigations Officer, Thabiso Thibeli.

A defiant Adv Manyokole has since asked new Law and Justice Minister Professor Nqosa Mahao to intervene in the dispute.

Adv Manyokole succeeded Borotho Matsoso as DCEO boss on 8 July 2019. One of his first actions was to suspend the highly regarded Mr Thibeli for allegedly disobeying an order to hand over files of cases he was investigating as well as firearms and an inventory of all exhibits in his custody to Adv Manyokole himself at 9am on 19 July 2019.

Adv Manyokole did not explain why he needed everything he had demanded.

While Adv Manyokole’s suspension letter to Mr Thibeli stated that the move to suspend the latter was prompted by allegations of misconduct, some sources within the DCEO insisted the real reason was to stop Mr Thibeli from continuing with investigations into high profile cases which involve senior politicians and other connected individuals suspected of impropriety in the procurement of vehicles for the government’s fleet services. Advocate Manyokole’s actions also opened him to widespread allegations on social media that he had been an appointee of the now fallen ex-first Lady “Maesaiah Thabane, catapulted into that post, without any prior prosecutorial experience to protect the interests of the First Lady and her corrupt cabal. It was also alleged Mr Manyokole had been deployed to frustrate the prosecution of former Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing, who had been caught in a corrupt multi-million maloti road construction project, but was at that time being courted by ex-premier  Thabane for political expediency.  Nothing has been heard of that case since Mr Manyokole took over.

Adv Manyokole had, however, rubbished all those allegations against him, insisting that he had no ulterior motives in seeking to suspend Mr Thibeli. He said allegations that he had been strategically appointed to the DCEO to take instructions from Mr Thabane and his then powerful wife regarding who should be investigated or shielded from scrutiny were grossly unfounded and unfair.

But almost a year on from the suspension, Mr Thibeli has not been charged with any misconduct, raising serious motives about how the corruption busting Mr Thibeli had been suspended in the first place.  This, according to DCEO board chairperson Moshoeshoe Sehloho, led to the DCEO board convening a meeting on 27 May 2020 to discuss Mr Thibeli’s fate.

He said Adv Manyokole was summoned to that meeting to explain his position on Mr Thibeli but allegedly declined to attend.

Never-the-less, the board discussed the issue on their own and resolved that Mr Thibeli should be reinstated with effect from 28 May 2020.

“As the chairperson of the DCEO, I instructed the DCEO director general (Adv Manyokole) to call a board meeting whose agenda was for the director general to brief the board about the circumstances surrounding the suspension of Thabiso Thibeli,” Mr Sehloho said.

“It has been 10 months now since Thibeli was suspended and he is still earning his salary. The director general did not show up at the (27 May 2020) meeting for reasons which were not advanced to the board. We (DCEO board) discussed the matter and decided that Mr Thibeli’s suspension must be lifted.

“We then directed the director general to write to Mr Thibeli informing him to report to work on 28 May 2020 but that has not happened.” Mr Sehloho said.

Adv Manyokole refused to comment on the matter, saying he had already sought the intervention of Prof Mahao.

“I cannot comment because I have escalated the matter to the Minister of Justice (Prof Mahao) and he is handling it. There is a whole lot of things I would like to tell you but I do not want to disrespect him (Prof Mahao),” Adv Manyokole said.

Prof Mahao this week confirmed that he was dealing with the “disagreements” between Adv Manyokole and his board.

“It is true that I am handling the matter of the disagreement between him (Adv Manyokole) and the board.

“We had a meeting with the board and the director general sometime last week and I asked them for certain documents. As I speak to you, I am going through the documents concerning the matter and it would be premature for me to comment whilst I am still studying the issue,” Prof Mahao said on Tuesday.

Some sources at the DCEO told the Lesotho Times that Mr Thibeli’s troubles began after he summoned and interrogated a well-known businessman, Teboho Tlokotsi, in relation to a fraud case involving the procurement of vehicles for the government fleet from locals.

The then Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro first announced in March 2018 that cabinet had resolved to lease 1400 vehicles from Basotho who include taxi operators, disabled groups, youth, women’s groups and legislators who were not cabinet ministers.

Others who were excluded from tendering are senior government officials such as directors in the ministries, principal secretaries and deputy ministers.

The Finance ministry however, received information that some of these officials could have either sneaked in their bids or used ordinary Basotho as “fronts” when the tender bids were submitted last September.

The DCEO was subsequently roped in to investigate these allegations and sources said it discovered that some desperate vehicle owners were made to pay as much as M40 000 to have their vehicles leased to the government.

Mr Tlokotsi was later charged by the DCEO alongside Tumo Ramonaheng, with corruption in the procurement of the government vehicle fleet in November 2019.

Messrs Tlokotsi and Ramonaheng appeared before Maseru Magistrate, Senekale Qobolo, who released them on M2000 bail each.

According to the charge sheet, the two are charged with contravening the Prevention of Corruption and Economic Offences Act after allegedly “accepting or attempting to accept” bribes totalling M234 000 from the Democratic Congress’ Senqu legislator, Likeleli Tampane, and several others to facilitate the hiring of their vehicles for the government fleet.

The case is still pending before the courts.

The post DCEO boss Manyokole defies board on Thibeli’s reinstatement appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• incurs the wrath of the LCA

Nthatuoa Koeshe

A PRIVATE radio station operator ‘Malichaba Lekhoaba is at loggerheads with the local licensing authority after she formed her own political party over the weekend.

Ms Lekhoaba, who established Harvest FM in May 2003, announced the formation of the United for Change (UC) party on Sunday.

Later that evening, she told a local radio station that she had stepped down as Harvest FM manager and would remain a shareholder as she embarked on her new political career.

But the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) is not amused at all. It says by forming a political party, Ms Lekhoaba had contravened its licensing regulations which forbid it from issuing radio licences to politicians.

The LCA’s communications officer, Tšiu Tšiu, this week told the Lesotho Times that the LCA was “shocked” to learn about the formation of a political party by Ms Lekhoaba. He said they would write to her to establish if the ownership of the radio station had changed hands as they “did not licence politicians to own radio stations”.

Mr Tšiu said Ms Lekhoaba did not even inform them about her plans to form a party and “we only heard this from a local radio station on Sunday”.

“She (Ms Lekhoaba) has publicly announced her move into politics yet she still has our radio licence.

“This is something we will look into to find out what is really happening. We do not licence politicians to own radio stations,” Mr Tšiu said, adding Ms Lekhoaba would have to choose between becoming a politician and being an owner of a radio station.

Ms Lekhoaba told the Lesotho Times that she would only comment on her new party after engaging the LCA.

“I heard the LCA is planning to write to me regarding my new political party and I am still waiting for them. There is no rule in the licensing regulations that states that I cannot start a political party but I will wait on the LCA letter to hear what they have to say,” Ms Lekhoaba said this week.

Lesotho is already littered with so many political parties and most of them have struggled to make an impact in a small country with a population of 2, 1 million people. It has been suggested that as part of the multi-sector reforms, Lesotho should increase the threshold for a party to be registered to 5000 members from the current 500 to curb the proliferation of political parties.

The UC will become the 37^th political party in the country’s already congested political landscape should Ms Lekhoaba successfully register it with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

It will become the third female led party in the country after the Reformed Congress for Lesotho (RCL) and the ‘Mapuleng Montši-led Basotho Liberation Movement (BLM) which is also awaiting registration by the IEC.

The IEC has so far been unable to register new political parties and conduct other important business as it still has no commissioners after the government refused to renew the contracts of former commissioners, Mahapela Lehohla, ‘Mamosebi Pholo and Makase Nyaphisi after they expired in January 2019.

Labour and Employment minister Keketso Rantšo, who heads the RCL, is the only female leader of a registered political party in Lesotho.

The post Harvest FM owner forms political party appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

FIRST National Bank of Lesotho (FNB Lesotho) has appointed its former treasurer, Delakazi Mokebe as the bank’s new chief executive officer.

The appointment is with effect from 8 June 2020. In a statement yesterday, FNB Lesotho’s marketing manager Lebo Setlalekgosi said Ms Mokebe becomes the first woman to lead a commercial bank in Lesotho.

Ms Mokebe replaces former CEO, the South African Bradwin Roper.

FNB Lesotho’s board chairperson, Ian Leyenar, described Ms Mokebe’s appointment as a milestone.

“This is a milestone decision which affirms our commitment to growing our own timber with respect to talent,” Mr Leyenar said.

“We have great confidence in the depth of talent and management experience in our business, which allowed the board to appoint from within the executive team,” he added.

Ms Mokebe is a seasoned banker with 16 years’ experience in the industry.

She joined FNB three years ago as treasurer and with the mandate of setting up the treasury function of the bank.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from the University of Witwatersrand University and a Master’s in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

The post FNB Lesotho appoints first female CEO appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• says trial must go ahead as judiciary’s not bound by political agreements to stop the case 

Mohalenyane Phakela | Pascalinah Kabi

THE Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Hlalefang Motinyane, insists the treason trial of politicians Mothetjoa Metsing and Selibe Mochoboroane must go ahead despite attempts by the duo and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to defer it until after the implementation of the multi-sector reforms.

Adv Motinyane says this in response to Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane’s latest attempts to postpone their Constitutional Court application to stop their treason trial. They want the case postponed to give the new Moeketsi Majoro-led government a chance to issue a directive to stop the trial.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Metsing leads the opposition Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) while Mr Mochoboroane leads the Movement for Economic Change (MEC). The MEC is a member of the new coalition whose principal partners are Dr Majoro’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) and Deputy Prime Minister Mathibeli Mokhothu’s Democratic Congress (DC). Its leader, Mr Mochoboroane was appointed Development Planning Minister in the new government.

Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane have been charged with treason alongside former army commander Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli and an army officer, Captain Litekanyo Nyakane.

The charge is in connection with the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against the first government of former Prime Minister Thabane. Mr Metsing was deputy prime minister at the time of the attempted coup while Mr Mochoboroane was Communications minister and LCD secretary general.

Lt-Gen Kamoli and Captain Nyakane are already in prison awaiting trial for the murder of police Sub-Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko during the attempted coup.

The treason trial failed to take off in the High Court on 25 February 2020 after Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane filed a Constitutional Court application for an order barring Adv Motinyane from prosecuting them because of the October 2018 agreement between the former Thabane-led government and the opposition halting any trials of politicians until after the completion of the reforms.

Clause 10 of that agreement states that “Mr Metsing and similarly placed persons in exile will not be subjected to any pending criminal proceedings during the dialogue and reforms process”.

The Constitutional Court has previously outlawed this particular clause 10 after the late police constable Mokalekale Khetheng’s father, Thabo Khetheng, petitioned the court to declare it unconstitutional saying self-serving agreements between politicians could not outstrip the constitution. PC Khetheng was killed by fellow police officers on 26 March 2016.

But Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane petitioned the same court on 25 February 2020 to rescind its 22 November 2018 judgement outlawing Clause 10.

They now want the court to postpone that application to give the new government an opportunity to order Adv Motinyane to stop their trial in line with a recent directive by SADC to ex-Prime Minister Thabane.

Retired South African Judge Dikgang Moseneke, who leads SADC’s facilitation in Lesotho on behalf of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, wrote to Mr Thabane informing him that the trial should be stopped in line with the 2018 agreement to defer criminal trials until after the implementation of the multi-sector reforms.

In his strongly worded letter on 29 March 2020, Justice Moseneke informs Mr Thabane that “any action or process in contravention of the letter and the spirit of the government-opposition agreement will not be welcomed by the SADC”.

At the time of the collapse of his government on 11 May 2020, Mr Thabane had not acted on Justice Moseneke’s directive nor had he publicly pronounced himself on the issue.

In his court papers filed for the postponement of their constitutional case, Mr Mochoboroane says the government wants to consult before making a final decision on whether or not the treason trial must proceed. He argues that this does not interfere with the DPP’s independence as she is only a lawyer acting on behalf of the state and as such the state has a right to give her fresh instructions pertaining to any case.

He further argues that Lesotho has an obligation to implement SADC-brokered agreements like the 2018 government-opposition agreement to stop all trials of politicians. He says “Lesotho cannot invoke its own municipal law to avoid its international obligations”.

“I aver that the treason charges are not a project of the DPP alone but she acts for and on behalf of the state which is her client in such matters. There is nothing untoward when the client seeks to give further and fresh instructions to its lawyer.

“…The Minister of Law (Prof Mahao) has informed me that they are going to consult broadly with various authorities including the DPP, the attorney general (Adv Haae Phoofolo) as well as the SADC facilitator (Justice Moseneke). The facilitator, as this court knows, acts for and on behalf of SADC and very recently wrote to the government of Lesotho…decrying the fact that the treason charges had been preferred against us…

“We have been legally advised and verily believe that the agreement in which clause 10 appears constitutes an international obligation of Lesotho to carry out the decisions of SADC and that Lesotho cannot invoke its own municipal law to avoid its international obligations,” Mr Mochoboroane states.

But Adv Motinyane is having none of it. In her replying affidavit filed on Monday, she is adamant that the trial should go ahead without further delay. She insists that the judiciary is independent of the executive.  It is therefore “unacceptable” for Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane or the executive to interfere with the its decision to charge the duo with treason.

“I have satisfied myself that the applicants have a case of treason to answer. It would be unwise in my view, to submit my decision to charge the applicants for reconsideration by the executive only because there is a new Minister of Law, Leuta Nqosa Mahao, and a new Prime Minister, Moeketsi Majoro. For the record, my position on the charges faced by applicants has not changed,” Adv Motinyane said. She further argues that the treason trial is in line with recommendations of the Justice Mpaphi Phumaphi-led 2015 SADC Commission of Inquiry for the prosecutions of politicians and others accused of crimes and other human rights violations from 2014 onwards.

She argues clause 10 of the agreement had already been struck down by the Constitutional Court judgement of November 2018 and “the (March 2020) letter of Retired Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke (to Mr Thabane) does not make clause 10 constitutional”.

“There are no instructions that can suggest that clause 10 is constitutional when it had been declared unconstitutional by this honourable court. For the record, my instructions are to proceed with the treason charges from all points of view,” Adv Motinyane states.

Adv Motinyane also says in any event the new government had already indicated that it would not interfere with the trials and that Justice Moseneke’s letter had no bearing on the treason case.

She said she has already consulted with Prof Mahao and Adv Phoofolo who indicated that the trial must go ahead.

She said the trial was long overdue and there was no justification for further delaying it especially after the government had sought SADC help to secure foreign judges to try this and other high-profile cases.

The DPP also states that her office is independent and “not part of the executive branch of government”.

“For the record, I am not part of the executive branch if our regime of separated powers is put into proper perspective and context. It is a component of the doctrine of separation of powers that the courts have a constitutional obligation to ensure that the exercise of powers by the branches of government occurs within constitutional bounds.”

She said the 22 November 2018 judgement on clause 10 essentially prevented other branches of government from usurping and or interfering with her prosecutorial powers.  That judgment must therefore be respected and trying to have it re-authored was akin to clutching at straws.

The post DPP Motinyane sticks to her guns on Metsing, Mochoboroane treason trial appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

ECONET Telecom Lesotho has been granted permission by the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) to offer free access to educational sites for free.

This is meant to facilitate, enhance and support online learning for students at the institutions of higher learning during this period when they are unable to attend schools due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) period.

Econet chief executive officer, Dennis Plaatjies, said though the utilisation of e-learning in Lesotho is still in its infancy stage, his company was prepared to assist schools in implementing and promoting online learning.

“The former president of South Africa once said education was the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world and Econet has the capacity and capability to ensure that learning does not stop especially during this dreary time when Covid-19 has forced schools to close” Mr Plaatjies said.

He said they are offering a technological platform for students to continue learning from whatever location.

All schools, including institutions of higher learning suspended face-to-face interaction between students and tutors in March 2020 on the directive of the Ministry of Education and Training. This was done as a precautionary measure to enforce physical distancing during Covid-19 pandemic.

Econet public relations officer, Puleng Masoabi said tertiary institutions halted the traditional interaction in lectures at a time when students and lecturers were preparing for year-end examinations and research report submissions.

She said the websites that Econet has released would give students the opportunity to access online content specific to their different institutions.

“Learners will be able to communicate with lecturers and submit their assignments and research reports at no cost from the comfort of their homes,” Mr Masoabi said.

Among the institutions that will benefit from the programme are Council of Higher Education (CHE), Paray School of Nursing, Scott School of Nursing, Roma College of Nursing, National University of Lesotho (NUL), Centre for Accounting Studies, Institute of Development Management (IDM), Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Botho University, Lerotholi Polytechnic and the Lesotho College of Education (LCE).

The post Econet offers free access to educational websites appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela | Pascalinah Kabi

CLAIMS that former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is terminally ill and requires constant spousal care have been rebuffed.

The claims have been made by Mr Thabane’s wife, Maesaiah, in her bid for bail after she was sent to remand prison last week for her alleged role in the killing of the ex-premier ‘s wife Lipolelo.

But Mr Thabane’s grandson, Thomas Thabane Jr, and Lipolelo’s friend, Thato Sibolla, have rubbished the claims by ‘Maesaiah.

Apart from Lipolelo’s murder, the ex-first lady is also charged with the attempted murder of Ms Sibolla, who was critically injured in the 14 June 2017 shooting which claimed Lipolelo’s life.

‘Maesaiah claims in her bid for bail that Mr Thabane is suffering from prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and incontinence among other illnesses.

She begs the courts to release her to look after him, claiming that no one else could provide the intimate care that he requires than a spouse. However, Mr Thabane Jr and Ms Sibolla have rubbished the claims in their court papers this week asking the High Court to allow them to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s bail application.

They said the allegations were false and they would successfully prove that if given a chance to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s bail.

“If given the opportunity, we shall present evidence that would show that the petitioner (‘Maesaiah) is a flight risk, she is a risk to the society and all witnesses,” Ms Sibolla and Mr Thabane state in their court papers.

“All allegations about the former prime minister’s health are false beyond doubt,” they further state.

Their application to be allowed to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s bail was granted yesterday by High Court Judge Thamsanqa Nomngcongo. They must now file their papers before the bail application is heard on 16 June 2020.

The Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) Paseka Mokete also disputed ‘Maesaiah’s claims that Mr Thabane is terminally ill and needs his wife to take care of him.

“The petitioner (‘Maesaiah) is neither a qualified medical practitioner nor a qualified nurse. The petitioner also left the second suspect (Mr Thabane) for a period of three weeks from 10 January 2020 to 5 February 2020 when she fled to South Africa.

“At no stage does she claim to have returned to attend to the second suspect’s (Thabane) alleged ailing medical conditions. As a former prime minister, the second suspect is even entitled to such free medical treatment which is provided by the government in accordance with the provisions of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister (Retirement and Spouse’s Benefits) Regulations of 2016,” DCP Mokete states in his opposing affidavit.

Ms Sibolla and Mr Thabane Jr also said they did not trust the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Hlalefang Motinyane, to protect their interests in the case against ‘Maesaiah.

‘Maesaiah was initially granted bail by Acting Chief Justice ‘Maseforo Mahase on 5 February 2020 but she was sent to Maseru Central Prison on 3 June 2020 after the Court of Appeal revoked the bail. This was after an appeal by Ms Sibolla, Mr Thabane Jr and two of Mr Thabane’s nephews.

In its 29 May 2020 judgement setting aside ‘Maesaiah’s bail, the apex court blasted DPP Motinyane for her failure to lodge a comprehensive application opposing ‘Maesaiah’s bail. She was criticised for merely concentrating on the issue of ‘Maesaiah not being a flight risk while ignoring more critical issues including the submissions by DCP Mokete and the police’s legal department that ‘Maesaiah could even kill Ms Sibolla and interfere with witnesses.

Such omissions were “fatal” as they had resulted in a flawed judgement by Justice Mahase, the apex court said.

In their latest court papers, Ms Sibolla and Mr Thabane Jr insist that they still do not trust DPP Motinyane to fully protect their interests hence their application to be allowed to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s fresh bail application.

‘Maesaiah had only cited DPP Motinyane as the only respondent in her latest application in what appeared to be a strategic move by the ex-first lady to wiggle her way out of jail, assuming the DPP had maintained her stance not to oppose bail. She had left out Ms Sibolla and Mr Thabane Jr despite that they are the ones who had successfully petitioned the Court of Appeal for an order revoking her bail. The two nonetheless successfully applied to be joined in the application yesterday.

“I wish to state that I harbour no confidence in the prosecuting authority (DPP Motinyane) securing my interests in these proceedings and for that reason find it imperative that I secure my interests in my own right represented by my own legal representative,” Ms Sibolla said in her founding affidavit supported by Mr Thabane Jr.

As an eyewitness and victim, Ms Sibolla, said she had expected DPP Motinyane to consult her when ‘Maesaiah filed a fresh bail application but “to my utter dismay, this was unfortunately not done”.

Ms Sibolla said this was not the first time DPP Motinyane had disregarded her interests in the matter. She said she had expected DPP Motinyane to challenge ‘Maesaiah’s initial 5 February 2020 bail application granted by Justice Mahase.

“That she (DPP Motinyane) did not do and to date we have not received any explanation for that. Things being that way, me and the relatives of my deceased friend, Lipolelo Thabane, and ironically those of the former Prime Minister who were raised and mentored by the deceased were left with no option but to personally join the battle and challenge the decision to grant bail in the Court of Appeal.

“By God’s grace the apex court ruled in our favour and the initial order granting the petitioner bail was set aside,” Ms Sibolla said.

She said the apex court found that she and Mr Thabane Jr had a right to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s bail application because the latter is accused of directly or indirectly committing crimes against them.

She said that she was injured by ‘Maesaiah who had attempted to kill her while Mr Thabane Jr had lost his grandmother, Lipolelo, who was allegedly murdered by ‘Maesaiah.

She said despite this DPP Motinyane did not consult them to get their views to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s latest bail application.

She said she had written an email to the DPP making it clear that she wanted ‘Maesaiah’s bail application opposed but had not received a response from her.

“She (DPP Motinyane) has not responded to this request and remains silent if not indifferent like she did in the previous petition.

“We do not trust that she will represent our interests well hence our intervention in this matter,” Ms Sibolla states in her affidavit.

The post Claims Thabane is now on his death-bed refuted appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

MURDER accused former First Lady, ‘Maesaiah Thabane, will have to wait a week longer for her bail application to be heard in the High Court. This after Judge Thamsanqa Nomngcongo yesterday postponed her bail hearing to 16 June 2020 to allow Thato Sibolla and Mr Thabane’s grandson, Thomas Thabane Jr to file their papers opposing her application.

The bail hearing was initially scheduled to be heard on Tuesday but failed to kick-off after Ms Sibolla and Mr Thabane Jr filed an application to be allowed to oppose the bail. In her application, ‘Maesaiah had only cited the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Hlalefang Motinyane, as the only respondent.

However, Ms Sibolla and Thabane Jr want to oppose the bail on grounds that their lives are in danger if ‘Maesaiah is set free. Ms Sibolla survived the shooting which claimed Lipolelo’s life.

Justice Nomngcongo yesterday granted them leave to oppose ‘Maesaiah’s bail and ordered that all their papers be filed well before 16 June 2020 to give him time to study them before the actual bail hearing.

“I should be given time to go through the papers therefore they should be filed on time. The matter is therefore postponed to 16 June for hearing,” Justice Nomngcongo ordered.

DPP Motinyane attended yesterday’s proceedings to oppose the bail. Ms Sibolla and Thabane Jr are represented by Mr Monaheng Rasekoai and Adv Letuka Molati who are both instructed by Mr Kuili Ndebele.

‘Maesaiah has been in remand prison since Wednesday last week after her 5 February 2020 bail was overturned by the Court of Appeal following an appeal by Ms Sibolla, Mr Thabane Jr and others. She stands accused of murdering her husband former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s ex-wife, Lipolelo, on 14 June 2017.

DPP Motinyane had earlier supported the initial decision to grant the ex-first lady bail. But she has since had a change of heart after she was savaged by the Court of Appeal alongside acting chief justice ‘Maseforo Mahase for their controversial roles in the initial bail process.

An affidavit filed in her name by Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) Paseka Mokete illustrates her clear change of heart.

The post No joy for ‘Maesaiah as bail hearing is postponed appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Thabane, ‘Maesaiah promised Lipolelo’s killers M3 million- police

…as well as jobs in the government for executing the murder  

Pascalinah Kabi | Mohalenyane Phakela

FORMER Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his wife, ‘Maesaiah, allegedly promised to pay Lipolelo’s killers a staggering M3 million to get the job done.

The killers are said to be prominent famo musicians Rethabile Mokete (popularly known as Chakela), Seabata Sello, Macheli Koeshe, Molefi Matima and Sarele Sello. Mr Sello has since turned state witness. He is now the source of the explosive disclosures typical of a Hollywood crime thriller.

To date, Mr Thabane and ‘Maesaiah have allegedly paid the killers M400 000. They had not paid the outstanding balance when the allegations against them blew up earlier this year. The assassins had also been promised employment in the government.

These and other explosive details on Lipolelo’s tragic murder are contained in papers filed at the High Court this week by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Paseka Mokete in opposition to ‘Maesaiah’s bail bid.

‘Maesaiah is in remand prison after the court of appeal revoked her bail on June 3 2020 over her alleged role in Lipolelo’s killing.

She has also been charged with the attempted murder of Thato Sibolla, with whom Lipolelo had been travelling, when she was gunned down in cold blood at Ha-’Masana, Maseru. Ms Sibolla sustained some injuries in the incident on 14 June 2017, just two days before Mr Thabane’s inauguration for his second stint as premier.

Lipolelo and Mr Thabane had been involved in an acrimonious divorce. The courts had upheld Lipolelo’s claim to as the real First Lady.

Mr Thabane has been charged with the same crimes but he is yet to appear alongside ‘Maesaiah after he was on 26 February 2020 granted leave by senior resident magistrate Phethise Motanyane to file a Constitutional Court application to stop the courts from trying him for the murder while he remained a sitting premier.

But Mr Thabane is yet to file the said application.  Even if opts to proceed, it would be for academic purposes only after his ouster from office last month.

It remains to be seen when he will be charged alongside his wife. This week, DCP Mokete promised it will be soon because there “were no longer any impediments” to his trial. Chakela and others are yet to appear in court as they are believed to be in hiding in South Africa. DCP Mokete says there is nonetheless adequate evidence to proceed with the Thabanes’ trial without them.

‘Maesaiah was initially granted bail by Acting Chief Justice Maseforo Mahase on 5 February 2020. She was sent to Maseru Central Prison last week after the Court of Appeal ruled that her bail had been unprocedurally granted. The apex court also said Justice Mahase did not take into account the seriousness of the crimes ‘Maesaiah is accused of, among a litany of other misjudgments.

The 29 May 2020 apex court judgement was handed down after Ms Sibolla teamed up with Mr Thabane’s grandson, Thomas Thabane Jr and two of the former premier’s nephews to oppose it.

‘Maesaiah’s fresh bail application failed to proceed yesterday after High Court Judge Thamsanqa Nomngcongo resolved to postpone it to 16 June 2020 to allow all the opposing papers to be filed.

Adv Motinyane, Thomas Thabane Jr, Thato Sibolla are cited as first to third respondents respectively in the ex-first lady’s bail application.

DCP Mokete has already filed his opposing affidavit containing the sensational and chilling details surrounding the ultimately successful plot to assassinate Lipolelo.

In his affidavit, DCP Mokete says Lipolelo and ‘Maesaiah had an acrimonious relationship and the latter had even intimated that she would like to “get rid of the deceased”.

He says prior to the June 2017 snap elections, which ushered in Mr Thabane back to power, the ex-premier and ‘Maesaiah held a meeting with Chakela and the crown witness, Sello (popularly known as Lehlanya) in Ficksburg, South Africa. He says it was at that meeting that Chakela was hired to kill Lipolelo to stop her from becoming first lady in the event of Mr Thabane winning the elections and becoming prime minister. The Thabanes had lived in exile in Ficksburg after they fled Lesotho in 2015 amidst the country’s political tensions.

During his first stint as premier from 2012 to 2015, Mr Thabane had tried to divorce Lipolelo but the courts had ruled that she was the rightful first lady entitled to enjoy all the benefits of that office until the divorce was finalised. The divorce case had dragged and had still not been finalised on the eve of Mr Thabane’s return to power in June 2017. Mr Thabane’s only hope of marrying his new love and catapult her to the benefits of first lady could then only happen if Lipolelo was taken out, DCP Mokete alleged.  A divorce can happen automatically, by operation of law, if one of the spouses to a marriage dies.

‘Maesaiah, Mr Thabane, Chakela, Seabata Sello, Macheli Koeshe and Molefi Matima are the first to sixth suspects respectively in the Lipolelo murder.

“Before the 3 June 2017 elections, the petitioner (‘Maesaiah) and the second suspect (Mr Thabane) met with the third suspect (Mr Mokete) and a crown witness (Lehlanya) at the residence they (Thabane and wife) shared in Ficksburg, South Africa,” DCP Mokete states in his affidavit.

“There the second suspect and the petitioner informed them that the second suspect (Mr Thabane) was required to return to Lesotho to be the Prime Minister.”

DCP Mokete states that Chakela and Lehlanya were further informed that Mr Thabane’s divorce from Lipolelo had not been finalised and that the latter would thus assume the position of first lady of Lesotho after Mr Thabane’s expected win on 3 June 2019 and inauguration as prime minister.

“The petitioner (‘Maesaiah) and second suspect (Mr Thabane) wanted the deceased dead so that the petitioner could assume the position of first lady.

“They (Chakela and Lehlanya) would be remunerated in cash (approximately M3 million) and through employment opportunities, should they carry out the murder of the deceased prior to second accused’s (Thabane) inauguration as prime minister.

“The third suspect (Chakela) and witness (Lehlanya) subsequently agreed to kill the deceased prior to the inauguration of the second suspect as prime minister,” DCP Mokete states.

He adds that thereafter Messrs Sello, Koeshe and Matima then traced and monitored Lipolelo’s movements. He said Mr Thabane even assisted the assassins by physically pointing out Lipolelo’s Ha Masana residence to them.

“Prime Minister Thabane physically pointed out the residence of the deceased to his co-accused.

“On 12 June 2017, suspects 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Mokete, Sello, Koeshe and Matima) went to the residence of the deceased at Ha Masana, Maseru, to carry out the mission to kill her. But they were unsuccessful in the execution of their plan and had to flee the scene. This incident was reported at Maseru Rural Headquarters Police Station and was given reference number RCI 19/06/2017.”

DCP Mokete says the suspects went back to Ha Masana two days later on the 14^th of June 2017 in a bid to accomplish the mission of killing Lipolelo. This was just two days before Mr Thabane’s inauguration for his second stint as premier. DCP Mokete states that prior to the Lipolelo murder on 14 June 2017, ‘Maesaiah had met Lehlanya in Ficksburg. The meeting was necessitated by Lipolelo who had asked Lehlanya to mediate between her and ‘Maesaiah as they were not in good terms.

“The petitioner (‘Maesaiah) agreed to the mediation, subject to the crown witness (Lehlanya) engaging with her and the deceased separately due to their acrimonious relationship. From the meeting with the petitioner in Ficksburg, the state witness met with the deceased and Thato Sibolla in Ladybrand,” DCP Mokete states.

He says ‘Maesaiah was aware that Lehlanya would be meeting Lipolelo in Ladybrand.

After the meeting with Lehlanya, DCP Mokete says Lipolelo and Ms Sibolla returned to Lesotho. He said Lipolelo was driving her vehicle, a silver grey Corsa, whilst Ms Sibolla sat in the front passenger’s seat.

“Whilst approaching her (Lipolelo’s) residence at Ha Masana, Maseru, multiple gunshots were fired at them. The deceased died on the scene, having sustained multiple gunshots. Ms Sibolla sustained a gunshot injury below her right armpit and had to be hospitalised for numerous days.

“On or about 17 June 2017, the second suspect (Mr Thabane) was inaugurated as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho. On or about 27 August 2017, approximately two-and-a-half-months later, the petitioner (‘Maesaiah) and the second suspect entered into marriage as there was no longer any obstacle in their way. The petitioner then became the first lady by virtue of her marriage to the second suspect.

“The petitioner initially paid suspect 3 (Chakela) M50 000 and suspect 4 (Sello) M20 000. The petitioner also paid witness (Lehlanya) M30 000 and he was further rewarded by being employed as driver to a cabinet Minister (former Police and Public Safety Minister ‘Mampho Mokhele) after the death of the deceased.

“Suspect 3, 4, 5 and 6, who are members of the infamous Famo gang, notorious for displaying violence and for brutal killings, became aggrieved due to not being sufficiently remunerated by the petitioner and second suspect.

“As a result, during late 2018 or early 2019, the second suspect (Mr Thabane) paid suspects 3, 4, 5 and 6 another M300 000 and they expressed their extreme displeasure with the above amount which they believed to be too little.

“The case against the petitioner and her co- accused is strong. I however categorically state that the prosecution of the petitioner is not dependent on the presence or absence of any of her co-accused. All crown witnesses have confirmed their availability to testify against the petitioner and her co-accused,” DCP Mokete says.

In his supporting affidavit, Lehlanya describes ‘Maesaiah as a powerful individual who is capable of using her financial muscle to obtain whatever she wants.

“I aver that during 2012 to 2015 coalition government, I was once approached by the petitioner to assist her to get her former husband (Joachim Ferreira) killed so she could be married to the present husband, Thabane. However, I did not carry on with the mandate but I was given M10 000 in advance by the petitioner.

“I aver that the petitioner participated in the murder of Lipolelo Thabane and also bribed many people who tried to divulge her involvement in the case whose names I wish to withhold for their security…,” Lehlanya states in his affidavit.

“I aver that after it appeared on social media that I am a witness in the Lipolelo Thabane’s murder case, I received numerous anonymous calls and audio clips threatening me for having implicated the petitioner and her co-perpetrators.

“I aver that the petitioner is a very dangerous person as she is a friend to the co-perpetrators in the Lipolelo Thabane’s murder case who she meets frequently. They call each other and they are capable of eliminating whoever comes in their way,” Lehlanya says.

He says that he knows about ‘Maesaiah’s criminal dealings because he had been part of the infamous Famo group known as Terene which the ex-first lady had used for her nefarious activities. He had been a friend to the former first lady, he claims.

Lehlanya says he fears for his life and it would be impossible for him to testify against ‘Maesaiah should she be granted bail.

“I also fear for lives of other members of my family. Not long ago my brother was killed and I received a call from an anonymous person to go and collect his corpse.

“My son has also received threats on various occasions. All these started after it was disclosed on the social media that I am a crown witness.

“I therefore make this affidavit in support of the Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete’s answering affidavit regarding the bail petition,” Lehlanya concludes.

The post Explosive disclosures on Lipolelo murder appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• move aimed at curbing corruption

Pascalinah Kabi | Nthatuoa Koeshe | Ntsebeng Motsoeli

NEWLY appointed Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro says his government’s priorities are to ensure food security and ending corruption in government.

He also ordered ministers and other senior government officials to declare their assets within the next 14 days as part of efforts to fight corruption.

Dr Majoro said this in a televised national address to the nation on Monday.

This was his first address after he replaced Thomas Thabane on 20 May 2020.

Outlining his government’s two-year plan, Dr Majoro said the deadly novel coronavirus (Covid-19) had exposed Lesotho’s food dependence on South Africa but this could soon be a thing of the past if the government prioritised farming.

Dr Majoro said his government came into being at a time when the country was faced with serious challenges including poverty, hunger and lawlessness characterised by stock theft and brutal murders.

He said his government would therefore work to achieve food security by embarking on a large-scale summer cropping. He said they would procure agricultural machinery to free local farmers from dependency on their South African counterparts.

“We all know that farming is the backbone of this country,” Dr Majoro said.

“This is why food security is every government’s obligation to its people. We need to produce food in order for us to win the fight against hunger and poverty.

“Furthermore, we will ensure a wider access and usage of green houses and shed nets as well as embarking on agricultural technology.”

He said the deadly coronavirus had exposed Lesotho’s food insecurity even further, proving that it was unwise for any country to entirely depend on another for food.

He said they would work closely with farmers to ensure the success of the 2020-21 summer cropping project.

“This (summer cropping project) will ensure that we win the fight against hunger within a short space of time. The government will provide space for agricultural exhibitions for food production.

On animal products like meat and milk, Dr Majoro said his administration would come up with clear policies which will result in improved livestock production as well as increased wool and mohair yields.

“We will also protect and rehabilitate wetlands and green pastures. This government will do this in collaboration with farmers.

“We will also ensure access to clean water by building dams for provision of water for household use and agricultural projects.”

He appealed to the nation to stop using arable land for residential construction or any other projects besides farming.

To stem corruption in government, Dr Majoro ordered government officials including ministers to declare their assets in the next two weeks.

Apart from ministers, others are expected to declare their assets are the principal secretaries, legislators, heads of procurement departments, and senior civil servants.

“Corruption, especially within the civil service, is a cancer that has been ravaging Lesotho’s economy for a very long time… We are determined set a precedent on this matter and His Majesty’s cabinet, principal secretaries, senior government officials and heads of procurement and supply chains will have declared their assets in the next 14 days,” Dr Majoro said.

He said the government is working to fortify all laws and regulations to enable the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) to perform its crime-fighting role without any obstacles.

The government will in the next 90 days produce a document on the code of conduct for the executive, legislators and all other critical departments, he added.

Dr Majoro also deplored the high rate of crime including armed robberies, livestock theft, gender-based violence and the murders of the elderly.

“Just last week there were a number of reported criminal cases. In some incidence, people were shot dead. Those (incidents) are just too many. We must take the fight against crime very seriously.

“We are already forming a task team to fight the escalating criminal activities. The task team will consist of police officers, soldiers and members of the community policing forums,” Dr Majoro said.

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’Marafaele Mohloboli

BARELY a month after his appointment, Local Government and Chieftainship Minister Samuel Rapapa has dissolved the Land Administration Authority’ board accusing it of failing to adhere to good corporate governance practices.

He did not say what corporate governance practices had been violated.

The dissolution is with effect from 15 June 2020. However, the move has been criticised by some of the board members who said the minister should have first consulted and discussed whatever concerns he had with them. Some of the board members say they were in the process of auditing the LAA and should have been left to complete the processes of establishing whether or not there were any irregularities in the day to day running of the land authority.

Among other things, the LAA is in charge of land administration, land registration, mapping and surveying in the country.

The LAA board is chaired by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship’s principal secretary and it also comprises of representatives of the same ministry as well as the ministries of Agriculture and Food Security; Forestry, Range and Land Conservation; Trade and Industry; the Association of Surveyors; the Bankers Association of Lesotho; the LAA Director; the business sector, notaries and conveyancers.

Former LAA board chairperson Khothatso Tšooana has been moved to the new Health Ministry in a reshuffle of principal secretaries by Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro on Monday.

In his 12 June 2020 letter to the board members, Mr Rapapa states that “the Board failed to act with due diligence and failed to observe its fiduciary duties towards good governance of the Land Administration Authority”.

“The Board is mandated to promote and ensure that the Land Administration Authority complies strictly with the laws of Lesotho, especially laws governing the Land Administration Authority.

“The Board appears to have compromised the effective performance of the Land Administration Authority. You are therefore advised that your membership of the Land Administration board of directors is hereby terminated.”

However, some of the board members who preferred anonymity said the dissolution of the board came as a shock to them because the minister had not consulted them or raised any concerns about any irregularities.

“It is quite disheartening to see how the minister has decided to handle the whole issue. He did not even try to meet us so that he gets our input on how best to restructure the institution if he so decides. The least he could have done would have been to have us present our report to him.

“He has acted as he sees fit but he has left us with so many unanswered questions as to who said what to him because we are the only credible source of information about anything regarding the LAA.

“There are some issues that need immediate attention and this includes the reversal of the recruitment of some staffers who were un-procedurally hired while another 15 were promoted without any consideration of possible financial implications on the LAA,” a board member said.

Another board member said the minister had misguided himself by dissolving the board.

“He (Mr Rapapa) has misdirected himself in that some of the members that he has decided to dismiss are certain to bounce back into the board as they are nominated by their respective entities. He will then have to deal with the same faces he arbitrarily dismissed without giving them a hearing.

“We wonder what the rush in dissolving the board was all about when we had already engaged some independent consultants to audit the LAA seeing that there are some irregularities in the running of the institution.

“There are a lot of issues that don’t add up in the day to day running of LAA and as the board we had made some recommendations to rectify things,” the board member said.

Mr Rapapa yesterday said he did “what had to be done” by dissolving the board.

“It is true that I disbanded the board and the only reason is that the new government wants to start on clean slate. Some of the issues such as those of the LAA can become problematic, especially now that we are in a new coalition,” Mr Rapapa told the Lesotho Times. He however, would not say what the new coalition comprising of his All Basotho Convention (ABC) party and the Democratic Congress (DC) could find problematic about the LAA.

The post Rapapa dissolves LAA board  appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• as new PM reshuffles seven other PSs    

Pascalinah Kabi

PRIME Minister Moeketsi Majoro has fired five principal secretaries who are said to be members of former Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki’s Alliance of Democrats (AD). Seven other principal secretaries have been reshuffled with effect from 15 June 2020.

The five who have been shown the exit door are Lebohang Mochaba (Justice and Correctional Services), Dr Thabiso Lebese (Education and Training), Tieho Mamasiane (Tourism, Environment and Culture), Tjoetsane Seoka (Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation) and Khomoatsana Tau (Energy and Meteorology).

They were effectively fired on Monday after receiving letters from Government Secretary Moahloli Mphaka informing them to immediately go on leave pending the expiry of their contracts on 8 and 9 August 2020.

The Lesotho Times this week saw a copy of Mr Mphaka’s letter to Ms Mochaba, informing her to immediately go on leave pending the expiry of her contract.

“I am directed by the Prime Minister to request you, as I hereby do, to proceed on terminal leave with immediate effect pending expiring of your contract as principal secretary,” Mr Mphaka states in his Monday letter to Ms Mochaba.

“I wish to take this opportunity to wish you well in your future endeavors and to thank you for the services you rendered to the government and the nation during your tenure as a high-ranking government official.” Mr Mphaka also ordered Ms Mochaba to immediately hand over her office to the deputy principal secretary or a senior officer in the ministry.

The other four principal secretaries are said to have received similar letters on Monday. Ms Mochaba and Dr Lebese told this publication that their contracts were due to expire on 8 August this year.

Although no reasons were given for the move, Dr Lebese said he was sent on leave because of his association with the AD which was excluded from the new governing coalition anchored by the All Basotho Convention (ABC) and the Democratic Congress (DC). Dr Majoro succeeded ABC party leader Thomas Thabane as prime minister on 20 May 2020. The ABC’s national executive committee (NEC) had resolved to kick out the AD from its new coalition with the DC for allegedly undermining efforts to achieve that new coalition. The ABC had dubbed Mr Thabane a liability after he was accused of the 14 June 2017 murder of his ex-wife, Lipolelo.

“I knew that I was out of that office as soon as there was a change of regime,” Dr Lebese told the Lesotho Times this week.

“I even tried to apply for leave on 20 May 2020 but I was advised that I did not have enough leave days. I was advised to go on terminal leave on 7 July 2020 and I was ready to do so,” he added.

Ms Mochaba said she was not aggrieved by Dr Majoro’s decision to terminate her contract. She said she was already on leave pending her exit.

“I received the letter informing me of the prime minister’s decision. I wish to state that I was not fired as many people interpret it. I was sent on leave and I have no problem with that.

“I am not aggrieved because I was employed on the basis of my competency and my employer has a right to send me on leave,” Ms Mochaba said.

She did not see the move as politically motivated, saying “we are public officers and for me this has nothing to do with party politics”.

On his part, Mr Tau said “it is true that I received a letter and my contract is due to expire in the first week of August 2020”.

Mr Seoka said he received his letter on Monday and his contract was due to expire on 9 August 2020.

Mr Mamasiane’s mobile phone rang unanswered when this publication called him for comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, Dr Majoro has reshuffled seven other principal secretaries with effect from 15 June 2020.

Local Government and Chieftaincy principal secretary Khothatso Tšooana has been moved to the  Health ministry with incumbent Thebe Mokoatle going in the opposite direction.

Mining principal secretary Themba Sopeng has been moved to the new Energy and Meteorology ministry, replacing the fired Mr Tau.  Development Planning PS Nthoateng Lebona has swapped places with Finance PS Motena Tšolo.

Transport PS Thabo Motoko takes over from Public Service PS Tšeliso Lesenya who has been moved to the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology.

The post Majoro fires AD-linked principal secretaries appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

THE treason trial of former army commander Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli and others will be held in October, November and December 2020.

Botswana Judge Onkemetse Tshosa on Tuesday set the trial dates during the court appearance of Lt-Gen Kamoli, Litekanyo Nyakane, Lance Corporal Motloheloa Ntsane and Lance Corporal Leutsoa Motsieloa for their routine remand.

“The trial is set for 12 to 14 October 2020,” Justice Tshosa said.

“It will resume on 10, 13 23, 27 and 30 November 2020 and again on 1, 3 and 4 December 2020.  The crown is ordered to avail all witness statements to the defence and all parties should finalise matters pertaining to the pre-trial conference by then.”

Politicians Mothetjoa Metsing and Selibe Mochoboroane will only join their fellow accused if they lose their constitutional application to stop the state from trying them at least until after the implementation of the multi-sector reforms recommended by SADC in 2016.

The treason charge is in connection with the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against the first government of former Prime Minister Thabane. Mr Metsing was deputy prime minister at the time of the attempted coup while Mr Mochoboroane was Communications minister and LCD secretary general.

Lt-Gen Kamoli and Captain Nyakane are already in prison awaiting trial for the murder of police Sub-Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko during the attempted coup.

The treason trial failed to take off in the High Court on 25 February 2020 after Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane filed a Constitutional Court application for an order barring Adv Motinyane from prosecuting them because of the October 2018 agreement between the former Thabane-led government and the opposition halting any trials of politicians until after the completion of the reforms.

Clause 10 of that agreement states that “Mr Metsing and similarly placed persons in exile will not be subjected to any pending criminal proceedings during the dialogue and reforms process”.

The Constitutional Court has previously outlawed this particular clause 10 after the late police constable Mokalekale Khetheng’s father, Thabo Khetheng, petitioned the court to declare it unconstitutional saying self-serving agreements between politicians could not outstrip the constitution. PC Khetheng was killed by fellow police officers on 26 March 2016.

But Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane petitioned the same court on 25 February 2020 to rescind its 22 November 2018 judgement outlawing Clause 10.

They want the court to stop their trial in line with a recent directive by SADC to ex-Prime Minister Thabane.

Retired South African Judge Dikgang Moseneke, who leads SADC’s facilitation in Lesotho on behalf of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, wrote to Mr Thabane informing him that the trial should be stopped in line with the 2018 agreement to defer criminal trials until after the implementation of the multi-sector reforms.

A fortnight ago, Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane asked the Constitutional Court to postpone their constitutional application to give the new Moeketsi Majoro-led government an opportunity to order the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Hlalefang Motinyane, to stop their trial in line with a recent directive by SADC to ex-Prime Minister Thabane.

But the duo’s lawyer, Adv Motiea Teele, on Thursday told the court that they would no longer be pursuing the postponement of the constitutional application because the government insisted on proceeding with the treason trial. He said they now wanted their constitutional application to stop their trial to heard without further delay.

This after DPP Motinyane insisted that the trial should go ahead without further delay. In her court papers filed last week to oppose the duo’s attempts to postpone their constitutional application, Adv Motinyane insisted that the judiciary is independent of the executive.  It is therefore “unacceptable” for Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane or the executive to interfere with the its decision to charge the duo with treason, she said.

Messrs Metsing and Mochoboroane’s constitutional application will now be heard on 23 June 2020.

It will be heard by the Constitutional Court bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice ‘Maseforo Mahase and Justices Semapo Peete and Molefi Makara.

The post Treason trial dates set appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Ntsebeng Motsoeli

PRIME Minister Moeketsi Majoro was against the inclusion of the Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) into his new cabinet but his hand was forced by the national executive committee (NEC) of his All Basotho Convention (ABC), a former ABC legislator has claimed.

Bobatsi constituency MP Sello Mooki, who dumped the ABC for the opposition Alliance of Democrats (AD) last Friday, this week told the Lesotho Times that Dr Majoro had expressed his unhappiness over the inclusion of BNP and RCL leaders in the new governing coalition at a meeting with several disgruntled ABC MPs last week.

BNP leader Thesele ‘Maseribane was reappointed Communications, Science and Technology minister while his party deputy, Machesetsa Mofomobe, was appointed deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations. RCL leader Keketso Rantšo retained her Labour and Employment portfolio.

Dr Majoro did not respond to calls and messages requesting his response to the allegations this week.

However, Mr Mooki said Dr Majoro had argued that the appointment of BNP and RCL leaders would cause friction within the ABC but the party’s NEC argued that it was necessary to achieve stability as the two parties were traditional allies of the ABC.

The appointments have been the source of renewed infighting in the fractious ABC and have resulted in MPs Mooki and Mokherane Tsatsanyane (Stadium Area constituency) dumping the party for the Monyane Moleleki-led AD.

Mr Mooki was the first to defect on Friday and Mr Tsatsanyane followed suit on Monday amid indications that more MPs could also ditch the fractious ruling party.

Narrating the events that led to his departure, Mr Mooki said there were at least 26 MPs who were unhappy with the decision to include the BNP and RCL in the new government.

He said he had a one-on-one meeting with Dr Majoro where he (Mr Mooki) told the premier of his and other ABC MPs’ anger over the inclusion of BNP and RCL leaders in cabinet at their expense. He said Dr Majoro subsequently convened a meeting with the disgruntled legislators on Tuesday 9 June 2020 in Maseru.

He said at both meetings Dr Majoro told them that although he was against the move, his hand was forced by the NEC’s insistence on appointing Messrs Maseribane, Mofomobe and Ms Rantšo to “reward their loyalty to the ABC and cement the political friendship”.

“I met him (Dr Majoro) alone and again with some of the disgruntled MPs last Tuesday. In both meetings, he confessed that he had been against the inclusion of the BNP and RCL (in the coalition) because their presence threatened the stability of the ABC and his government.

“But he (Dr Majoro) said the ABC’s NEC had insisted on their inclusion and he was powerless to disregard the NEC,” Mr Mooki said. Although he is prime minister, Dr Majoro is not a member of the powerful NEC which signed a coalition deal with the Democratic Congress (DC) in April 2020.

Mr Mooki said the disgruntled MPs then threatened to dump the ABC over the issue but Dr Majoro allegedly begged them not to. The premier allegedly pleaded for time to discuss the issue with the NEC in the hope that it would reconsider its stance on the inclusion of the BNP and the RCL.

“He (Dr Majoro) said his hands were tied because the NEC was powerful but he pleaded with us not to leave, saying his position as prime minister would be threatened if we did. He said he would talk to the NEC but he had not reported back to us when I left the ABC (on Friday).”

Mr Mooki said he had no choice but cross over to the AD after ABC spokesperson Montoeli Masoetsa told them to leave if they were not happy with the inclusion of the BNP and RCL.

“I was shown the exit door when I questioned some of these decisions, including the one to kick the AD out of the government.

“I asked why the BNP and RCL were kept in government and the answer was that they were friends of ABC. Nothing was said about the two parties’ ability to deliver services to the people. I also said that the ABC and DC had more than enough numbers to form government on their own and did not have to give ministerial posts to other parties at the expense of their own MPs. I did not necessarily want a cabinet post for myself.

“The two parties (DC and ABC) together had 78 seats and therefore it was very unfair to give ministerial posts to other parties on the basis of mere friendship. I was then accused of challenging the decisions of the NEC and told to go.”

Mr Mooki said he chose the AD because during its time in government it had shown that it was committed to service delivery in the ministries under its control.

“I decided to join the AD because it had proved its ability to deliver services to the people. The AD was kicked out of government because it was accused of using government resources to strengthen its support base by building schools, roads and implementing the rural electrification programme. But that is what the people expect of government and we in the ABC could have done the same as we had critical ministries like Public Works as well as Water.

“We could have also provided services and increased our support base but we didn’t hence the baseless accusations against the AD when they were doing what they ought to do.

“I chose the AD because they delivered services in the few ministries that they were given in the previous government. I want to be associated with people who deliver services.”

Mr Masoetsa this week told this publication that there is no going back on the appointment of BNP and RCL leaders to cabinet and disgruntled ABC MPs were free to leave the party.

Mr Mooki said although the AD had its own internal squabbles, they always closed ranks to focus on the more important task of providing services.

“I was compelled to join the AD because of their ability to put aside their internal differences and unite to provide services to the people. The same cannot be said of the ABC who forgot about the people and only focused on internal differences.”

Mr Mooki said when the new government came into being on 20 May 2020, he had been optimistic that the ABC would build roads in rural constituencies including in his own Sekokong village. But he said he was not optimistic that will ever happen, judging by the performance of the government in the short period it has been in power.  The Majoro government had hitherto failed to articulate a clear policy agenda on improving the lives of Basotho, he claimed.

“I walk for over an hour from the main road to reach my village. The prime minister (Dr Majoro) can attest to that because I once hosted him. He travelled on horseback to reach my home,” Mr Mooki said.

He said at least 24 other ABC MPs could join him in defecting, claiming they were also not happy with the inclusion of the BNP and RCL in the new cabinet.

The post Why I dumped the ABC for the AD: Mooki appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• cites ABC’s “ill-treatment” of former premier Thabane as reason for leaving
• also unhappy with ABC forming governing coalition with DC
• more expected to follow suit but ABC vows to stand with new govt

’Marafaele Mohloboli

YET another All Basotho Convention (ABC) legislator has dumped the ruling party to join the opposition Alliance of Democrats (AD).

Mokherane Tsatsanyane, who represents the Stadium Area constituency, crossed the floor to the opposition benches in parliament on Monday. He became the second ABC legislator to join the AD after the Bobatsi constituency legislator, Sello Mooki, who crossed over to the AD on Friday 12 June 2020.

Like Mr Mooki last week, Mr Tsatsanyane was given a rapturous reception by senior AD officials including party spokesperson Thuso Litjobo, during his defection process in the National Assembly.

“This is just the beginning of great things to come and we couldn’t have been happier to witness our party growing from strength to strength on a daily basis,” an elated Mr Litjobo said of the defection of Mr Tsatsanyane.

Authoritative ABC sources say Messrs Tsatsanyane and Mooki’s departures are harbingers for more defections that will hit the ABC as anger continues to swell over Dr Majoro’s decision to appoint members of the Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress for Lesotho (RCL) to cabinet ahead of ABC MPs.

The sources say at least nine others are also planning to ditch the ruling party for the AD. Mr Mooki insists the numbers of MPs planning to leave could be as high as 24. But despite all this ABC spokesperson, Montoeli Masoetsa, says there is no going back on the appointment of BNP and RCL leaders to cabinet.

“The decision to include the BNP and RCL leaders in cabinet was made by the ABC’s NEC and the majority of the ABC MPs and it stands whether the disgruntled MPs are happy or not,” Mr Masoetsa told the Lesotho Times this week.

“Let them go as individuals and let the ABC be. Even though a political party depends on numbers for its strength, we would rather lose a few disgruntled members and focus on growing the party with people who respect its values.

“We’d rather lose people who are disgruntled because they were not appointed as ministers. They were elected to be members of parliament and not ministers. There is no way that every MP can be a minister.

“The electorate shall punish them in the 2022 elections,” he said in reference to Messrs Mooki and Tsatsanyane who defected partly out of anger over the appointment of BNP and RCL leaders to cabinet.

The BNP and RCL are traditional allies of the ABC after having been part of the first Thomas Thabane government from 2012 to 2015.  The leaders of the two parties went into exile with Mr Thabane when he fled Lesotho after his ouster in the February 2015 elections fearing assassination by rogue soldiers then under the command of Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli.

They subsequently all returned and joined the second Thabane coalition after the ABC won the June 2017 polls. After the ABC ousted Thabane last month and replaced him with Dr Majoro, the RCL and BNP leaders retained their positions in the third ABC led coalition.

BNP leader Thesele ‘Maseribane retained his post as Communications, Science and Technology minister while his party deputy, Machesetsa Mofomobe, was moved from his previous post of deputy Home Affairs minister to deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations.

RCL leader Keketso Rantšo retained her Labour and Employment portfolio. There was also space in Dr Majoro’s cabinet for some members of other smaller parties backing the new coalition anchored by the ABC and the Democratic Congress (DC).

But some ABC MPs are unhappy about being left out. The legislators say they find it hard to accept that despite working for former premier Thomas Thabane’s ouster and despite winning constituency seats in the last elections, there was no place for them in Dr Majoro’s cabinet. They say they cannot stomach the fact that leaders of the BNP and the RCL who failed to win a single constituency seat in June 2017 had been appointed into cabinet.

Apart from Messrs Mooki and Tsatsanyane other MPs said to be planning to jump ship are Litšoane Litšoane (Bela-Bela constituency), Tšoeu Molise (Tšoana-Makhulo), Thabang Mafojane (Motimposo), Fako Moshoeshoe (Khubetsoana), Chalane Phori (Qoaling), Leshoboro Mohlajoa (Malimong), Samonyane Ntsekele (Tsikoane) and Temeki Tšolo (Mafeteng).

Prior to his defection on Monday, Mr Tsatsanyane addressed some of his constituents in Maseru, saying he was loyal to Mr Thabane and now that the former premier was hounded out of his post, he no longer had any reason to remain in the ABC. Without elaborating, he also accused the ABC of persecuting Mr Thabane. Mr Thabane and his wife ‘Maesaiah face charges of murdering the premier’s former wife, Lipolelo, in June 2017.

ABC MPs like Mr Tsatsanyane want Dr Majoro and the party to save them from prosecution. This however, cannot be achieved without threatening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary — a fact which appears clearly lost on those pushing for the new prime minister’s intervention.

“I shall forever respect Ntate Thabane as he has entrusted me with the responsibility of being a cabinet minister above the responsibility that you had given me of just being an MP,” Mr Tsatsanyane, who was Deputy Minister of Public Works, told his constituents on Sunday.

“My allegiance is with Ntate Thabane and he was chased out by his own people. Even after he had said he would be leaving on 31 July 2020 they still booted him out therefore I cannot be part of the people who persecuted him. I even consulted my constituency and suggested that I resign so that there is a by-election but they refused and instead gave me their blessing to join the AD,” Mr Tsatsanyane said.

Mr Tsatsanyane said although he had nothing against Dr Majoro, he could not stomach the fact that the ABC had agreed a coalition deal with the DC which had been rejected outright by voters in his constituency in the 2017 elections.

“I am one of those who voted Dr Majoro to take over as prime minister after the retirement of Ntate Thabane which should have been at the end of July 2020.

“But I don’t support this joint government with the Democratic Congress DC because this constituency gave me 5996 votes while the combined votes of the DC and Lesotho Congress for Democracy were much less. Therefore, I can’t sit at table with them (DC) because the people made it very clear that they do not want them in government.”

For now, the departures of Messrs Tsatsanyane and Mooki will not shake the strong foundations of the ABC-DC coalition as it still has overwhelming support of both parties’ MPs as well as those of other smaller parties.

The post Second ABC MP Tsatsanyane defects to AD appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Limpho Sello

THREE nurses have been quarantined after they were recently exposed to a patient who had tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Quthing.

The trio are in quarantine since last week at a hotel in Quthing after the Lesotho Nurses Association (LNA) complained about their exposure to the Covid-19 patient. That patient had entered the country illegally earlier this month through the Quthing border and is one of four Basotho who have so far tested positive for Covid-19. The nurses were allegedly exposed to the patient on 2 June 2020 and are now attending counselling sessions while in quarantine and whole awaiting their own test results.

The nursing association has accused the Ministry of Health of knowingly endangering the trio and want responsible officers to face the music.

The LNA alleges that the ministry officials assigned the trio to attend to the patient without providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE). They were not even warned of the patient’s positive Covid-19 status, the LNA alleges.

LNA Secretary General Mamonica Mokhesi said at the time of the nurses’ assignment, the ministry had been fully aware that the patient had tested positive for Covid-19.

Ms Mokhesi said the nurses’ blood samples were taken for testing in South Africa on Saturday and the results are pending.

“The three nurses were directly exposed to the virus after they were made to attend to a Covid-19 patient without being told that the patient might be a danger to their lives and without the necessary PPE,” Ms Mokhesi said in an interview with Lesotho Times this week.

“We have a serious issue with the fact that the ministry exposed the nurses to the deadly virus without warning them or even providing personal protective equipment. We interpret that as attempted murder and someone has to account for such carelessness.

“We engaged Health Minister Motlatsi Maqelepo and senior officials in the ministry over the issue. We categorically stated that the responsible officials should be held accountable. The minister (Mr Maqelepo) asked the three nurses to submit reports on the issue and he would look into it.”

Ms Mokhesi said they would follow up on the matter after the nurses submitted their reports on Monday.

Ms Mokhesi said they had also taken up the issue with the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Kemiso Mosenene. She said Mr Mosenene promised a formal meeting to discuss this and other nurses’ grievances soon.

“We have given the ministry an opportunity to address this matter. Should they fail to act, we will engage our executive and the branches who will give us guidance on how to fight for the rights and protection of our members.”

Ms Mokhesi claimed this was not the first time that nurses had been negligently exposed to the virus by the ministry’s officials. This had also happened in Mokhotlong but the LNA “let the matter slide”, thinking it was a learning experience for the ministry, Ms Mokhesi said.

“This time around there are no excuses. We see this as recklessness and a deliberate action to endanger our members. The culprits must be taken to task,” Ms Mokhesi said.

The post Nurses quarantined over Covid-19 appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

CONTROVERSIAL Chinese businessman Yan Xie, who served as former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s special envoy and trade advisor on the China-Asia Trade Network, has fled the country to avoid possible prosecution for corruption.

Sources within the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) this week told the Lesotho Times that Mr Xie fled to Australia after being tipped off that the DCEO and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) were investigating him over suspected corruption in the financing of the construction of Mr Thabane’s two-storey house at Makhoakhoeng, Maseru. The sources did not give the exact time when Mr Xie, popularly known as John, fled the country.

In a telephone interview with this publication from his new Australia base on Monday, Mr Xie said he was unable to respond to the allegations due to ill-health.

He said he had been in Sydney since last September for medical attention for an undisclosed ailment and he would not be returning to Lesotho anytime soon.

“I am in Sydney for treatment and I am very sick,” Mr Xie said.

“I left the country long time ago and I will not come (back) soon. You see I am very sick. I need (to) sleep and oxygen every day”.

DCEO spokesperson ‘Matlhokomelo Senoko on Tuesday said she would neither deny or confirm any investigations into Mr Xie’s dealings.

“We cannot deny nor confirm anything because that in itself compromises our investigations,” Ms Senoko said.

But the DCEO sources insisted that Mr Xie had fled after being tipped off that the DCEO and the FIU had resumed investigations into his alleged corrupt dealings which had allegedly been stopped by Mr Thabane.

Mr Xie has been linked to a number of murky deals that include financing the political parties including Mr Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC).

He is also said to be the main financier in the construction of Mr Thabane’s double storey house in Makhoakhoeng.  The sources said the anti-graft body wants Mr Xie to explain his involvement in the financing of the construction of Mr Thabane’s house.

Mr Thabane started constructing his new house at Makhoakhoeng in 2018, just a year after he was installed as prime minister. He had also appointed Mr Xie as his trade advisor and the latter is said to have been awarded several government construction-related tenders at grossly inflated prices so that some of the funds could be used to finance the construction of Mr Thabane’s mansion.

Mr Thabane was not reachable on his mobile phone for comment yesterday.

“John was awarded tenders to supply curtains and furnisher to the new state house, do landscaping and install new cameras,” a DCEO source said.

“The DCEO received a tip-off that the tender prices were highly inflated and that all the spill-overs were later used to finance the construction of Ntate Thabane’s house,” the source added.

Mr Thabane moved into the Chinese-funded State House in 2018 after it was fully furnished by one of Mr Xie’s companies. Another DCEO source claimed that Mr Xie had been tipped of the DCEO’s plans to raid his office at Jackpot Supermarket, Maseru to investigate the issue.

“Part of the proceeds from the tenders were used to pay a company that was contracted to build Ntate Thabane’s house.

“There were no bank transfers between Mr Xie and Ntate Thabane or between them and the construction company. They operated on a cash basis to avoid detection.

“We planned to raid Mr Xie’s office and confiscate every document as part of our investigations,” the source said.

The source alleged that fully aware that the net was closing in on Mr Xie, Mr Thabane fired former DCEO director general, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, in February 2019. He was replaced by current DCEO boss, Adv Mahlomola Manyokole, in July 2019.

Shortly after his appointment, Adv Manyokole suspended Chief Investigations Officer, Thabiso Thibeli, for allegedly refusing to comply with a directive to hand over files and exhibits of cases that he was investigating. He remains on suspension after Adv Manyokole refused to comply with last month’s directive by the DCEO board to reinstate him. Law and Justice Minister Professor Nqosa Mahao says he is handling the issue.

Last September, Mr Thibeli told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that Adv Matsoso was fired for investigating some Chinese nationals who were said to be close to then First Lady, ‘Maesaiah Thabane.

Adv Manyokole however, denied these and other allegations that he sought to block any high-profile cases from being prosecuted. He told the PAC that he had forwarded all the case files to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for prosecution.

FIU Director Palesa Khabele was not reachable on her mobile phone to shed light on the FIU’s own investigations into Mr Xie’s alleged corruption.

A source said the police also launched their own separate investigations into the matter.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete this week told this publication that they were investigating the Home Affairs tender scandal where Mr Xie allegedly defrauded four local companies that were awarded a tender to supply the Ministry of Home Affairs with park homes worth M26 million. The four companies — Legends Construction, Selemela Steel Works and Construction, BT Group and L&Kiti — were awarded the contracts in January 2019. After being awarded the contracts, the four companies were allegedly told by Home Affairs principal secretary ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie to approach Mr Xie for funding. The latter is said to have withdrawn monies paid into the companies’ bank accounts without their knowledge. Ms Lemphane-Letsie denied any wrong-doing when she appeared before the PAC last year.

DCP Mokete said “the police are investigating the tender scam at Home Affairs”.

“Assistant Commissioner of Police (Beleme) Lebajoa is best placed to give you details on these issues,” DCP Mokete said.

ACP Lebajoa on Tuesday said he did not have updated reports on the Home Affairs tender scam and the M7 million scandal involving Mr Xie and the Lesotho PostBank.

According to information given to PAC members last October by a local commercial bank, all the transfers in the Home Affairs scandal were done on 22 March 2019 and totalled about M26 million.

The commercial bank’s report to the PAC, seen by the Lesotho Times, clearly tabulates the amounts withdrawn from each of the four companies’ accounts into Mr Xie’s Teboho Construction account.

The commercial bank, which asked not to be named in this publication, says in its own analysis and view the four companies were merely used as fronts for Mr Xie’s Teboho Construction.

Mr Xie is also wanted in connection with the irregular transfer of M7 million from a Lesotho PostBank account held by Meriti Holdings (Pty) Ltd into another one belonging to Teboho Construction at a different bank. Teboho Construction was controlled by Mr Xie.

According to the sources, the scam happened two days after the Meriti Holdings account holders had submitted a new shareholding structure of their company and a new set of account signatories to PostBank.

At the time of the illegal transfer, one Teboho Mothebesoane controlled 490 shares of Meriti Holdings while a Xiao Fung owned 510 shares. However, as of 15 January 2019 Mr Mothebesoane became the sole shareholder of the company controlling all 1000 shares.

Soon after Meriti Holdings approached the bank on 23 January 2019 to change their account signatories, the illegal transfer was done to Teboho Construction.

Lesotho PostBank’s chief credit officer Themba Sopeng was suspended and fired in July 2019 over accusations that he had potentially prejudiced the bank of nearly M7 million after he irregularly transferred that amount from the account of one company into another without any basis for the transaction.

Mr Sopeng was accused of making the transfer unilaterally without following the bank’s procedures and involving others who should have authenticated the transaction.

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