Pascalinah Kabi

THERE was drama at Khali Hotel in Maseru on Monday when two All Basotho Convention (ABC) national executive committee (NEC) members exchanged blows at a meeting to discuss whether or not to recall Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro.

The two members are Sekhonyana Mosenene and Mohlophehi Mohobelo.  Mr Mosenene sits in the ABC’s NEC as a representative of the country’s powerful taxi operators. Mr Mohobelo represents the Leribe constituencies in the NEC which is led by former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.

They exchanged blows as tempers flared over whether or not to vote on recalling Dr Majoro from the premiership for firing and reshuffling ministers Keketso Rantšo (Labour and Employment) and Thesele Maseribane (Communications, Science and Technology) respectively without the knowledge and consent of the ABC’s NEC.

Over the weekend, ABC secretary general Lebohang Hlaele and spokesperson Montoeli Masoetsa both said the NEC had been angered by the axing of Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) leader Ms Rantšo and the reassignment of her Basotho National Party (BNP) counterpart Chief Maseribane to the Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing ministry.

They said the duo should not have been touched in the reshuffle which affected a few other ministers on the grounds that their parties were signatories to the April 2020 coalition agreement which gave birth to the current Majoro-led governing coalition which came to power after the May 2020 dissolution of the previous coalition headed by ABC leader Thabane.

Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa had then told the Lesotho Times that although Dr Majoro’s decision could not be reversed, the party’s NEC would nevertheless meet on Monday to discuss how best to manage its fractured relationship with the RCL and BNP.

However, the meeting exposed underlying divisions among NEC members with the likes of Messrs Thabane, Hlaele and Masoetsa pushing for Dr Majoro to be recalled from the premiership.

Their stance was opposed by deputy leader Professor Nqosa Mahao, chairperson Samuel Rapapa, deputy secretary general Nkaku Kabi, deputy spokesperson ‘Matebatso Doti and treasurer Tlali Mohapi.

It was at this meeting that Mr Mosenene, who is said to be aligned to the pro-Majoro camp, fought with Mr Mohobelo (anti-Majoro side) as tempers boiled over Messrs Thabane and others’ push to have Dr Majoro recalled.

Both of them confirmed the physical altercation with Mr Mosenene saying it was a “soft laying hands on each other which should not be in a newspaper article”.

“Are we seriously turning a mild fight between men into newspaper articles? Yes, there was a soft laying of hands on each other but I refuse to make it a newspaper article,” Mr Mosenene said.

Asked what had caused the fight, Mr Mosenene said “we were in the meeting of the NEC. I cannot comment further, goodbye”.

Mr Mohobelo said Mr Mosenene had pointed a finger at him after he complained about the noise that followed the heated debate about whether or not to take the issue of Dr Majoro’s proposed recall to vote.

“We were demanding that we vote on the motion to recall Majoro but Ntate Mosenene’s side was against this because they didn’t have numbers. They were making a lot of noise and I told them that the noise was affecting me. He pointed a finger at me and I hit him. I was pissed off,” Mr Mohobelo said in an interview with the Lesotho Times this week.

The post Drama as ABC’s NEC members exchange blows appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• as party’s NEC factions engage in fistfight over moves to recall Majoro
• party bigwigs admit ABC is now split right through the middle

Pascalinah Kabi

THE All Basotho Convention (ABC) has virtually imploded.

One faction of the party insists its national executive committee (NEC) has resolved to recall Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro while the other rebuffs the claim as a “big fat lie”.

The bitter factionalism within the ABC reached a crescendo this week with factional members exchanging fistfights at an NEC meeting on Monday over the Majoro recall issue.

But there is now a serious realignment of the factions with deputy party leader Nqosa Mahao, spokesperson Montoeli Masoetsa and secretary general Lebohang Hlaele, who all once constituted a formidable faction against party leader Thomas Thabane, now at war amongst themselves.

The three convened countrywide rallies to rally party supporters after the chaos that engulfed the party’s February 2019 elective conference at which Professor Mahao’s elevation to deputy leader was rejected by Mr Thabane.   They fought in unisom against Mr Thabane, even succeeding in engineering his ouster as premier. But all hell has now broken loose among them with Mr Masoetsa going as far as denigrating Prof Mahao as a “fool”.

The factionalism in the ABC reached a crescendo at the Monday NEC meeting at which Mr Masoetsa insists a resolution was taken to recall Dr Majoro while Prof Mahao dismisses that claim as a “big fat lie”.  NEC officials from either camp exchanged blows as the meeting degenerated into a slanging fiasco.

After having fought in Prof Mahao’s corner for much of the factional duration since 2019, Mr Hlaele is said to have now set his sights on becoming party leader and premier at the expense of Dr Majoro and Prof Mahao. That ambition is partly said to be at the core of the latest fights which have now split the ABC right through the middle.

Admission

After initially denying it, Prof Mahao, chairperson Samuel Rapapa and Mr Masoetsa have now all finally admitted that their party is split right down the middle as consistently reported by the Lesotho Times in previous editions.

The two NEC members, Sekhonyana Mosenene and Mohlophehi Mohobelo, exchanged blows as tempers flared over whether or not to vote on a proposal to recall Dr Majoro.

The Mahao and Hlaele factions subsequently issued conflicting statements regarding Dr Majoro’s fate in the aftermath of the Monday meeting.

Mr Masoetsa, a close ally of Mr Hlaele, said the meeting ended with a resolution to recall Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro from his post. This after Dr Majoro allegedly unilaterally reshuffled his cabinet last Wednesday and fired some ministers without the knowledge and approval of the NEC.

Prof Mahao and his allies, who include chairperson Samuel Rapapa, have on the other hand dismissed Mr Masoetsa’s claims saying no such decision was ever made. They insist that the premier remains firmly in his position.

Prof Mahao and his allies further accused Mr Hlaele and his allies of holding clandestine meetings at Mr Hlaele’s house to plot Dr Majoro’s ouster as well as “a hostile takeover” of the fractious lead governing coalition party.

The factions took the gloves off at the Monday meeting at Khali Hotel in Maseru. The meeting was convened to, among other things, discuss Dr Majoro’s cabinet reshuffle last Wednesday.

Among others, Dr Majoro axed Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) leader, Keketso Rantšo, from her post as Labour and Employment minister. The premier also moved Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Thesele Maseribane, from the Communications, Science and Technology ministry to the Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing portfolio.

Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa said the reshuffle had surprised and angered the ABC’s NEC. They said Ms Rantšo and Chief ‘Maseribane should not have been touched in the reshuffle.

They said the duo should not have been targeted because their parties were signatories to the April 2020 coalition agreement which gave birth to the current Majoro-led governing coalition after the May 2020 dissolution of the previous coalition headed by Mr Thabane.

Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa had told the Sunday Express that although Dr Majoro’s decision could not be reversed, the party’s NEC would nevertheless meet on Monday to discuss how best to manage its fractured relationship with the RCL and BNP.

But it has now emerged that their pronouncements and concerns are not unanimously shared by all NEC members including Prof Mahao, Mr Rapapa, deputy secretary general Nkaku Kabi and deputy spokesperson ‘Matebatso Doti.

Hlaele Camp

The Hlaele camp is anchored by Mr Masoetsa and deputy chairperson Chalane Phori.

Their differences came to the fore at the explosive Monday meeting where Mr Masoetsa insists the party resolved to “recall” and “redeploy” Dr Majoro as punishment for his “ill-advised and ill-timed” decision to fire Ms Rantšo and redeploy Chief ‘Maseribane.

There was a previous, albeit unsuccessful attempt last December by Mr Thabane, who is now said to be working closely with his son in law Mr Hlaele, to have Dr Majoro ousted on the grounds he had lost the support of most party members and legislators due to his alleged dictatorial way of doing things.

However, the move did not succeed as it was rejected by the NEC and several ABC MPs who subsequently held a press conference in December 2020 to reaffirm their support for Dr Majoro.

Despite this, Messrs Hlaele, Masoetsa, and Mr Thabane are unrelenting in their bid to see the back of Dr Majoro.  They are now using the Wednesday reshuffle to revive the bid to oust Dr Majoro. This is however despite the fact that Dr Majoro has the constitutional prerogative to appoint his cabinet and nowhere in the law is it stipulated that a prime minister is obliged to consult party officials before appointing his ministers.  But Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa have repeatedly exhorted Dr Majoro to consult with their NEC when he appoints ministers and other senior officials including principal secretaries.

According to Mr Masoetsa, the NEC resolved to recall the premier at the Monday meeting. He said they would meet again “within seven days to finalise modalities of the premier’s redeployment”.

His claims have however been rejected by Prof Mahao, Mr Rapapa and others who described them as “big fat lies” by fellow NEC members bent on “staging a hostile takeover of the party”.

Recall     

Mr Masoetsa told the Lesotho Times the NEC had resolved to “recall and redeploy” Dr Majoro and they would meet within seven days to finalise the modalities of the premier’s redeployment.

He said among other things, the meeting had also been called to correct “false statements” last December by Mr Rapapa that the NEC was fully behind Dr Majoro when this was no longer the case.

“We did not waste time at the meeting as we immediately corrected the fraudulent claims that the NEC supports Majoro.

“Rapapa is the one who made that fraudulent announcement on different radio stations and through voice clips. He was supported by Mahao but we didn’t agree with them. This matter was discussed in the (Monday) meeting because it needed to be straightened out.

“We also agreed that Majoro should be redeployed. Modalities surrounding his redeployment will be finalised during our next meeting to be held within seven days.

“The decision was taken after initial disagreements as to whether or not we should vote on the matter. Some were saying we must vote while others were saying the voting should not go ahead. But a decision was eventually made that Majoro should be redeployed without voting. The meeting ended there. Within seven days, the secretary general (Hlaele) will arrange the next meeting to conclude the matter,” Mr Masoetsa said. Mr Hlaele was not reachable on his mobile phone for comment.

Prof Mahao, Mr Rapapa and some NEC members vehemently rejected Mr Masoetsa’s claims at a press conference at the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) offices in Maseru on Tuesday.

Mr Mosenene, deputy secretary general Nkaku Kabi, treasurer Tlali Mohapi, deputy spokesperson ‘Matebatso Doti, secretary responsible for taking minutes Likhapha Masupha and Mokhotlong constituency representative Thabo Sekonyela also attended the presser.

Big Fat Lie

“That is a big fat lie,” Prof Mahao said of Mr Masoetsa’s claims that they had resolved to recall Dr Majoro.

“The arguments (about recalling Majoro) went on until the leader (Thabane) said he was closing the (Monday) meeting. After the leader closed the meeting, the secretary general (Hlaele) who throughout the meeting kept on whispering in the leader’s ear or passing pieces of paper, wrote yet another piece of paper and passed it on to the leader who had already indicated that he was closing the meeting.

“As the leader was about to read it, the house broke out in noise and complained about the secretary general repeatedly passing pieces of paper to the leader.

“The meeting ended and it was agreed that since the agenda had not been concluded, the next meeting will be called within seven days to conclude the agenda,” Prof Mahao said.

He said after the meeting ended, Mr Thabane left the venue first. He was followed by other NEC members shortly afterwards. He said they later learnt that the Hlaele faction secretly reconvened and agreed to issue a false report saying Dr Majoro had been recalled.  But Prof Mahao insisted that was not the case.

He accused Mr Hlaele of hosting a meeting of “eight men and a woman” at his Maseru home on the eve of the NEC meeting to plot a hostile takeover of the ABC.

“We are saying that reports that the NEC decided that the head of government Ntate Majoro must be recalled within seven days are not true. It is a big, fat lie. We want to assure ABC members that there is nothing of that sort which was decided by the NEC.

“What we cannot deny however, is that the eight men and a woman met at Lebohang Hlaele’s house on Sunday, clearly preparing to stage a hostile takeover of the party. They may have decided that (Majoro’s recall). But that is not the decision of the ABC’s NEC to recall Majoro,” Prof Mahao said.

He said it had become clear that the NEC was deeply divided.  Because they did not have sufficient numbers, the Hlaele faction had attempted to rope in more people into the NEC to help them achieve their objective of removing Dr Majoro and taking over of the party, Prof Mahao, who is also Justice and Law minister said.

“The ABC constitution states that NEC must be made up of 30 members but there are currently 20 or 21 members.

“It (NEC) has split right down the middle and it is now an open secret that there are divisions.

“We know that they attempted to stage a hostile takeover. They (Hlaele faction) wanted to abduct the party.

“We know that on Friday, Messrs Lebohang Hlaele and Phori were in Butha-Buthe and that is where they forged a letter to increase their numbers in the NEC to enable them to just drag us along with them. So, these actions and the manner in which they wanted yesterday’s (Monday) meeting to take their favoured direction, is clear evidence that they are abducting this party,” Prof Mahao said.

However, Mr Masoetsa denied that they held a meeting to plot a takeover of the party.

Slanging Match

“They are lying. The NEC on Monday decided that Majoro must be recalled. Mahao was the first to say he would not vote. Kabi, Rapapa and others also started shouting saying they will not allow us to win.

“After the matter was extensively discussed, three members asked Thabane to lead the way and Thabane said Majoro must be redeployed. Mahao and (the ABC secretary responsible for taking minutes Masupha) Likhapha said they would not allow uneducated people to defeat them and that is when the physical fight erupted (between Mosenene and Mohobelo). Thabane is the one who said Majoro must be redeployed yet this Mahao fool says I said Majoro must be recalled within seven days.

“It is also a lie that there was a meeting at Hlaele’s place on Sunday. Mahao is a liar.

“They even came into the Monday meeting with underhand tricks to make sure that we don’t vote. They made a lot of noise hoping Thabane would sulk and walk out. They thought this would work to their advantage but it did not, Thabane did not walk out of that meeting. They also questioned the eligibility of the Berea district representative. This was his fifth NEC meeting yet on Monday they claimed that he was not an eligible NEC member and must therefore be expelled from the meeting. We told them that this is rubbish.

“On the issue of pieces of paper being passed to him, Thabane indicated that he was now an old man who needed to be given pieces of paper to constantly remind him of issues that he must talk to. There was nothing wrong with Hlaele giving him pieces of paper to remind him. The last piece of paper Hlaele passed to Thabane was to ask him to stop the meeting because of the commotion which had ensured. Hlaele said the NEC will be called within seven days to finish its agenda but this Koro-Koro fool (Mahao) is now saying I am the one who said that,” Mr Masoetsa charged.

He also attacked Messrs Kabi, Masupha and others of previously residing in the Thabane faction and assisting the latter when Mr Masoetsa himself and others fought in Prof Mahao and his allies’ corner to stop Mr Thabane from expelling them from the party in 2019.

He issued the reminder after Mr Kabi accused Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa of attempting to “breathe life into their political careers” by using Mr Thabane.

“It is important to pass a clear message to this other side (Hlaele camp) that we are no longer seeing eye-to-eye with. They are grown men and should stop using the leader (Thabane) for the wrong reasons,” Mr Kabi said at the Tuesday press conference.

“The leader is now an old man. They must stand on their own and not use him as a lung to breathe through.”

Rapapa

In a separate interview with this publication, Mr Rapapa also denied Mr Masoetsa’s claims that they had resolved to recall Dr Majoro.

“Did he say how the decision was made? Does he say we voted on the matter? Don’t tell me you have not studied Masoetsa’s character well enough. Masoetsa likes to make his opinion appear as though it is the party position. Every time he speaks to the media, he makes it appear as though his own personal beliefs are those of the NEC.

“Just last week, the premier reshuffled cabinet and Masoetsa said the NEC had not been informed. When did the NEC meet in order for it to be informed on this decision because the NEC was only sitting for the first time on Monday after its last sitting on 29 December (2020)?”

Mr Rapapa insisted that Mr Thabane’s proposal to recall Dr Majoro had been defeated in an NEC vote on 29 December 2020.

“Mahao chaired that meeting and we triumphed over them. They claimed they lost because they were not in that meeting. Masoetsa himself claimed that he was not part of the meeting but he is lying,” Mr Rapapa said.

He said the motion to recall Dr Majoro was a closed matter as it had been conclusively dealt with at the December meeting. The Monday meeting was supposed to be a routine meeting. But the Hlaele faction had demanded a vote on whether or not to recall Dr Majoro.

“We refused to vote on the matter. It was then agreed to solicit Ntate Thabane’s opinion as it was evident that the discussions were never going to be concluded.

“He (Thabane) was asked if he was aware that this issue had potential to split the party. He then said we must abandon the matter and not allow it to split the party. He said we should instead concentrate on the needs of the ordinary people in the constituencies. Immediately after he said that, Hlaele whispered in his ear, saying ‘but Majoro must be redeployed’.

“At that point some members lost their tempers, saying they could not continue allowing Hlaele who had dethroned Thabane to now use him.

“There was commotion as some members supported the moves to recall Majoro while others said he must not be recalled.

“Ntate Hlaele then stood up and announced that a meeting (on Majoro’s recall) will be held within seven days. It was then that Ntate Thabane said the (Monday) meeting could not go ahead under this (tense) climate. I then personally closed the meeting with a prayer,” Mr Rapapa said, adding there was never a resolution to recall Dr Majoro.

He accused Mr Hlaele of behaving like the Biblical Jacob who usurped his brother Esau’s inheritance by conniving with their mother Rebecca to deceive their mother into giving him the inheritance which was rightfully Esau’s.

Possible split

Mr Rapapa nonetheless said the party had experienced similar disagreements before and would not split because of them.

Mr Masoetsa on the other hand said it was a blessing in disguise that Mr Rapapa had lost his bid to become the prime minister last March.

The NEC, including Prof Mahao, Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa had unanimously endorsed Mr Rapapa to succeed Mr Thabane as moves to oust the premier, amid allegations that he participated in the murder of his ex-wife Lipolelo, had gathered momentum.  Mr Rapapa however lost to Dr Majoro by 26 votes to 18 in a poll of ABC MPs after it was decided that the matter should not be exclusively dealt with by the ABC NEC alone. Dr Majoro was then supported by other parties forming the current coalition.

But efforts to oust the premier have not receded with Dr Majoro himself once pronouncing that the bid to oust him began barely 48 hours after he took office. Messrs Thabane and Hlaele are said to have now closed ranks and are fighting hard to ensure Dr Majoro does not last until next year’s elections. But their behavior is also seen imperiling the ABC as the party will remain focused on its internal mayhem instead of the nitty-gritty issues of governance and service delivery.

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Leemisa Thuseho

NAPO Khatala’s appointment as Lesotho Basketball Association (LBA) acting president is still hanging in the balance, a year on.

According to LBA’s constitution, the appointment must be ratified by an annual general meeting (AGM).

Khatala was co-opted into the LBA executive committee as acting president last February after the then president resigned to join the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC).

Despite being in office for a year now, Khatala can still be removed from office if the AGM decides not to ratify his appointment.

LBA public relations officer Hopolang Hoala said the executive committee has the power to appoint or co-opt a person to fill any vacant position in the committee. However, whatever decision it takes must be endorsed by the AGM.

“According to the LBA constitution, the executive committee has powers to co-opt an individual and once such a person can fully and rightly carry out the assigned duties,” Hoala said.

“Napo is now LBA president but must get his blessing from the AGM.

“The AGM is attended by various stakeholders who have every right to question any decision. If some are unhappy with a particular decision, then a new decision will be reached through voting at the AGM. Nevertheless, we are hoping that all will go well during the AGM.”

Last year the LBA did not hold its AGM after failing to reach a quorum in February. Afterwards, plans were scuttled by Covid-19 restrictions.

Hoala said they were uncertain when the next AGM will be held. The planning was delayed by their busy schedule towards the end of 2020 as they were pushing to finish the league which had been delayed by Covid-19.

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Leemisa Thuseho

THE African Dream Team mountain biking club has been indefinitely disbanded after going for several months without allowances for riders, the Lesotho Times can reveal.

The team had eight riders and four of them had been getting undisclosed monthly payouts from the team’s sponsors. However, the funding has dried out.

Team manager Mark West this week said they could no longer afford paying the riders’ monthly allowances due to the lack of sponsors. Therefore, they decided to disband the team and allow the riders to participate in different races of their choice until the African Dream Team secures full sponsorship.

“Since 2020, none of the riders has received an allowance,” West said.

“We are receiving little sponsorship which we are reserving for competitions when they resume.”

The team’s title sponsor was the The Sufferfest, a training application developed by American David McQuillen. The Sufferfest has been sponsoring the team since 2013 but the partnership ended in 2019.

West said the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation.

“Covid-19 has delayed the plans of finding alternative sponsorship and without sponsorship, we can’t do anything. It is difficult to say what the plan is going forward. However, I think the riders understand the situation as Covid-19 has just worsened the situation.”

For the last few years, the team seemed poised to be best placed to dictate the future of Lesotho’s cycling as most of the top riders have passed through its ranks. Among some of its products is the current national championship champion, Tumelo Makae, who is now in Switzerland preparing for the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics. Veteran rider Phetetso Monese is also a member of the team.

For his part, Monese said the disbanding of the team was a huge blow to the riders.

“This has badly affected us because it similar to losing a job,” Monese said.

The team also had riders from Botswana and West said he was planning to add more from Kenya and Morocco along with young locals.

Among its successes, the team was the first in Africa to be licenced by the International Cycling Union since 2014.

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Leemisa Thuseho

KICK4LIFE coach Motebang Makhetha has admitted that the departure of one of his midfielders Khubetsoana Kamela is going to be a huge loss to his team.

This after Kamela left to undergo Lesotho Mounted Police (LMPS) training starting on Monday.

The skilful Kamela had become a key player for Kick4Life since joining the club in 2017 from Leribe’s Galaxy FC.

Makhetha, who joined the team ahead of the beginning of the currently suspended Vodacom Premier League (VPL) said while it was true that some players would benefit from the departure, he has left a huge gap.

“This is indeed a chance for other players but missing a player of Kamela’s standards is leaving a huge gap and that leaves us with a huge task of finding a replacement,” Makhetha said.

“I am going to miss him.”

Makhetha was quick to point out that while they are sad to be losing Kamela, they are happy that he is getting a permanent and pensionable job.

He also said their squad was filled with youngsters; therefore, it will be difficult to get a perfect replacement from within the team. Eventually, Kick4Life may be forced to venture into the market for a replacement.

Meanwhile, another Kick4Life player Mokoteli Mohapi was recently named in Likuena’s provisional squad which is preparing to play Sierra Leon and Nigeria in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers next month.

Makhetha said the call-up will be a motivation for other young players.

“I am happy to see my players moving to the next level. I am happy that I may have positively influenced Mohapi resulting in his call-up. I have already told him that if the way I tell him to fight to be in the final squad. But if he doesn’t make it, the experience to the experience he would have gained will contribute to his growth,” Makhetha said.

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Moorosi Tsiane

LMPS striker Tefa Makhooana is still undecided about his playing future as he is yet to make his first appearance this season.

Makhooana has not featured in LMPS’ last four matches under new coach Seephephe Matete. The side has played four matches this season before the league was halted by the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) early last month.

Marcus, as Makhooana is affectionately known by fans, suffered a head injury which sidelined him for several months two seasons ago and he said that background will always inform his decisions going forward.

Although he has been cleared to play, he must now use a headband.

The former Matlama and Bantu forward was on the Simunye technical team in all four matches that the side has played so far but he told the Lesotho Times this week that he still hasn’t decided what he wants to do.

“I haven’t hung my boots as yet because I am still registered as an LMPS player,” Makhoona said.

“Yes, I haven’t played this season and I was assisting on the technical bench but I am still the team’s player for now.

“When the season started, I was asked what I really wanted to do because we have been working with Itumeleng Metso in the technical team after we parted ways with Teele Ntšonyana as the head coach last season. However, I haven’t really decided what I want to do.”

On getting game time, Makhooana said he was not worried because those who played were deserving.

“We have a big squad mostly made of talented players and I wasn’t worried that I was not playing because those who were deserving played. I would have had problems if the team had been struggling.”

He said his decision will be informed by the injury.

“I must still consider the injury before making any decision. Of course, I was declared clear and should use a head guard but I can’t ignore it.

“I want to hang my boots but it’s also not an easy decision because I love football. I am actually between the rock and the hard place,” Makhooana said.

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Moorosi Tsiane

THE senior national team has been given the green light to begin its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers preparations by the National Covid-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC).

Likuena has two must win matches against Sierra Leone and Nigeria next month if the team is to qualify for the biennial continental showpiece in Cameroon next February.

Thabo Senong’s charges are anchoring Group L with two points from four matches after drawing twice against Benin and Sierra Leone. The side has lost to Nigeria and Benin.

The team will play Sierra Leone at home before travelling to Nigeria.

Last month, LeFA suspended all footballing activities on the back of a spike of Covid-19 cases.

The government later declared a national lockdown suspending all sporting activities.

According to Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) secretary general Mokhosi Mohapi, NACOSEC met with cabinet on Monday and tabled LeFA’s proposal for commencement of preparations. The proposal was approved.

“LeFA presented the proposal for the commencement of Likuena’s training in a safe and controlled bubble,” Mohapi said on Tuesday.

“I was part of a virtual meeting with NACOSEC, the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation and Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) representatives.

“NACOSEC met with cabinet on Monday and the proposal (for commencement of preparations) was been approved. The team is likely to start it’s preparations tomorrow (Wednesday).”

Meanwhile, Mohapi said NACOSEC ruled that it was still unsafe for local competitions to resume.

“We presented and defended the request. NACOSEC made it abundantly clear that at this stage, it was just too risky to allow local competitions to resume because we are at 29 percent infection rate,” he said.

Mohapi said NACOSEC argued that it does not believe that local teams have similar resources to those at LeFA’s disposal to prevent the spread of the virus.

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Bereng Mpaki

OPPOSITION Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader, Mothetjoa Metsing, says he is shocked by the government’s failure to allocate funds to procure Covid-19 vaccines for its citizens.

Mr Metsing was reacting to yesterday’s budget speech by Finance Minister Thabo Sophonea. The former deputy prime minister said by failing to allocate funds to procure vaccines, the government “had missed an opportunity to make a big statement underlining its seriousness in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic”.

In his budget speech, Mr Sophonea said the country would acquire the Covid-19 vaccine through the COVAX facility (a fully subsidised initiative by the World Health Organisation [WHO] to enable poor countries to get free vaccines) in April 2021.

COVAX has committed to donating vaccines to cover only 20 percent of the populations of each of the 92 countries in the facility. These countries, including Lesotho, will hence have to purchase extra vaccines to cover the remainder of their populations.

However, in his budget speech, Mr Sophonea did not say anything about allocating funds for procuring additional vaccines.

“Lesotho will access the COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility,” Mr Sophonea said yesterday.

“As part of the COVAX Facility, Lesotho will be fully subsidised for Covid-19 vaccines covering 20 percent of the population.

“This House will note that there is a minimal supply of the Covid-19 vaccines globally hence its shipment is expected in phases. Efforts to exceed the 20 percent coverage of our population requires cost sharing with the COVAX Facility for supplementary doses as opposed to that which is fully subsidised by the COVAX donors.”

Last month Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro said the government would set aside M240 million to procure Covid-19 vaccines for 1 million people.

Mr Metsing yesterday said he had expected Minister Sophonea’s budget speech to indicate how much had been allocated to procure the Covid-19 vaccines.

“I expected the budget speech to announce the allocation of funds to procure vaccines and to say how soon the vaccines will been rolled out.

“A wider availability of the vaccine will facilitate the opening up and subsequent recovery of the economy,” Mr Metsing said.

While Lesotho appears content to wait for vaccine donations under the COVAX facility, neighbouring South Africa has already begun rolling out a programme to vaccinate people within its borders.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said his country has so far secured nine million doses and more are expected.

Even Zimbabwe has taken delivery of 200 000 doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government.

As other southern African countries begin procuring vaccines, Lesotho risks being left behind unless funds are allocated for the procurement of vaccines or the country receives donations like Zimbabwe.

Mr Metsing however, commended the government efforts to address youth unemployment by unveiling a M700 million youth in-service programme to capacitate youths with entrepreneurial and other skills.

On his part, Limpho Tau from the Democratic Party of Lesotho (DPL), expressed concern on the proposed overall capital budget in the budget speech, saying the government was contributing very little and relying on donors to fill the gap.

“I am concerned that that government’s contribution to the overall capital budget is 37 percent while donor grants and loans account for the remainder of the capital budget.

“This is a sad state of affairs because it may mean we are financing our development projects through loans. If we are not careful, we could find the country immersed in deep debt that will overburden future generations,” Mr Tau said.

Mr Tau also said he was disappointed that the government had failed to allocate funds to the National University of Lesotho’s research programme aimed developing a Covid-19 vaccine.

The post Metsing “shocked” by lack of Covid-19 vaccine budget appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

THERE is no joy for the country’s public servants after Finance Minister Thabo Sophonea proposed not to increase their salaries in the upcoming 2021/22 financial year.

Instead of salary increments, Mr Sophonea unveiled a M23, 8 billion austerity budget underpinned by the need to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, reduce the government’s recurrent expenditure and commit available funds to promoting economic recovery.

He said it was not possible to award salary increments due to the prevailing economic hardships which had been aggravated by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These budget estimates and policy proposals are made under economic challenges,” Mr Sophonea said.

“It is therefore our responsibility to steer the ship in the right direction by taking bold measures even if they prove to be unpopular for as long as we are convinced that they are for the benefit of Basotho and will prevent economic collapse,” the straight-talking minister added.

He said in future, salary increments would be performance- based instead of the current system where everyone gets a raise regardless of whether or not they have performed well.

“We are convinced that we need further fiscal consolidation to reduce the growth of recurrent expenditure by focusing on measures that will contain the wage bill. Performance-based (salary) increments will be implemented in 2022/23 fiscal year to replace automatic notching.”

The proposed austerity measures are likely to be well-received by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has repeatedly told the government it can only provide a financial bailout to help reduce the budget deficit and boost foreign currency reserves on condition the latter adheres to stringent pre-conditions.

The pre-conditions put forward by the Bretton Woods institution include the implementation of tough fiscal measures to improve the economy.

Chief among these is the need for the government to reduce the high public wage bill, undertake public financial management reform as well as implement the multi-sector reforms that were recommended by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The IMF also advised the government to award performance-based salary increments. The IMF prescriptions are inimical to the civil servants and other workers’ demands for wholesale wage increments.

Last year, Mr Sophonea announced a five percent salary increase for civil servants but they were still unhappy as they had expected more.

This year’s austerity proposals have however, been accepted as a necessary evil by one of the country’s teachers’ unions, the Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT).

LAT secretary general, Letsatsi Ntsibolane, yesterday said in as much as they wanted an increment, they understood that the government is broke.

“Every employee expects an increment from the employer but we are all aware that the government is struggling financially.

“It is understandable why there is a zero percent increase for civil servants as funds have been diverted to fighting Covid-19. We only hope that the funds will serve the intended purpose of helping the nation fight the pandemic than be diverted into corrupt government officials’ pockets,” Mr Ntsibolane said.

It remains to be seen how other teachers’ unions, magistrates, nurses and other civil servants will react to the salary freeze.

Magistrates have a pending High Court application to compel the government to award them salary increments and improve their working conditions.

Nurses at Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) have been on strike for the past three weeks to to press the government to award them salary increments to match their counterparts in other government and private institutions.

QMMH nurses say they have not been awarded any increments since 2012 when the government and the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL) increased the salaries of nurses at other institutions.

The post No salary hike for civil servants appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Silence Charumbira

ALCOHOL drinkers and smokers will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets after Finance Minister Thabo Sophonea proposed to finally implement the sin tax which will see alcohol and tobacco levies increased by 15 and 30 percent respectively.

Presenting his budget speech in parliament yesterday, Mr Sophonea said “during 2021/22 fiscal year, the government intends to introduce…an alcohol and tobacco levy at 15 and 30 percent, respectively”.

He said the government hoped to realise an additional M286, 6 million in revenue annually from the levies.

The levies have been on the cards since 2019 when former Finance Minister and current Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro announced that the government intended to increase the levies during the 2019/2020 financial year.

The levies were not implemented due to the absence of enabling legislation. In March 2020, Dr Majoro tabled the Tobacco and Alcohol Products Levy Bill 2020 in parliament to give the government the legal basis to implement the levies.

However, the increases may finally be effected during the 2021/2022 financial year provided the Tobacco and Alcohol Products Levy Bill is approved by parliament this year.

Last year, parliament’s economic and development cluster portfolio committee expressed reservations on passing the bill after hearing presentations from stakeholders who opposed it.

At the time, the Lesotho Liquor and Restaurant Owners’ Association (LLROA) said implementing the levy would kill the industry as increasing prices would reduce consumption of alcohol leading to job losses in the retail sector. Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB) said the levy would result in the alcohol industry declining by 27 percent.

British American Tobacco (BAT), the distributor different brands of cigarettes, said implementing the levies would cost Lesotho “big time”.

The BAT also said the levy would be in contravention of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreement since it was tantamount to a unilateral sin tax imposition by a member state.

“It is also our respectful view that the imposition of a levy would contravene the SACU Agreement, more particularly in that the levy in reality constitutes a unilateral ‘sin tax’ by a member state, which operates outside the revenue sharing and collection arrangement,” Nelson Jeque, BAT’s Legal and external affairs manager said in a statement at the time.

He said the sale and distribution of tobacco products sustains at least 1 500 jobs in Lesotho while also generating over M12 billion revenue for the SACU revenue pool.

“This amount is shared among the SACU member states, including Lesotho. Historically, this high rate of taxation has opened up the SACU markets, including Lesotho to smuggled tobacco products from other non-SACU markets, thereby significantly impacting the excise revenues for SACU.”

Mr Jeque said it was clear that the levies would “undoubtedly rapidly fuel the growth of the illicit market in Lesotho, translating to further revenue losses for government and the demise of the legal market together with the value chain it supports”.

He said the levy would be passed on to consumers by the legal industry thereby resulting in a further gap between the cigarette prices charged by the legal players compared to the prices of illicit cigarettes on the market.

“Accordingly, there will be a remarkable upsurge in illicit tobacco products on the market, leading to further erosion of government revenues from the industry.”

He said the implementation of the levy would leave a pack of 20 cigarettes costing M13 more in Lesotho than in South Africa and M18 and M23 more expensive than in Mozambique and Zambia respectively.

He said the levy would enable massive lucrative opportunities for smugglers while punishing taxpaying enterprises.

After hearing the industry players’ submissions, the parliamentary committee advised that it would be better for the government to come up with control measures against alcohol and tobacco abuse instead of imposing a levy.

But after Mr Sophonea’s budget speech yesterday, it appears the government is hellbent on introducing the levies.

LLROA president Motseki Nkeane yesterday expressed dismay at the government’s insistence on introducing the levy.

He said instead of bringing in the expected M286, 6 million revenue annually, the levies will only push operators out of business.

“Introducing the alcohol levy now will only serve to push the remaining businesses over the edge as they are already on the brink as a result of Covid-19 impact.

“I do not know how the government hopes to raise that kind of money in this kind of economic climate. This may have been possible a few years ago when the government first broached the idea of introducing an alcohol levy but now things are different.

“Also, we have previously indicated that the government did not consult with us before developing the bill and we will expect that to happen before implementation,” Mr Nkeane told the Lesotho Times.

Consumer Protection Association (CPA) executive director, Nkareng Letsie, said increasing alcohol prices was likely to leave consumers worse off because they were bound to continue buying liquor despite the high prices. This would therefore, reduce their buying power for other essentials, he said.

Private Sector Foundation of Lesotho chief executive officer, Thabo Qhesi, said he was surprised by the government’s insistence on implementing the levies which had been rejected by stakeholders.

“I was one of those invited by parliament along with other stakeholders to make representations on the proposed levies last year.

“The stakeholders opposed the levies arguing they were likely to fuel the illegal trade of both alcohol and tobacco products. I am therefore surprised that the government still wants to forge ahead,” Mr Qhesi said.

The post Govt to implement “crippling” alcohol and tobacco taxes appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

FINANCE Minister Thabo Sophonea yesterday presented yet another static M23, 8 billion budget which reiterated his predecessor and current Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro’s calls for reduced government expenditure to save money to fund investment and job creation initiatives.

Mr Sophonea said the 2021/22 budget, whose theme is “Navigating the New Norm towards Transformation and Economic Recovery”, has been developed with the aim of changing the country’s economic history for the better.

To achieve economic recovery, Mr Sophonea proposes a host of austerity measures including salary freezes for the country’s restive civil servants. Last year they were awarded five percent increments which they said were not enough. Teachers, nurses and magistrates went on strike demanding higher wages.

Mr Sophonea said future salary increments would be performance-based instead of the current system where everyone gets a raise regardless of whether or not they have performed well.

Civil servants are not the only ones to be affected by the austerity measures. Even pensioners will not be getting any increments. Last year they were awarded a modest M50 increase in their old age pensions from M750 to M800 for each pensioner per month.

In addition, there will be no tax relief for taxpayers whose incomes have been undermined by inflation and the Covid-19 induced slowdown in local and global business activity ever since the pandemic broke out at the beginning of last year.

Instead, the minister has proposed to introduce a raft of new taxes to boost revenue generation.

These include the implementation of the much-delayed alcohol and tobacco levy increments of 15 and 30 percent respectively. If implemented, Mr Sophonea said this will yield an extra M286, 6 million to the fiscus.

The minister also proposed a one percent increase on the Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity. This will raise an additional M93, 5 million, he said.

Mr Sophonea proposed to tax mining royalties in a move expected to rake in an additional M232 million.

Mr Sophonea said although the proposed budget had been prepared at a “challenging” time due to Covid-19 and other challenges, “it still presents an opportunity to introduce fundamental reforms to restructure our economy”.

“COVID-19 will be with us for some time and we, therefore, need to navigate the new norm towards transformation and economic recovery.

“The government of Lesotho’s total expenditure is proposed at M23, 8 billion of which the recurrent budget is M18 billion and the capital budget is M5,8 billion.

“The recurrent expenditure has decreased by one percent (from last year) while capital expenditure has increased by two percent. The increase in capital budget is attributed to the increasing donor financing,” Mr Sophonea said.

He said the 2021/22 budget will be financed through revenue of M17, 3 billion, broken down into M7, 3 billion from tax revenues; M1, 6 billion from grants, M2, 3 billion from non-tax revenues and M6 billion from Lesotho’s share of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenues.

Mr Sophonea also outlined plans for economic recovery beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As we are battling the debilitating effects of both the health and the economic crises, it is also incumbent upon us to think about economic recovery and restoration of the lives of our people. The lasting recovery of the economy is largely dependent on the extent to which the health crisis is resolved. Thus, resolving the health crises remains a paramount priority to limit the negative impacts on the economy, and our response must be exceptional in speed, scale, and selectivity.

“The government announced fairly early at the start of the pandemic a host of measures that were meant to assist the nation to cope with the impending crisis. But we now need to look ahead. At the outset, it is important to note that our economy has not been performing well for a number of years and COVID-19 has brought to the fore our deep-seated structural problems which require us to rethink, re-strategise and re-draw economic development policy regime that is agile and robust enough to mitigate these challenges.”

He said while the recovery plan is still under preparation, the government’s drive towards a sustainable economic recovery path is encored on dealing effectively with Covid-19 to limit the rate of infections and deaths to protect and preserve the country’s human capital base.

“This is a prerequisite to any meaningful attempt or policy aimed at rebuilding our economy,” Mr Sophonea said.

He also talked up mining as a key sector in aiding economic recovery and growth. He said they expected more investors in the sector.

“The sector is improving and there are eight companies holding mining leases for diamonds, even though due to impact of COVID-19, only four are operational.

“There are also 22 companies with mining leases for dolerite quarries, eight for sandstone quarries and one mining clay. As much as the restriction in movement in the world’s largest diamond trading centres resulted in fewer diamond buyers being able to engage in trade and some of our mines suspending operations, diamond mining is still viewed as the mainstay and an enabler of Lesotho’s economic development,” Mr Sophonea said.

He also said the government would continue to promote the commercialisation and diversification of agricultural production to achieve food security and boost revenue generation. To this end, he said the government will continue to subsidise agricultural inputs such as fertilisers for farmers.

With regard to attracting and retaining foreign direct investment (FDI) Mr Sophonea said “Lesotho has developed and launched the AGOA Response Strategy and Action Plan”.

“The strategy provides a comprehensive plan to increase exports from Lesotho to the United States (US) and to attract more US investment into Lesotho. The programme is aimed at increasing exports to the US, promote a free-market system and expand US-Africa trade and investment.

“This trade initiative offers access to the US market consisting of over 300 million people. The suggested priority potential export products for Lesotho to the US under AGOA are textiles, apparel, and footwear, organic products, bottled water, canned food, handicrafts, leather and leather accessories.

“In an effort to increase number of jobs generated in the manufacturing sector, nine new large-scale manufacturing licenses were granted.”

Mr Sophonea said Lesotho had also ratified SACU countries and Mozambique’s Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom (SACUM-UK EPA).

The EPA seeks to avoid any disruption in trade as a result of Brexit. The agreement came into force in January 2021. The financing agreement between Lesotho and the EU has been signed by the Ministry of Finance and the EU Delegation.

“The agreement allows for the implementation of the EPA Action Document with the €6 million funding. This will be used to assist Basotho to set up businesses and participate in the value chains and this will aid in creating employment.

“Lesotho has also ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which provides a large market for Lesotho’s 22 goods and services. The trade in goods under this agreement began trading from January 2021.

Mr Sophonea has also outlined a list of policy measures to curb waste and control expenditure. They include the following:

• Secondment regulations will be revisited and amended accordingly to avoid double-dipping in salaries whenever civil servants are seconded to another government department.
• Parastatals salaries will be reviewed with a purpose of standardising them.
• Government employment policy will be revised to reduce the high wage bill.
• Rationalisation of foreign missions will be finalised in 2021/22 fiscal year.
• Performance-based salary increments will be implemented in 2022/23 fiscal year to replace automatic notching.
• Government will review on-going projects and projects in the pipeline with a view to create fiscal space for new investment projects that will boost economic growth and reduce unemployment.
• Sectoral planning and budgeting will be instituted in preparation of 2022/23 budget to enhance economic development.
• Government will gradually adopt a cashless system for both revenue collection and retail trading.

The post Sophonea tables another static austerity budget appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

STORM Mountain Diamonds (SMD) has released the names of the eight Kao Mine workers who were killed in an accident in Butha-Buthe last Monday.

The eight are four women namely: Limakatso Lelosa, Mamponakae Motake, Mamphalali Khau, Mamolibeli Laki and four men, Thomas Mathibeli, Teboho Tsoinyane, Seka Khotso and Ntsihlele Mochochonono.

Seven passengers died on the spot while another one was announced dead on arrival at Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH), in Maseru.

According to Kao Mine chief executive officer Mohale Ralikariki, all the injured passengers were taken to a clinic nearby Letšeng Mine. One was airlifted to QMMH later that day due to the severity of the injuries while another two were transferred to the same institution the following day.

SMD this week held a memorial service for the eight deceased workers at Tlaeeng Pass, in Butha-Buthe.

The memorial service was attended by fellow mine workers and the bereaved families. It was followed by the unveiling of a monument at the accident scene.

Addressing mourners at the service, Kao Mine chief executive officer Mohale Ralikariki, said the bus left the mining site at midday on 8 February headed for Maseru. It had 35 passengers who were returning home after finishing their shift at the mine.

“There were 35 passengers on the bus. The bus left the gravel road onto the A1 highway without incident,” Mr Ralikariki said.

“However, a few kilometers from the intersection towards Butha-Buthe, the driver of the bus lost control and it overturned.”

Apart from those who were transported to Maseru, another three were transferred to South Africa.

He said all the surviving passengers have been treated for post-trauma.

“SMD would like to thank the various authorities and institutions and the Mining minister (Serialong Qoo) for his considerable assistance.”

For his part, Mr Qoo also sent condolence messages to the bereaved families.

“What happened is very sad and I would like to send my deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and also wish a speedy recovery to those who are still in hospital,” Mr Qoo said.

He expressed his gratitude to the SMD management for the support that it has rendered to the mourning families.

“I expect that this is the kind of support you will show to all your staff at all times,” Mr Qoo said.

The post Kao accident victims named appeared first on Lesotho Times.

By Fifa Rahman, Felicita Hikuam, Nyasha Chingore-Munazvo, and Gisa Dang*

The COVID-19 pandemic is a bleak reminder of the enduring inequity in global public health.

Despite early warnings, the global response does not take into account the racial inequality underpinning health outcomes (think lack of healthy food options, green spaces, safety, housing density), nor that diagnostic tools such as pulse oximeters are not accurate on non-white skin.

Glaringly, Global North responses to COVID-19 have not been the most efficacious nor the most effective. For example, the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden have failed to adequately protect their populations, while global south countries such as Rwanda and Taiwan quickly instituted systems and deployed technologies to respond effectively.

Yet in the Global Health Security Index, the United States and the United Kingdom were ranked first and second in the world for pandemic preparedness. This underscores the need to decolonise and redefine global health by addressing existing power imbalances within global health structures and debates.

The white Global North perspective is innate in global health, yet only recently have the impact of race and whiteness on global health governance, hiring, and programming come into focus. Why do white-dominated organizations ‘believe that we know how to solve the health problems of people in other countries’? Why do they remain ‘so clearly neo-colonialist’?

We can’t solve this by solely hiring more Black, Indigenous and people of color.  We need to recognize that there is intersectionality of oppression and inclusion. Rather than focusing mainly on tokenistic diversity hires, we need to tackle ‘how the structures and operations of our organizations are part of white supremacist culture’.

Covert racism affects global health deliverables and decision-making. White people are seen as reliable to lead on important guideline documents for implementation, diagnostics planning etc. White people are considered more prompt, more eloquent e.g. in project design and communications, are thus promoted into leadership positions and end up representing the views of black and brown implementers. This de facto modus operandi would never be uttered in such plain language.

2020 presented several examples of institutional white supremacy culture. In June, a Médecins Sans Frontières internal statement highlighted that while 90% of its staff were hired locally in countries where MSF works, most of its operations were run by European senior managers.

Based on absolute numbers alone diverse hiring doesn’t appear to be an issue. But of course it is an issue when, much like colonial times, positions of power are overwhelmingly filled by white people. An insider wrote that MSF senior managers assuming national staff were ‘intellectually lazy’, explicitly referring to them as being ‘vulnerable to corruption’. Complaints of racism were met by the accusation of ‘reverse racism’,^, a recognized signifier of white supremacy.

Also in June 2020, the Women Deliver CEO took a leave of absence after allegations of a toxic work environment, including racist comments about hair of black women, black people being refused for hire multiple times, and that the organisation suffered from a ‘white saviour’ complex. Four months later, the investigation into racism concluded – no single person was responsible. The CEO stepped down.

A similar situation transpired at the International Women’s Health Coalition – with a letter being published on racist and toxic culture within the organisation, the President resigning as a result of the allegations, but with investigations clearing the President and senior managers of racism – finding instead that there was a ‘pervading culture of fear and intimidation’.  This is not accountability.

White-centred power structures result in widespread race-based oppression within organisations and within global health systems. Priorities are distorted, sociocultural reasons for disparity in health are ignored and/or misunderstood, and new health technologies end up not being culturally appropriate nor equitably efficacious.

We know this from the AIDS epidemic. Dolutegravir, an HIV drug on the WHO Essential Medicines List, was predominantly trialled on white populations, missing key genetically diverse populations. Later studies found the risk of major weight gain among black women. Has the system learned from such mistakes? No. Moderna proudly advertised in its Phase 3 COVE trials that only 28% of study participants were from “diverse communities”. Conversations within the WHO Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, specifically designed to bring COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, PPE, and oxygen supplies to countries most in need – have been dominated by white individuals from the Global North, creating a knowledge deficit around countries that would receive these technologies.

COVID-19 is showing the world with renewed urgency that representation and participation are essential in formulating public health policy. It is for this precise reason that Matahari Global Solutions and AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) have embarked on an ambitious project to document the various effects of a lack of diversity and white supremacy, on global health programming, hiring, and governance.

A roundtable of black and brown leaders in global health this February will determine the scope of our initial qualitative research study into white supremacy in global health this year. We look forward to involving, engaging, and sharing results with communities from the Global South, developing country governments who are struggling with the democratic deficit in global health decision-making, global health institutions, and donor governments.

We will continue to fundraise to make sure we can sustain and spread this work, including via advocacy missions by organisations in the Global South to Geneva- and New York-based global health decision-making bodies to dismantle colonialist global health.

Racism, white supremacy, and colonialism echo through our global health. The system is unglobal and misses out on equitable representation. Colonialist, (un)global health doesn’t work and it needs to change.

*Dr Fifa A Rahman is the Permanent Representative for NGOs on the Diagnostics Pillar of the ACT-Accelerator, and principal consultant at Matahari Global Solutions; Felicita Hikuam is Director at the AIDS and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa; Nyasha Chingore-Munazvo is Programmes Lead at the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa; and Gisa Dang is Associate Consultant at Matahari Global Solutions.

The post Time to decolonise, redefine global health appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

RELATIVES and friends have described the late Motšelisi Ramakoae as a lively character who enjoyed life and was eager to take on challenges.

Ms Ramakoae, was the daughter of Foreign Affairs and International Relations minister and Matsieng constituency legislator, Matšepo Ramakoae.

The cheerful and outgoing Ms Ramakoae died on 4 February 2021 after battling Covid-19. Her remains were cremated on 10 February and a final send-off ceremony was held in Maseru for her last Saturday.

Minister Ramakoae yesterday thanked family and friends for “the part you played in Tšeli’s life and for making her send off as warm and meaningful as it was”.

“Your contributions, prayers and words of encouragement have given us the strength to get through this difficult time, and to remember how much love Tšeli left in this world,” Minister Ramakoae said.

“We have been so blessed to be able to celebrate her life with so many of her dear friends and family, near and far, and have felt her love through the warmth extended by you. She will live forever in our hearts.”

The late Ms Ramakoae was known as one person who charted her own unique journey through life. She worked for several organisations among them Mothae Mine and Kick4Life. She was also actively involved in charitable initiatives with Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Bereng’s Hlokomela Banana, which was instrumental in sourcing sanitary wear for disadvantaged girls.

At the time of her death, Ms Ramakoae was the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) chairperson as well as the country chairperson of the African Women in Energy and Power (AWEAP).

In a social media post announcing her demise, her family described her a s lover of life who was loved by all she interacted with.

“It is with immense sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved daughter, sister and friend,” reads part of the post.

“She lived and loved with every fibre of her being. A passionate lover of life, she fought hard for it until the end. She was loved by many across the world and the gravity of her loss will be deeply and proudly felt. Tšeli was friends to many who would no doubt love to celebrate her life.”

Advocate Lindiwe Sephomolo, a friend and also the AWEAP chief executive officer (CEO), described Ms Ramakoae as a go-getter who never let circumstances get in the way of what she wanted.

“I have known Motšelisi since our days at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Though she was younger than me, we became close… In Motšelisi I had a loyal, efficient, supportive, loving and true friend. I have lost a soulmate.”

So friendly was Ms Ramakoae that she was always up for conversation with anyone, Adv Sephomolo said.

“She was always cheerful, compassionate and inclined to see the good in others. This is why she had friends from all over the world and of all ages. She was full of energy, participating in everything and anything. She especially loved outdoor activities like cycling, hiking, golf, running, swimming, skiing and camping.

“She was a quick learner; nothing would pass her by. Apart from her own specialties, she was knowledgeable in the law, the economy, politics and technology.  I even remember a cousin of mine asking if she was a lawyer. She used to think big and she followed her dreams.

“One of her favourite sayings was: ‘When life hands you lemons make lemonade’. This is just a reflection of how flexible she was she never allowed circumstances to determine her destiny. She was tireless, fearless and seldom compromised.”

Ms Ramakoae was fun loving and outgoing. But she was also vibrant in domestic settings setting trends with her style and elegance, Adv Sephomolo said.

“Tšeli loved to travel and at times she even vacationed alone if there was no willing companion. She has been to almost all the continents and her bucket list was always growing.

“As for me, she has left me with good memories and a legacy of values, ethics and character.”

Phomolo Lebotsa, a work associate to Ms Ramakoae described her as a larger-than-life character.

“I cannot claim to have been close to her, she was an acquaintance. In 2019 an organisation called AVANTI came to host a workshop for the Ministry of Agriculture. Motšelisi was its in country consultant. We spent a few days working together. This gave me a glimpse of her personality. Tšeli was a larger-than-life character. She would draw you in with her ebullient disposition. She owned her space.

“Motšelisi was lover of golf. I suspect that she may have convinced many of her friends to give the game a go. Lately, we saw her posting about her hiking exploits. Like everything she did, we saw her throw herself at this with much fervour.

“She also looked like one who loved travelling the world, and yet her feet also remained firmly grounded in Lesotho. She could have easily chosen to move elsewhere but like a few of us, she stayed to contribute to this land of our forefathers.”

Maseru Golf Club president Nkau Matete said Ms Ramakoae’s passing was a huge loss to the sport as she was always inspiring female golfers.

“Tšeli’s passing is a big loss to the golfing community. She was one of our most popular and consistent female golfers. She was also good at the sport having won our flagship tournament the Mohokare Classic twice.

“She was also a good ambassador of lady golfers and has even represented the country in international tournaments. Among our current crop of lady players, she was the most experienced. I can only hope that her forages in the sport have and will inspire young girls into taking interest in golf,” Mr Matete said.

Ms Ramakoae was born on 23 January 197 at Scott Hospital in Morija. She went to Iketsetseng Primary School before enrolling at St Stephens for high school. Afterwards she went to NUL where she attained a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Physical Geography in 1995.

She obtained her masters degree in Science and Geographical Information Systems from Stellenbosch University, Cape Town in 1998.

After her masters degree, she was employed by Spatial Dimensions as a geographical information systems specialist in 1999. She then moved back to Maseru in 2003 to join the United Nations Development Programme as an environment and energy officer.

Three years later, she was appointed country manager for Motapa Exploration, a diamond exploration company that was responsible for establishing Mothae Diamonds. She was to work for Mothae Diamonds as chief accounting officer from 2009 until 2016.

In 2017, she established Morali Consultants, a consultancy providing environmental management, monitoring and evaluation and social services to different developmental projects in mining, construction and infrastructure projects.

“Motšelisi contributed to various charities including Hlokomela Banana, Kick4life and Riders for Health. She was an avid golfer and had a passion for hiking and cycling,” a statement from her family said.

“Motšelisi started feeling unwell on 7 January 2021 and was referred to Mediclinic in Bloemfontein by her doctor on the 11th January. She was initially admitted to a general ward where she showed some improvement. Eventually, she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on the 22nd January 2021 where she remained until she met her demise on the 4 February 2021 despite the immense efforts of the doctors and nurses, to whom the family will remain deeply grateful for,” the family said.

The post Motšelisi Ramakoae remembered appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

PARENTS with children enrolled in South African schools have demanded that the government immediately opens borders to allow learners to commute daily.

The parents said this in a virtual meeting with the National Covid-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC) yesterday. NACOSEC called for the meeting after parents raised concern over the secretariat’s suggestion that learners the learners must either move to boarding schools or find accommodation in hostels in South Africa to avoid commuting daily.

This after South African schools opened this week for the first term of 2021.

Some local parents prefer South African schools to local schools that are viewed as inferior.

The opening of schools in South Africa is however, leaving Lesotho leaners at a disadvantage at borders remain closed.

Lesotho is current on the orange level of national lockdown and borders are closed.

Lesotho authorities this week advised parents with children enrolled in South African day schools to find accommodation in the neighbouring country to avoid commuting daily.

NACOSEC communication specialist Rose Moremoholo told the Lesotho Times this week that allowing learners to commute to and from South Africa daily would curtail Lesotho’s efforts of flattening the Covid-19 infections curve. Lesotho breached the 10 000 mark of Covid-19 infections this week.

The number of cases has risen exponentially starting in December 2020 at the peak of the festive season when thousands travelled from South Africa for the holidays. According to the latest statistics, Lesotho has now recorded 10 350 Covid-19 cases and 254 deaths.

“We are still on the orange level of the lockdown which prohibits people from commuting daily and this includes workers and students,” Ms Moremoholo said on Tuesday.

She said parents must therefore find accommodation in South Africa for their children.

“There is still a high risk of spreading virus if we open borders, so parents must find accommodation for their children in South Africa.”

In yesterday’s meeting, some parents suggested that borders must be opened to allow children to commute freely daily. Instead of shutting the learners out, some also suggested the leaners be tested every fortnight to ensure that they limit the chances of spreading Covid-19.

The majority of parents said hostels were super spreaders of Covid-19 and would increase the risk of the children contracting the virus.

“Hostels in south Africa are either full and can act as super spreaders,” one parent said.

Other parents suggested that there must be government level collaboration to come up with a practical solution.

On the other hand, others also suggested that their children be allowed to commute daily but be screened for Covid-19 daily.

In response to the suggestions, Ms Moremoholo yesterday said the matter would now be discussed by the NACOSEC taskforce before being taken to cabinet.

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Staff Reporter

LESOTHO achieved an unwanted milestone this week after Covid-19 infections breached the 10 000 mark.

According to the latest statistics released yesterday by the National Covid-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC), Lesotho has now recorded a staggering 10 375 infections and 279 deaths.

This comes against the background of a steep rise in cases in the aftermath of the December 2020 festive season.

During that period thousands of Basotho returned home from South Africa without being tested at the ports of entry or without presenting any valid certificates confirming they were free of the deadly virus.

Neighbouring South Africa is 16^th in the world for Covid-19 infections. As of yesterday, it had recorded a cumulative 1 496 439 infections and 48 478 deaths.

Although Lesotho’s infections and deaths are a tiny drop in the ocean when compared to South Africa, the figures are still worrying and very significant given that Lesotho has a much smaller population of just 2, 1 million.

While the plus 10 000 cases are worrying, even more concerning is the relatively low number of tests that have been conducted by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL). To date only 57 809 tests have been conducted.

Former health Minister Motlatsi Maqelepo last year said the NRL had the capacity to test 2000 specimens daily.

But it has never tested anything close to that figure. The highest it has achieved is 900 tests in a single day. Most of the time, it tests much less than 900 people. For instance, on 1 January 2021, NACOSEC tested 236 people which is only about 10 percent of the 2000 the NRL had said it could test per day.

On 20 January 2021, NACOSEC released results for only 54 tests and the figure dropped further to just 43 tests a few days later on 26 January.

NACOSEC risk communications manager Baroane Phenethi last night said they have been failing to test the promised 2000 specimens daily because of under-staffing. He also said in some instances they were deterred from reaching the target by lack of testing consumables.

“Basically, the lack of human resources has deterred us from achieving our goals. Another challenge was the shortage of testing consumables,” Mr Phenethi said.

He however, said the system was now improving as they have now stepped up contact tracing and hired more staff.

The post Covid cases breach 10 000 mark appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

MEMBERS of the National Assembly are resisting Speaker Sephiri Motanyane’s moves to replace physical sittings of parliament with virtual sessions as part of measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yesterday, Opposition Alliance of Democrats (AD) proportional representation MP, Joang Molapo, said he had tabled a motion challenging Mr Motanyane’s decision.

“Honourable Thato Ntsibolane (Lesotho Congress for Democracy) and I submitted a motion asking the House to overturn the Speaker’s order for remote and hybrid sittings of parliament.

“The speaker did not address key issues including how debates will be handled particularly points of order, interjections; urgent questions and urgent business. His order is also silent on how ministerial statements, questions to ministries and voting will be conducted.

“Furthermore, the Speaker has proposed that voting will be limited to the 30 MPs who are present physically in the House. This effectively renders the other 90 MPs as spectators and disenfranchises the people who voted for them.

“All we want is for a proper system be implemented,” Mr Molapo told this publication yesterday.

On Monday, Mr Motanyane announced that beginning this week, only 30 out of the 120 legislators would be allowed in parliament while the rest would have to remotely follow proceedings and contribute virtually in line with public health regulations which bar more than 30 people from congregating in a closed area.

The new arrangement was supposed to begin on Tuesday and over time, the numbers of MPs physically attending the sessions would be reduced until such time that everyone attends virtual sittings.

Announcing the move on Monday, Mr Motanyane said the decision was taken to protect MPs from the pandemic which had spread exponentially in the aftermath of the December festive season.

“I wish to make the following ruling: from Tuesday 16 February 2021, there will be no conventional sittings of the House,” Mr Motanyane said, adding, “all sittings shall be virtual hybrid representative sittings”.

“I also wish to frame the following temporary standing order in accordance with the powers vested in me by Standing Order No. 110 which states that in the event of a pandemic or other circumstances where the Speaker is of the opinion that conventional sittings cannot be held, the Speaker shall have the discretion to direct that all sittings be held virtually or  hybrid representative sittings be held depending on the prevailing circumstances.”

Mr Motanyane said the decision to go virtual was made to minimise the risk of members getting infected by the virus. He said all political parties represented in parliament were consulted ahead of the move with the majority consenting to the plan.

“Honourable members will know it is a sine qua non (necessary) that the House sits to perform its constitutional mandate. This however, does not imply that the lives of honourable members and parliamentary staff do not matter. It simply means that it is incumbent upon the Speaker as the head of the National Assembly and the Leader of the House as the Minister responsible for the welfare of the Members to strike a balance between conducting the business of the House and saving the lives of MPs and staff.

“A brief study of how parliaments in the region and abroad conduct their business in the Covid-19 period was conducted by the office of the Clerk. The study revealed that conventional sittings of the House are no more conducted.  Instead parliaments have migrated to virtual or hybrid representative sittings.

“The office of the Speaker further directed the office of the clerk to consult party whips and leaders of political parties represented in the House on their parties preferred method of conducting parliamentary sittings amid Covid- 19.  All but one recommended that conventional sittings should not be held. Major parties in the House recommended virtual sittings and others hybrid representative sittings,” Mr Motanyane said.

However, Mr Motanyane’s decision has been met with opposition from some of the MPs from different political parties who claim that it was made without consulting them.

Deputy speaker Lebohang Ramohlanka confirmed the receipt of the motion.

Another AD non-constituency MP, ‘Manthabiseng Phohleli, said Mr Motanyane’s decision was “grossly unfair”.

“Your ruling is unfair and quite strange because our work as members of this house is in here.

“You decided without giving the House an opportunity to first deliberate on the matter,” Ms Phohleli said in parliament on Monday.

Fellow AD proportional representation legislator, Kose Makoa, said such a ruling could only be made after a motion had been tabled and voted upon.

The ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC)’s Lithoteng MP, Lehlohonolo Moramotse, said he was opposed to the decision because “my constituency elected me to represent them in parliament and not to sit at home”.

Despite their opposition, most MPs stayed away from parliament this week. From Monday until yesterday when the budget speech was presented by Finance Minister Thabo Sophonea, there were hardly 30 MPs in the House.

The post MPs oppose virtual parliament sessions appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

THE Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has begun recruiting seven new judges to ease the huge backlog of cases in the High Court.

The recruitment process got underway this week with the publication of the vacancies on the government website on Monday.

The JSC invited qualified candidates to apply or be nominated for the posts by the public. The deadline for the submission of applications and nominations is 27 February 2021.

According to the JSC, there will be background checks on all applicants and nominees and they will also be required to prove that they are in good health. This will be followed by the shortlisting of the candidates and public interviews to choose the final list of nominees to be submitted to His Majesty King Letsie III for appointment.

“The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) invites individual applications and nominations by members of the public and non-profit organisations for candidates to fill seven vacancies of puisne judges in the High Court of Lesotho,” the JSC said this week.

“Members of the public interested in nominating persons must complete the Nomination Form (JSC/JHC/01) which provides the basic information about the candidate and must be signed by the applicant or nominated person.

“Nominees and individual applicants must also complete the following:

1. Authorisation Form (JSC/JHC/02) which allows the (JSC) secretary to obtain a statement of the applicant’s or nominee’s current and past standing from the Law Society and other regulatory bodies.
2. Background Check Consent Form (JSC/JHC/03) to consent to a background check of health status and general compliance with laws.
3. Questionnaire (JSC/JHC/04) to provide basic data for oral interview and subsequent assessment by the Judicial Service Commission.”

The JSC said it will consider candidates who have served as judges locally, in any Commonwealth members state “or in any country outside the Commonwealth that may be prescribed by parliament”. It also said it would consider candidates who are legal practitioners or qualified to be such.

“Interviews with short-listed candidates will be conducted in public, meaning that members of the public and the media (both electronic and print) are free to attend the interviews but not the deliberations by the commissioners.

“Interviews will be held from 29 March to 2 April 2021 in the High Court Conference Room, Maseru or any other venue to be decided upon,” the JSC said.

This is the first time the JSC has advertised the judges’ vacancies. It will also be the first time for candidates to be publicly interviewed.

The new measures are aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the recruitment of judges.

The most recent attempt by former Acting Chief Justice ‘Maseforo Mahase and Attorney General Advocate Haae Phoofolo to recruit five new judges was nullified last December by the Constitutional Court.

Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo had met on 20 August 2020 in their capacity as JSC members and recommended that His Majesty King Letsie III appoints Deputy Attorney General Tšebang Putsoane, lawyers Tšabo Matooane, Mokhele Matsau, Moneuoa Kopo and Maliepollo Makhetha as High Court judges.

But the five were not appointed with authoritative government sources saying that King Letsie III had refused to appoint them on the grounds that Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo could not just sit on their own and make recommendations without the input of the other two JSC members.

Current Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane was the other member of the JSC, then in his capacity as a nominated High Court judge. The other JSC member is Public Service Commission (PSC) chairperson, Moshoeshoe Sehloho.

Justice and Law Minister Professor Nqosa Mahao publicly lambasted Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo, saying the duo could not sit on their own and recommend the appointment of five new judges without the active participation and input their JSC colleagues.

The stand-off prompted the obscure White Horse Party to file a September 2020 constitutional application to force King Letsie III to appoint the five as judges as per Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo’s recommendations.

The little-known political outfit also petitioned the court to declare that Prof Mahao had actively interfered with the independence of the JSC by publicly questioning Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo’s moves to have the five appointed without his or the government’s knowledge and input.

But Prof Mahao fought back in October 2020 by filing a counter-application for the nullification of Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo’s 20 August 2020 meeting and their subsequent recommendations for the appointment of the five as judges.

The Constitutional Court consolidated the White Horse application and Prof Mahao’s counter-application and heard them as one case.

The constitutional bench comprising of Justices Tšeliso Monapathi, Moroke Mokhesi and Keketso Moahloli dismissed the White Horse Party application on the grounds that Justice Mahase and Adv Phoofolo did not constitute the JSC quorum.

They also ruled that the White Horse Party did not have the legal standing to file the application because it had no interest in the appointment of judges.

The court ordered a fresh process to recruit judges hence the latest move by the JSC to undertake a fresh, transparent recruitment process.

The successful candidates will fill the vacancies left by a spate of deaths, retirements and forced resignation of the judges.

Currently there are only eight judges. This after the May and June 2020 deaths of Justices Lebohang Molete and Lisebo Chaka-Makhooane and the retirement of Justices Semapo Peete and Teboho Moiloa on 31 July 2020.

Before that in 2019, former Chief Justice Ntomeng Majara was forced to step down on the grounds of alleged incompetence by the then Thomas Thabane government

The post Recruitment of judges begins appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

MASERU Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Murenzi is said to have yesterday ordered the arrest of suspended Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) director general, Mahlomola Manyokole. This after Advocate Manyokole allegedly failed to honour Acting DCEO boss Adv Sefako Seema’s demand for him to report to the DCEO office to answer money laundering allegations levelled against him.

According to authoritative government sources, Adv Manyokole allegedly took some money which had been deposited into the anti-corruption body’s safe shortly before his suspension last month.

“Magistrate Murenzi issued a warrant of arrest against Manyokole this evening (yesterday) after Manyokole repeatedly failed to honour requests to report to the DCEO,” a government source said in an interview with the Lesotho Times yesterday.

“He (Manyokole) allegedly took some money from the DCEO safe. The money was part of exhibits in the cases the DCEO is investigating. Some of the money he took from the safe has been deposited into the DCEO account but M83 000 is untraceable. The DCEO wanted him to explain what happened to that money but he has failed to cooperate,” the source said.

Another source said the warrant of arrest had still not been executed because Adv Manyokole could not be located.

“Taking exhibits from the DCEO’s safe is tantamount to obstructing justice as this will prevent the anti-corruption body from achieving desired outcomes in the cases that it is investigating. So, he is not only wanted for money laundering but also for obstructing the course of justice.

“But he has not been arrested because he is very evasive. However, he is likely to be arrested as soon as they locate him,” the source said.

Contacted for comment last night, Acting DCEO boss Adv Sefako Seema refused to confirm that they wanted Adv Manyokole arrested. Without giving any names, he said the DCEO “has been calling people of interest to assist in its investigations of some key corruption cases”.

“I can only confirm that there are ongoing inquires and people are being called to assist with those inquiries. We want to interrogate those issues and establish if there is any truth to them so that we can have answers to give to our principals. That is all I can say,” Adv Seema said.

However, Adv Manyokole last night confirmed being asked to present himself at the DCEO offices yesterday. He also suggested that he was aware of the issuance of the arrest warrant, saying it was meant to embarrass him as he was not a fugitive from justice.

He however, said he had not reported to the DCEO as he was still waiting for Adv Seema to put his request in writing because one of the conditions of his suspension is that he should not set foot at the anti-graft body’s offices.

“The said warrant of arrest is meant to harass and embarrass me because today I was queuing at the South African High Commission applying for my child’s study permit when I received the call to report to the DCEO.

“I told Ntate Seema that I was in a queue and I would not be able to come. I also asked him to write a letter detailing the conditions of my going there because I am on suspension and one of the suspension conditions is that I should not go to the DCEO offices. I clearly asked Seema to either write to me because I don’t want to be accused of violating my suspension conditions.

“Seema also called me about exhibits but did not go into detail. He instead told me ‘these people want you here now’. I asked him which people when he is the chief investigating officer and he instead said, he does not want to be accused of meddling with investigations. The DCEO writes to people to report to its offices, it does not verbally call people for questioning. They should take me to court instead of embarrassing me like this,” Adv Manyokole said.

According to a leaked WhatsApp communication between Adv Seema and Adv Manyokole, DCEO officials visited the latter’s residence in Maseru on Tuesday but did not find him at home.

The officials left a message for him to report at the DCEO offices yesterday.

“I received a report yesterday from my children at home informing (me) that DCEO officials came to my residence requesting my presence at the DCEO offices today, 17 February 2021 at 8am,” Adv Manyokole states in his message to Adv Seema.

“I don’t know what this is about because I am still on suspension awaiting judgement in my case. Please clarify.

“I must note that I was taken aback by this request because last week you asked for a private meeting with me outside the DCEO premises. I agreed but I told you that I needed to finish up my children’s study permit applications. I am still battling with the study permit applications even today Ntate. The schools are already opening and my children are not able to attend school for that reason.

“I want to confirm that the DCEO officers who came to my house yesterday (Tuesday) had your permission. If your answer is in the affirmative, please put the request in writing to avoid any misunderstandings because I have a (suspension) letter from the Right Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro.

“Ntate Seema, I humbly request your good office to allow me to finish my children’s study permit applications and write a letter inviting me to your office if there is anything I need to come for. Like I said, please clarify in writing what is needed from me.

“Remember I am supposed to hand over some office items to the DCEO that were removed from my desk by my secretary, some of which belong to the office but you requested that I can do that later. So, I don’t understand what is now happening. Three officers came to my house including the chief investigator Mr Tau Phasumane”.

Adv Seema replied that, “the officials wanted to talk to you about some inquiries, please comply. By the way, as you recall last week, you requested for the car and I said we could meet and sort out your contractual obligations as you were directly talking to staff requesting cars and the like. I wanted you to talk to me directly. Like I said, I can meet you anywhere, as long as it is work related. They (officers) will await you at the time communicated”.

Adv Manyokole was suspended last month by Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro on allegations of incompetence. He was suspended on the advice of Justice and Law Minister, Professor Nqosa Mahao.

The suspension triggered a bitter High Court battle between the two sides wherein Adv Manyokole alleged that Dr Majoro and Prof Mahao were “crusaders of corruption” who had only suspended him because he was investigating them and other high-profile people for corruption.

Adv Manyokole’s application to reverse the suspension and stop the premier from appointing a tribunal to decide on his fitness to remain in office is pending in the High Court.

The post Warrant of arrest for DCEO boss Manyokole appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

A FRESH fight has broken out between Police Commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, and Lesotho Mounted Police Service Staff Association (LEPOSA) secretary general, Inspector Moraleli Motloli.

This after Inspector Motloli dragged the police boss to court for allegedly failing to reinstate him to the force after the termination of his secondment to the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) in June 2020.

In addition to reinstatement, Inspector Motloli also wants the High Court to order Commissioner Molibeli to pay him salary arrears from May 2020.

In his court papers filed this week, Inspector Motloli alleges that Commissioner Molibeli seconded him to the DMA on a three-year contract with effect from 1 April 2020.

He said his secondment was however, terminated on 3 June 2020 by then Cabinet Principal Secretary (PS) Lefu Manyokole.

He said then Police and Public Safety PS, Matela Thabane, subsequently wrote to Commissioner Molibeli informing him of the termination of his secondment and ordered his reinstatement to the police force.

However, Commissioner Molibeli never reinstated Inspector Motloli. This prompted the latter’s lawyer, Adv Tlohang Mohanoe, to write to Commissioner Molibeli on 21 September 2020 asking him to implement Mr Thabane’s order to reinstate Inspector Motloli.

Exasperated by Commissioner Molibeli’s repeated failure to reinstate him, Inspector Motloli this week petitioned the High Court to order Commissioner Molibeli to comply with Mr Thabane’s directive. The application will be heard on 8 March 2021.

Commissioner Molibeli, the Police and Public Safety PS, the Ministry of Police and Public Safety and the Attorney General are the first to fourth respondents respectively.

In his court papers, Inspector Motloli argues that Commissioner Molibeli has refused to reinstate him to punish him for being a member of LEPOSA which has clashed with the police boss on several occasions over its members’ welfare issues.

“I aver that there is no basis in law and in fact why the respondents refuse to reinstate me to my work and ultimately pay me my salary,” Inspector Motloli states in his founding affidavit.

“As a result, the respondents’ conduct to refuse to reinstate me and pay my salary is illegal, unlawful and wrongful. It is an arbitrary measure to punish me out of spite caused solely by the fact that I am a member of LEPOSA which in most cases is against the first respondent’s conduct towards the welfare of the police members in general.

“I am still a member of the LMPS as I have not been dismissed. It was the sole decision of the first respondent (Molibeli) to put me on that special assignment. It was also the decision of the concerned parties to withdraw the assignment. It is on the basis of these facts that I have a clear right to receive my salary and be paid all the arrears that have not been paid until such time I cease to be a police officer. Until then, I should be paid accordingly.

“I aver that I have suffered irreparable harm and the harm is continuing with every day that passes for as long as I do not get paid my salary which is the source of my livelihood. I have no other alternative but to approach this court in the manner I have done as my legal representatives tried to write to the first respondent to enable him to right this situation but all in vain.

“I aver that I have a legitimate expectation to be paid my salary especially when my non-reinstatement is not through my fault at all. The first respondent is the one who refuses to reinstate me on the grounds only known to him,” Inspector Motloli states in his court papers.

Commissioner Molibeli and Inspector Motloli have been at loggerheads for a long time over the several issues involving the police command and the LEPOSA executive committee.

On 14 July 2020, Inspector Motloli petitioned Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro to fire Commissioner Molibeli for alleged incompetence including the failure to deal decisively with the thorny issue of police brutality.

Commissioner Molibeli did not take Inspector Motloli’s attempts to get him fired lying down. Two weeks later on 30 July 2020, the police boss ordered Inspector Motloli to “show cause” why he should not be dismissed over LEPOSA’s petition to Dr Majoro to fire him.

This prompted Inspector Motloli to approach the Constitutional Court to clip Commissioner Molibeli’s powers to fire police officers.

In October 2020, the Constitutional Court bench comprising of Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane and Justice Polo Banyane declined to nullify section 31(1)(i) of the Police Act which Commissioner Molibeli relied on to dismiss police officers.

It however ruled that Commissioner Molibeli ought to afford police officers a fair hearing before dismissing them. It also ruled that LEPOSA members had a right to freedom of expression and association. Commissioner Molibeli has not moved to fire Inspector Motloli since then.

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