• more than 300 000 youths desperate for jobs, premier says,
• blames “chronic political instability” for low foreign direct investment in the country

Herbert Moyo

PRIME Minister Moeketsi Majoro says the economic situation remains precarious as international investors are reluctant to set up shop in Lesotho due to the chronic political instability in the country.

Dr Majoro said due to the low investment, more than 300 000 youths were desperate for jobs. This translates to about one seventh of the country’s 2, 1 million population. So serious is the unemployment crisis that at least 20 000 graduates have been looking for jobs for the past decade, he said.

The premier said this in a recent interview with the Brenthurst Foundation of South Africa. Established in 2004 by the Oppenheimer family who are renowned business moguls, the foundation regularly brings together presidents, prime ministers, ministers, thinkers and academics “to consider ways to enhance the African continent’s economic growth and development”.

A year and seven months have passed since Dr Majoro replaced Thomas Thabane as prime minister on 20 May 2020. He came to power on the back of promises to implement multi-sector reforms to end endemic instability, stabilise the economy and deliver services to long-suffering Basotho.

But as his interview with the Brenthurst Foundation which was published last week shows, Dr Majoro and his government are nowhere near achieving their goal of economic prosperity.

Instead, the premier believes the country’s challenges are worsening as international investors remain sceptical about the government’s ability to address chronic political instability.

He said investors remained on the fence despite his government’s ongoing efforts to address their concerns through processes that are expected to culminate in the implementation of constitutional, security sector, governance, judicial and media reforms.

“The biggest challenge for Lesotho is the low investment rate which translates into lethargy in creating jobs which Basotho need,” Dr Majoro said, adding, “Lesotho’s young people are very desperate for jobs”.

“We are talking about at least 300 000 youths that must be having jobs. We are talking about at least 20 000 graduates that have been looking for jobs for the last 10 years. They must get jobs but for them to find jobs, there must be enough investment in diverse industries in Lesotho. That’s really where the limitation is.

“We can then work backwards and ask why there is low investment in Lesotho. This is down to the chronic political instability. This has affected the decision-making by international investors. We are trying to work through that through the reforms process but it’s very difficult to get everyone to buy into the story that Lesotho can transform.”

He said Basotho had grown accustomed to the government stepping in to invest in various sectors and providing them with jobs.

However, this was no longer possible nor sustainable under the current global and regional economic climate wherein government finances had been depleted due to lower returns particularly from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), he said.

Besides convincing reluctant international investors, those who were already established in the textiles and other sectors had to diversify their products and seek new markets as well, he said.

A mind shift was also needed to get locals to stop relying on the government and start seeing themselves as investors and creators of much needed jobs, Dr Majoro added.

“Most Basotho believe that you can just flick a light switch so that jobs that were not there will suddenly be there. In the past, the government took up the slack for the low private investment. But government balance sheets are dwindling, including the SACU revenues. This leaves Lesotho facing two challenges: low private sector investment as well as low government support and investment.

“So, we are moving in a very dangerous direction. There is very little we can do about public finances. Looking ahead, I see a depressed environment and I don’t see recovery in that. That leaves private investment as the only option for Lesotho. So how do we get Basotho to see themselves as investors and how do we change the psyche of Basotho from looking up to the government to doing things for themselves?

“How do we get the investors that we already have expanding their operations?

“How do we go and ask a business operator in Lesotho to talk to a global operator about locating their operations in Lesotho? Those are the conversations we should be having. We need dialogue and more transparency with the private sector. We need to understand what they (investors) want and need to invest in Lesotho,” Dr Majoro said.

He said there were no shortcuts to attracting foreign investors. Therefore, the country had to urgently address lingering concerns about the perennial instability, he said. In addition, the government has to come up with clear policies on investment issues to make it easy to do business in Lesotho, he said.

“We have to speak to an investor in Tokyo or New York or Dubai who would want to come to Lesotho. We need to send positive messages that while you can go to South Africa and other places in the region, Lesotho is the place to go to when you want to invest in manufacturing and other sectors.

“Does this require us to finish the quarrels in the political space or address the issues of policies and taxation? Yes, we must address all these.

“We have a rich cultural and historical heritage but we have not sold that. A lot of people would be fascinated to come and see what nature has done for us. Lesotho has unbelievable scenery. You can come and walk for hours in the mountains and breathe in the freshest air. You can come with bottled water but you will soon throw it away and drink directly from the streams,” Dr Majoro said.

The post  Majoro speaks out on “dangerous” economic situation appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• brutally torture five civilians
• victims demand M24 compensation from army

Pascalinah Kabi

ARMY brutality has reared its ugly head once again. This after four soldiers allegedly tortured a police officer and five civilians in Mohale’s Hoek just over a week ago.

The officer, Police Constable (PC) Relebohile Mokone, succumbed to the torture injuries last Monday. His family is now demanding a whooping M12 million in damages from Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander, Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Mojalefa Letsoela.

Five civilians, including four Pakistanis and a Mosotho, are lucky to be alive after being subjected to a similarly horrifying ordeal by the four soldiers alongside PC Mokoena in Mohale’s Hoek on 10 October 2021. The five are Wilim Ashraf, Moozzam Khan, Shakeer Amir, Asnan Asif and Tumisile Moletsane.

The five are also not taking their alleged barbaric treatment lying down.  They have demanded M2, 5 million damages each from Lt-Gen Letsoela. Should all these claims succeed, the army would be forced to cough up M24, 5 million in damages to the victims, an unprecedented quantum of compensation.

The country appears to be witnessing an upsurge of alleged incidents of army brutality which had been commonplace during the tenure of former army boss, Tlali Kamoli, before he was ousted in December 2016.

The army had seemingly turned over a new leaf and had appeared more professional and civilian-friendly after Lt-Gen Letsoela’s appointment in 2018.

Police Spokesperson Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli confirmed PC Mokone’s death. He said the police officer and the five civilians were allegedly tortured by the soldiers who suspected them of smuggling wool into neighbouring South Africa.

PC Mokone’s family and the five have since engaged prominent lawyer, Napo Mafaesa, to represent them in their quest for compensation from the army.

Writing to Lt-Gen Letsoela and Attorney General Rapelang Motsieloa on behalf of the Mokone family this week, Advocate Mafaesa states that, “we are acting on the instructions from the clients to demand from you, as we hereby do, the immediate payment of the sum of M12 million as damages for unlawful killing of Relebohile Vitalis Mokone”.

“(The) clients instruct us that Relebohile Vitalis Mokone was subjected to prolonged inhuman, debasing and or subduing treatment by members of Lesotho Defence Force who tortured him until he died.

“At all material times, Private Mokati, Private Ntaitsana, Private Perekisi and Private Seliane were acting within the Lesotho Defence Force. The commander and the LDF are vicariously liable for unlawful escapades of the soldiers aforesaid.

“Kindly remit the stipulated sum to our chambers within a period of 30 days of receipt hereof, failing which our instructions are to institute proceedings against you, enforcing our clients’ rights before the High Court without further notice,” Adv Mafaesa states.

He also wrote to Lt-Gen Letsoela and Adv Motsieloa on behalf of the five civilians who are also demanding M2, 5 million each for the injuries they allegedly sustained after being tortured by the four soldiers.

“We act on the instructions of Wilim Ashraf Moozzam Khan, Shakeer Amir, Asnan Asif and Tumisile Moletsane. We are instructed by the clients to demand from you, as we hereby do, the immediate payment of the sum of M2, 5 million as damages to each of our clients.

“(The) clients instruct us that they were subjected to barbaric and prolonged inhuman, debasing and or subduing treatment by members of the Lesotho Defence Force who tortured them for a continuing period of more than two hours and one Relebohile Vitalis Mokone was murdered in the process. At all material times, Private Mokati, Private Ntaitsana, Private Perekisi Private Seliane were acting within the scope of their employment as members of the Lesotho Defence Force.

“The commander and LDF are vicariously liable for the unlawful escapades of the soldiers. Kindly remit the stipulated sum in our chambers within a period of 30 days of receipt hereto, failing which our instruction is to institute proceedings against you, enforcing our clients’ rights before the High Court without further notice,” Adv Mafaesa states.

Senior Supt Mopeli said PC Mokone had died from injuries after he was allegedly clobbered by the four soldiers.

“It is true that PC Mokone is dead,” Senior Supt Mopeli told the Lesotho Times this week.

“It is said that he was tortured by the soldiers. According to preliminary investigations, the army had a roadblock in Mohale’s Hoek on that night when they stopped two cars on suspicion that they were illegally transporting wool to South Africa.

“Later on, PC Mokone arrived at the roadblock driving a Mazda Demio with a man from the village. They were stopped and allegedly beaten by the army officers. The initial report that we got from the army was that he (Mokone) was part of the group in the two other cars and he ran away from the army. I am not aware if any arrests have been made,” Senior Supt Mopeli added.

Other authoritative police sources also confirmed that PC Mokone and the five civilians had been stopped by the soldiers on suspicion that they were smuggling wool into South Africa via the Makhaleng Border Gate in Mohale’s Hoek.

“They were then assaulted by the soldiers. At all material times, the soldiers in question never sought any explanation from PC Mokone despite identifying him as a police officer. They even confiscated his gun.

“After brutally beating him and the civilians, they attempted to hand him over to the Mafeteng Police Station. However, the police officers who were on duty that (Sunday 10 October) evening refused to take him into their custody as he was seriously injured. They demanded that he be taken to hospital,” a police source said.

Another police source said that a postmortem report showed that PC Mokone had died after sustaining broken ribs from the torture by the four soldiers.

Meanwhile, the LDF’s public relations affairs officer, Captain Sakeng Lekola, yesterday said he could neither confirm nor deny that the late PC Mokone and the five civilians had been tortured by his army colleagues.

“I cannot say whether they were tortured or not. Since it is now a disputed matter, those responsible for investigating are the ones who should come out and say what actually happened. What I can confirm though is that we had an operation and we prevented a crime from being committed,” Captain Lekola told the Lesotho Times.

He said the army had a “primary role” of guarding the country’s borders and its assets.

“As part of our primary role, we have the responsibility of protecting Lesotho’s borders by ensuring that there is no trespassing. As part of that responsibility to protect Lesotho borders, we recently had an intelligence-led operation to stop people from illegally transporting wool outside the country.

“This was after we had received an intelligence report that some people were taking advantage of the porous borders to smuggle wool out of the country. This was going to be done through the porous border in Liphiring, Mohale’s Hoek. Soldiers rushed there to prevent a crime. We did not even know the status of the suspects when we conducted the operation, we only saw people who were going to illegally transport wool through porous borders,” Captain Lekola said.

He said six people were arrested during the operation.

“Those people were handed over to the Mohale’s Hoek police along with their assets, namely, a Mazda vehicle and a truck that had 14 bales of wool. We only learnt after the operation that one of them was a police officer.

“We did not know that he is a police officer but even if he was one, we will not fold our arms and allow a crime to be committed at the borders. The most important thing is that we prevented a crime. We didn’t even know the status of the suspects but we only know that we prevented criminals from illegally transporting wool outside the country,” Captain Lekola said.

An analyst who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue said the brutal torture of PC Mokone and his ‘accomplices’ “points to the grave risk of having soldiers taking over policing duties”.

“Only last week, the deputy army commander (Major General Matela Matobakele) said the army had taken on policing duties because there was no police force to talk about in the country. While many people have applauded the army for stepping in to fill the void created by police ineptitude in fighting crime, there is always the risk of human rights violations such as these because the soldiers are not trained to operate as police officers. We have already seen this when soldiers were accused of torturing civilians for allegedly violating lockdown regulations in various parts of the country. There is also the risk of renewed army-police conflict as the army ventures into police territory.

“Lt-Gen Letsoela and his command mean well but they cannot and should not be a substitute for an incompetent police force. The Prime Minister (Moeketsi Majoro) should act now to compel the police to perform their duties. He should fire the police chief (Holomo Molibeli) and appoint someone who is up to the task,” the analyst said.

The post Soldiers kill police officer appeared first on Lesotho Times.

By Penny Lutung Amor

The novel coronavirus has shown glaring flaws in the world’s collective ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, with none more evident than wealthy countries’ self-destructive unwillingness to cooperate on vaccine equity for the benefit of the entire global population.

Since the world’s wealthiest countries have been the primary contributors to the great global disparity between the vaccine haves and have-nots – it’s time that African leaders push G20 heads of state to address and rectify the life-threatening vaccine imbalance at the upcoming summit in Rome, Italy at the end of October.

As of early October 2021, 3.6 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered globally, with 78% of those going to people in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Less than 7% of the 1.3 billion people on the African continent have received even one dose. The discrepancy is worse for people in low-income countries where less than 1% have gotten a shot.

It’s no surprise that there are not enough doses to vaccinate our world when wealthy countries have secured enough vaccines to inoculate their populations as much as five times over, according to Duke University. Even though the world will have created 11 billion total doses by the end of this year, almost 9.9 billion of those have already been promised to wealthy nations.

The Covax initiative, while promising, was supposed to supply lower-income countries with sufficient vaccine doses. However, that mechanism clearly has fallen short of its initial goal to vaccinate 20% of recipient countries, which is still far too little when the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) states that a vaccination rate of 70% is required to protect the world.

A debate in the U.S. and other high-income countries now centers around booster shots, while Africa and other hard-hit regions struggle. W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said it was “unconscionable” that some countries are now offering booster shots “while so many people remain unprotected.”

The time has come for African leaders to amplify their voices in a combined effort to demand that G20 leaders prioritize global vaccine access for the majority of nations that desperately want to vaccinate their populations.

That must start with pushing pharmaceutical companies to share their know-how and technology to increase production in Africa and globally. Africa can no longer wait for vaccine charity, it is time to get rid of patent monopolies for successful vaccines against the coronavirus, whose development was supported by $100 billion in public funding from taxpayers in the US, Germany, and other countries.

Taxpayers were the primary funders of COVID-19 vaccine research, development, and production – the world owns that intellectual property, not the drug companies that continue to profit from the pandemic.

According to Action Aid, Moderna, BioNTech, and Pfizer are reaping astronomical and unconscionable profits due to their monopolies of mRNA COVID vaccines, with the three corporations having earned more than $26 billion in revenue in the first half of the year.

Further steps that leaders of the wealthiest economies must take are raising at least $100 billion, enough to vaccinate our world, committing to international cooperation as the most fundamental way to address pandemics, and drafting a new Global Public Health Convention to serve as the worldwide health governance system to rapidly respond to future outbreaks.

The global COVID-19 response has been abysmal since the start, but African leaders have the opportunity to rally together and speak as a united force for the good of all Africans and the world. If one nation is under threat from COVID-19 with no access to vaccines, all nations are in danger. The G20 leaders must acknowledge that reality and act accordingly. The fate of the world is in their hands at the upcoming Summit— by ensuring vaccine equity, we will be protecting the entire world.

The author is the Africa Bureau Chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

The post African Leaders Must Urge G20 to Stop Covid-19 Vaccines Apartheid to Save Our World appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Limpho Sello

ALTHOUGH more of Lesotho’s women are actively using contraceptives, there is still a huge gap caused by the lack of family support for young women and girls, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said.

According to the latest data, 60 percent of Lesotho women and sexually active girls are now using contraceptives. This is a 23 percent increase from the 37 percent that had been achieved in 2014.

Although the preferred methods of contraception vary in each district, the injectable (depot medroxyprogesterone) is the most commonly used method.

However, other types of contraceptives like mycrogynon and microlut have also proven to be popular.

Commenting on these developments, UNFPA supplies coordinator, Tšeliso Masilo, said although there had been positive strides in the use of contraceptives, there were still some barriers to free access to contraceptives.

The biggest challenge was the lack of support from men who are the heads of households, Mr Masilo said. Among the reasons for the lack of support, he said, was an array of myths and misconceptions caused by the lack of information on contraceptives among men.

Therefore, most men often stop their wives, partners and their children from using contraceptives.

“Family members, including husbands and fathers, play a vital role in supporting women and girls on the correct use of contraceptives.

“If we understood this, then we would go a long way in preventing unwanted pregnancies,” Mr Masilo said.

He said even children could also play a crucial role in assisting their mothers or other women and girls in their families to use contraceptives correctly.

Mr Masilo added that contraceptives were highly effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies and maternal deaths. They were also important in reducing unsafe abortions if used correctly with appropriate counselling by qualified health care providers.

“When used correctly, contraceptives are 95 percent to 99 percent effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies. For women and girls to realise sexual and reproductive health rights and choices to achieve meaningful economic growth and personal development, they must have access to and use contraceptives. This will help them to plan when to start and end child bearing because they have a right to decide the number and spacing of their children,” Mr Masilo said.

During a recent field trip to Butha-Buthe, 24-year-old ‘Masemethe Letuka of ‘Moteng, said her two sons have been instrumental in reminding her to take her daily dose of microgynon.

Ms Letuka said her sons, aged five and eight, have helped her avoid falling pregnant for the third time. Although they have no clue what the pills are for, they remind her to take them daily.

Ms Letuka did not know about contraceptives before she fell pregnant with her first child at 15. She was to be dumped by the father of the first child and later got married to her husband two years later.

At the time of the marriage, she was already pregnant with her second son. When she embarked onto the depot contraceptive after the birth of her second son. However, a family member told her that the contraceptive would cause her to lose weight drastically.

“When a relative told me about losing weight drastically, I felt scared and ditched the contraceptive for the pill that I am taking now. Fortunately, even when I forget, to take the pill, my boys remind me to take it daily although they do not know what it is for. They know that their mother needs it to survive,” Ms Masilo said.

“My husband works in QwaQwa and comes home occasionally but I don’t think he would be as consistent as my children in reminding me about my contraceptives,” Ms Letuka said.

The post Lack of men’s support impeding use of contraceptives appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

PROMINENT lawyer, Rethabile Setlojoane, is in hot soup with the police for receiving a M100 000 payment from a client who stands accused of fraud and money laundering.

What makes Advocate Setlojoane’s case bizarre is that he was paid by his client, Lehlohonolo Selate, for rendering legal services as any lawyer would do when hired. Mr Selate is one of the seven Ministry of Finance employees who have been charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with the M49 million which is said to have disappeared from government coffers in recent months.  Their trial is before Maseru Magistrate Thamae Thamae.

As a result of the payment, Adv Setlojoane was arrested on Tuesday and detained overnight by police who wanted him charged with money laundering alongside his client.

The aim had been to join Adv Setlojoane to the list of the accused yesterday but his legal team comprising of Advocates Salemane Phafane, Napo Mafaesa and Attorney Qhalehang Letsika successfully applied for a stay of proceedings. This would enable them to approach the Constitutional Court for a discharge of their client. Mr Letsika argued that their client could not be charged with a crime for simply receiving payment from a client who had engaged him for professional services.

“Mr Setlojoane represents one of the accused in this matter and he was entitled to be paid for his services by that client just like I am expecting him to pay me,” Mr Letsika said.

“Can a lawyer who receives payment from a client be accused of fraud and money laundering? We ask this in view of section 12(2)(d) of the constitution which speaks into (sic) a fair trial and a right of the accused to legal representation.

“Can a lawyer who has a lawyer-client relationship with an accused person whom he represents in pending proceedings be held criminally liable for receiving payment from the client? These are constitutional issues and once they arise, we submit that this court’s jurisdiction is completely ousted.

“Section 128 of the constitution states that if there is any question on the interpretation of the constitution in any of the proceedings in the subordinate courts and the court is of the opinion that it involves substantial questions of law, the court shall refer the matter to the High Court (sitting as the Constitutional Court) which has the appropriate jurisdiction to deal with this matter.

“We pray that he (Setlojoane) should not be remanded and these proceedings be stayed until the constitutional case is finalised. We pray that he be released and he will avail himself once the constitutional case is finalised,” Mr Letsika said. He also asked Magistrate Thamae to order the police to release Adv Setlojoane’s mobile phone which he said had been confiscated without a court order.

The prosecutor, Tsietsi Hlaele, then demanded that the state be served with a formal application for a stay of proceedings before they could respond.

“In the meantime, may the suspect be returned to police custody until such a formal application is made,” Adv Hlaele submitted.

Adv Phafane then argued that there was no law permitting the police to retain suspects in their custody. Either their client was remanded in custody at one of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) facilities or the proceedings be stayed pending the outcome of the constitutional court proceedings.   The police could not keep a person in their custody indefinitely, he said.

Magistrate Thamae then adjourned the proceedings for a lunch break. He subsequently granted Adv Setlojoane leave to approach the Constitutional Court.

“An accused’s right to legal representation is a right in terms of section 12 of the constitution. The points raised that this matter be referred to the High Court are to the effect that remanding the suspect (Setlojoane) under the circumstances of the case is a direct infringement of the right to a fair trial as envisaged by the constitution.

“This court therefore holds that a substantial question of law has arisen in these proceedings which goes to the interpretation of the constitution. This matter is referred to the High Court (sitting as the Constitutional Court) for its interpretation as per section 128 of the constitution. The proceedings are stayed pending the referral decision,” Magistrate Thamae ordered.

He also ordered the police to release Adv Setlojoane’s from police custody as well as his mobile phone.

Adv Setlojoane’s   client, Mr Selate, has been charged with fraud and money laundering alongside Ntseliseng Lawrence, Mookho Rafono, Tlali Mokoaleli, Thithili Makhesi, Thabang Nkoe and Hlabathe Phafoli.

According to the charge sheet, the seven defrauded the government of M49 497 972, 72 “by purporting to pay for services rendered to the government whereas it was for their own personal gain”.

“Upon or about the period between October 2020 and September 2021 in the Maseru district, the said accused persons did unlawfully and with the intent to defraud, misrepresent to the Central Bank of Lesotho and the Ministry of Finance.

“The Ministry of Finance had authorised the transfer of M49 497 972,72 from the expenditure account to different companies’ accounts held by Nivana Holdings Pty Ltd, Traggulogy Pty Ltd, Stone Curlew Holdings Pty Ltd, Sunny Penny Pty Ltd, Victorious General Dealer, Moletsima General Dealer, Hazel Nuts General Dealer and Plexus Suppliers Pty Ltd.

“The accused were not the proper and lawful beneficiaries to the said funds and they knew at all material times that they had made representations which were false. By means of the said misrepresentation, the accused persons prejudiced the parties (government and rightful beneficiaries) to the amount of M49 497 972, 72.

“Therefore, the accused persons are guilty of the crimes of fraud and money laundering,” the charge sheet states.

The post Setlojoane arrested over money laundering allegations   appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

THE National University of Lesotho (NUL) management has been forced to indefinitely shut down the institution following an orgy of student violence at the main campus in Roma.

Riotous students this week vandalised buildings and torched property at the institution to vent their anger over delays in the disbursement of their allowances by the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS).

The money was expected to have been disbursed six weeks ago. The students blamed the administration for delaying to submit their registration details to NMDS.

The Tuesday violence left several students nursing injuries. Several buildings were vandalised by the students who also torched a guard room. The riots also saw some shops outside the university campus being vandalised and looted.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Olusola Fajana, immediately shut down the institution and sent home all local students.

“The vice chancellor has instructed the students to vacate the university premises. Staff members are advised to exercise caution while continuing with their normal university activities including online teaching,” NUL said in a statement.

The university also accused the students of demonstrating without the knowledge of the management and the Student Representative Council (SRC).

SRC president, Tumo Tsanyane, said one male student was critically injured and several others were being treated at the nearby St Joseph’s Hospital for injuries of varying degrees. The students were injured in clashes with their rioting counterparts who had accused them of betrayal for their failure to participate in the demonstration.

Mr Tsanyane said the critically injured student had to be transferred to Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) in Maseru.

“The nurses indicated that if the student was not rushed to Tšepong Hospital (QMMH) for quick surgery, his life could be in real danger,” Mr Tsanyane said.

In a Tuesday letter to the vice chancellor, the SRC accused the school authorities of fomenting the riots by negligently delaying to submit students’ registration details to the NMDS.

“The university management shares the burden of guilt towards inciting the rampage as so boldly mentioned on the university communication of 26 October 2021 (regarding) the academic registration which was delayed by a month and two weeks. This had a huge impact on their (students’) socio-economic lives as their stipends will also be delayed due to the late submissions of registration lists to the NMDS,” the SRC said.

Attempts to obtain comment from police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, were unsuccessful yesterday evening as his phone rang unanswered.

The post NUL burns appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Pascalinah Kabi

ALL Basotho Convention (ABC) chairperson, Samuel Rapapa, has predicted that his party and the Democratic Congress (DC) will retain power in next year’s general elections.

Addressing a weekend rally in Makoabating, Thaba Tseka, Mr Rapapa said the ABC and DC were the biggest parties in the country. He said the two parties had made a “momentous decision” to forge a governing coalition in May 2020. Their combined overwhelming numbers had made it impossible for the smaller parties to dislodge them from power through no confidence votes in parliament, he said.

He therefore urged the people to vote for either party in next year’s elections, saying all the others were small parties that would only be in opposition.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there are people who have sworn that they will never vote again because of lack of services,” Mr Rapapa said.

“Those people say they will not vote because the government owes wool and mohair farmers money for their produce. They say that the Matsaile road has not been constructed and some people have not benefitted from food donations.

“But the (2022) election results will still show Kobotata (ABC) and Potoana (DC) as the winners hence you should vote for either of these parties. This government will still construct roads and deliver other services. If you feel you don’t want to vote for Kobotata, at least vote for Potoana. If you feel you cannot vote for Kobotata or Potoana, you could still vote for the small party with Xhosa colours,” Mr Rapapa said.

He did not name the small party with Xhosa colours. However, some believe he was referring to Professor Nqosa Mahao’s Basotho Action Party (BAP) which was formed after the former ABC deputy leader dumped the ruling party citing an alleged plot to oust him. The plot was allegedly hatched by ABC leader Thomas Thabane, his deputy, Moeketsi Majoro, and secretary general, Lebohang Hlaele.

Mr Rapapa has had to deny allegations that he is loyal to Prof Mahao and will eventually defect to the BAP whose brown, red and green colours resemble those of some of traditional Xhosa attire.

Mr Rapapa said nothing, not even smear campaigns, would prevent the ABC and DC from securing the lion’s share of the votes and forming the next government.

“Basotho are lying a lot these days. If you don’t like a certain party, you lie about them. Some people will lie to you and say Kobotata and Potoana can never work together.

“But I want this message to be clear and I want it to stick in your heads. After the 2022 elections, the government will be made of the ABC and DC. It is only a question of which constituency will be won by which of the two parties.

“Kobotata and Potoana members’ decision that the two biggest parties should govern together has made it difficult for the smaller parties because they don’t have the numbers to take the ABC-DC government head-on.

“This is why those who have threatened to topple the government have failed at every attempt. I am therefore advising you to go out and vote next year,” Mr Rapapa said.

Despite his positive comments about the DC, the latter has become increasingly exasperated with the ABC due to the perennial infighting in the Thomas Thabane-led party.

The DC’s exasperation with the fractious ABC was captured by former prime minister and founding DC leader, Pakalitha Mosisili, who a fortnight ago expressed sympathy for DC leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mathibeli Mokhothu for being “yoked in government with a difficult coalition partner”.

The post Rapapa predicts another ABC, DC coalition   appeared first on Lesotho Times.

. . . former minister is said to be fed up with “old and feeble-minded” Moleleki  

’Marafaele Mohloboli

ALLIANCE of Democrats (AD) legislator, Mokhele Moletsane, has had enough of the opposition party.

The former Justice and Correctional Service minister, says there is nothing left for him in the Monyane Moleleki-led AD. There are widespread rumours that he has joined Deputy Prime Minister Mathibeli Mokhothu’s Democratic Congress (DC). But he says he is still pondering his next move.

It nonetheless appears the legislator has already delivered his parting shot from the AD in the form of an unsavoury jibe at Mr Moleleki whom he is said to have described as a “feeble-minded old man”.

Mr Moletsane is said to have uttered the words at a rally in his home constituency of Matsieng last week.

Mr Moleleki, who served as deputy prime minister in the previous Thomas Thabane-led four party administration, is not at all amused and he now wants Mr Moletsane to appear before a disciplinary committee to explain himself.

It is doubtful if Mr Moletsane will attend the hearing which has been scheduled for next month now that he is planning to ditch the party.

Mr Moleleki touched on the rumours of Mr Moletsane’s impending departure at his weekend rally in Matsieng. He said the rally had been organised by the AD constituency committee who had been taken aback by Mr Moletsane’s alleged attack on him. Mr Moletsane did not attend the rally.

Addressing the party faithful, Mr Moleleki said, “we have been invited here by the constituency committee because they were surprised by their son, Mokhele Moletsane, who last week convened a rally without consulting them.

“You can all bear witness that he is not even here today. Moletsane is said to have ridiculed me and told those who attended his rally that I am over 70 and my mind is feeble. But for now, I will regard this as hearsay until he is afforded a fair hearing as per the laws of this party. Everyone has a right to a fair hearing and we wait to hear what he has to say. If he admits having said this then he shall have a case to answer to. But if denies, that will be the end of the matter,” the 70-year-old Mr Moleleki said.

He said he had heard rumours that Mr Moletsane had dumped the AD and if that was the case, then they would be forced to recall him since he was in parliament as a proportional representation (PR) MP.

“If he has indeed left as the rumours indicate, then we shall have no option but to go to the courts of law and apply for his removal from parliament to make room for the next candidate on our PR list, Mrs ‘Maboiketlo Maliehe.

“This we shall do confidently knowing that Moletsane is an MP by virtue of the votes cast by AD members countrywide and not by family votes. He is in parliament because of the AD hence we have called him to the party’s headquarters to give his side of the story.

“If he has said all these things he is said to have said, then he shall tell us why he said them. He must tell us what he meant. Only then will we know if he is still a member of AD,” Mr Moleleki said.

Contacted for comment, Mr Moletsane denied addressing a secret rally, saying the party’s Matsieng Constituency Committee was fully aware of that position. He however, refused to say whether he had derided Mr Moleleki at his rally.

“The committee was very much aware of the meeting that I had convened because I had consulted them. So, I would rather not argue on that one.

“As for (Moleleki’s) weekend’s rally, I could not have attended it to just sit there and listen to Ntate Moleleki embarrassing and speaking ill of me. I am fully aware of everything that was said about me. I am convinced that nothing is left for me in the AD and it’s time I reconsidered my political journey. I have to make a decision about my future in Lesotho’s politics,” Mr Moletsane said.

Meanwhile Mr Moleleki also used the Sunday rally to urge AD members to shun corruption.

The former DC deputy leader jumped ship to form the AD in December 2016. He cited corruption and cronyism as his reasons for dumping the party which was then led by his former benefactor then Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. He subsequently sensationally claimed that during his time as Police and Public Safety minister in the Mosisili administration, police recruits had been hired on partisan grounds.

Advertisements were only flighted as a formality when they knew that they had already recruited their party members, he said.

He alluded to the corruption in his weekend rally when he told AD members that the party was opposed to cronyism and discrimination when it came to recruiting people to jobs in the civil service.

“You should know that this is a party that respects everyone. When we say we are done with the past we mean it. We mean that we are done with the disrespect and ridiculing of other politicians, discrimination in the awarding of jobs, senseless killings of our people and corruption.

“There is so much corruption with this government. It is dirty and contemptible. But let us respect the leaders of other political parties. They are also our leaders even if we have different political beliefs.

“I hate disunity. That’s why you saw me going to bring back (All Basotho Convention – ABC leader Thomas) Thabane, (former Basotho National Party- BNP leader Thesele) ’Maseribane and (Reformed Congress for Lesotho -RCL leader Keketso) Rantšo from exile in South Africa in 2017,” Mr Moleleki said.

The post Moletsane ponders AD exit appeared first on Lesotho Times.

•  Minister Rapapa defends security agencies’ involvement in drafting snooping laws,
• as legal experts slam the “militarisation of the law-making process”. 

Herbert Moyo

THE Lesotho government has finished consultations with the army, police, intelligence and other stakeholders as it prepares to re-table draconian spying regulations giving it sweeping powers to monitor mobile phone communications of all citizens, diplomats and foreigners visiting the country, according to Communications, Science and Technology Minister Samuel Rapapa.

Mr Rapapa has defended the security agencies’ role in the crafting of the regulations, saying they were the security experts and their input was required because the regulations had a bearing on national security.

His remarks come against the background of criticism of the proposed regulations by the United States embassy and legal experts who pointed out that giving the state and security agencies unfettered powers to spy on citizens’ and diplomats’ communications could lead to gross human rights violations.

The controversial Communications (Identity Module and Mobile Device Regulation) Regulations, 2021 were initially gazetted in May this year by then communications minister, Keketso Sello.

They caused a huge outcry due to the overweening powers they gave to the government, via the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), to monitor private communications of citizens.

The regulations empowered the state to fully monitor cyberspace, define cybercrimes and prescribe penalties that include fines and lengthy prison sentences. They include a provision for the establishment of a central database, with details of citizens, to be run by the LCA. In addition to registering their sim cards, citizens and visitors would also be required to register their communication devices and store their biometrics in the database.

This is an unprecedented move as other countries, including South Africa, only require users to register their SIM cards and not mobile devices.

Another unprecedented measure was the requirement for foreigners on international roaming services in Lesotho to be registered as well.

More chillingly, citizens’ details and communications stored in the central database could be handed over to any of the security agencies without a court order.

All the army, police, intelligence and correctional services would have to do to lay their hands on such information would be to request it from the LCA in writing only. They would also have to state why they want such information. But they would not require formal court orders as happens in most civilized countries.

Last month, parliament ordered Minister Rapapa to go back to the drawing board and redraft the regulations in consultation with the security agencies and “other stakeholders”.

This after the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on the Prime Minister’s Ministries and Departments, Governance, Foreign Relations and Information Cluster had indicated in its report that the regulations had been crafted without the necessary input of key stakeholders. The committee said there was need for consultations to ensure that all stakeholder input was included in the subordinate law.

Mr Rapapa this week claimed consultations had been completed with various stakeholders including the security agencies. He said the consultations had been done by 30 September 2021. He said he was currently reviewing the submissions and he would soon re-table the regulations in parliament for approval.

He said there was nothing wrong with people being asked to submit their personal details and biometrics for storage in a central database as per the proposed regulations.

“I don’t see anything wrong with this because people are already submitting this kind of information to institutions like banks whenever they want to open accounts,” Mr Rapapa said.

He also defended the involvement of the security agencies.

“The security agencies had to be consulted because we are dealing with a national security issue. They are the experts in security issues and we are not experts,” Mr Rapapa said.

His comments are unlikely to address lingering US concerns about the “complexity” of the government’s self-appointed task of registering all subscribers.

Nor will they address the concerns about the “intrusive” nature of the proposed regulations “which will touch on the privacy and personal liberties of every Lesotho citizen who owns a telephone”.

“The US Embassy notes that the collection and storage of sensitive personal data pose complex challenges,” the US embassy said when the regulations were initially gazetted in June this year.

“One such challenge is preventing access by unauthorised users.  In the past year, the computer systems of the government of Lesotho have been subject to repeated penetration by hackers.  This brings several questions to the fore; how will the biometric data collected under these new regulations be protected from unauthorised access?

“What will the government of Lesotho do to protect or compensate its citizens after hackers steal their biometric data? Will the government hire an outside consultant to manage this data, and if so, how will this consultant be selected, managed, and held accountable?”   

This week, constitutional law expert Hoolo Nyane, a law professor at the University of Limpopo, said the regulations should have been completely repealed instead of being redrafted.

Prof Nyane said the initial regulations were not only “intrusive” but “most probably in contravention of constitutional freedoms of communication and expression”.

As such they ought to have been struck down instead of being revised with the input of the security agencies who have a “dark past” of human rights violations, he said.

“The problem with those regulations was never about the process followed by the minister or the LCA in drafting them in the first place,” Prof Nyane told   the Lesotho Times.

“The fundamental problem related to their content. Their content unjustifiably trembles upon human rights and freedoms. If the communications ministry intends to press ahead with the regulations, they must be revised to align them with human rights.

“Hence it is disingenuous for parliament to suggest that the reason for rejecting the regulations is because of non-consultation with the relevant stakeholders. In any event, the obligation to involve the public in legislative processes belongs to parliament. If government departments don’t do the consultation, parliament must do it.

“Cherry picking the security agencies as the stakeholders to be consulted, in particular, is also interesting. This suggests that probably there is a fundamental misconception at various levels about the problems of these regulations.  “Consultation with the cross-section of society is always a hallmark of good governance; but with the dark history that the country has with the security agencies, it is a concern to say matters of human rights such as this be done with the security agencies. Perhaps the intention is to drift the Bill further to a dark corner, rather than to improve its human rights compliance,” Prof Nyane said.

A local lawyer who did not want to be named said the roping in of the security agencies in the drafting of the revised regulations was “a worrying militarisation of the law-making process”.

“The regulations were already chilling enough when they were initially gazetted by the previous minister. They gave the security agencies excessive powers to snoop on citizens’ communications and laid the groundwork for possible human rights violations.

“We need to keep in mind that in their current unreformed state, the security agencies are an unprofessional and partisan lot who have shown their propensity to wantonly abuse citizens on behalf of their political masters. The NSS (National Security Service) still owes us answers regarding the secret purchase of M28 million spying equipment they procured with funds that had been earmarked for student loans and grants. Also, the police have still not been made to account for torturing some people who were accused of being social media political activists a few years ago.

“What all this therefore means is that involving unreformed security institutions in the law-making process will only quicken Lesotho’s descent into a fully-fledged police state and banana republic,” the lawyer said.

His comments were in reference to the auditor general’s report for the 2016/17 financial year which indicated that M28, 4 million had been diverted from the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) facility for tertiary students to purchase cyber equipment to spy on politicians, members of the security agencies and ordinary civilians.

This was done by the then seven parties’ coalition which was headed by Pakalitha Mosisili.

During that government’s tenure in 2016, the police arrested two men, Lira Moeti and Mohato Seleke, allegedly for being administrators of a shadowy Facebook group that had been releasing sensitive government information.

They were allegedly tortured to get them to confess to being the administrators of a Facebook group called ‘Count Down to Elections 2015, 2016 or 2017’.

Mr Seleke is now the managing director of the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC).

Herbert Moyo is a journalist researching digital surveillance with support from
the Media Policy & Democracy Project (MPDP) jointly run by the University of Johannesburg and Unisa.

The post Govt forges ahead with Draconian spying regulations appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Staff Reporter

ECONET Telecom Lesotho (ETL’s) insurance arm, EcoSure, has introduced a new product, EcoSure Group.

The new product is an upgrade of the mobile communications giant’s EcoSure Re Bolokehile. The product will cater for the needs of stockvels, churches, corporates and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) where groups of people who often assist each other in the event of the death of a member or a dependent.

The product is underwritten by the Lesotho National Insurance Group (LNIG).

Speaking at the launch of the new product yesterday, Matikoe Letsie, the ETL general manager responsible for EcoSure, said the new product would benefit Basotho from all walks of life.

“The new project is aimed at accommodating Basotho who are interested in having a funeral policy,” Ms Letsie said.

“Minimum membership for Ecosure Group shall be 10 people. There is no maximum number of members. The age limit for members in the EcoSure Group is from 18 to 70 years.

“For a group to register, members must elect a committee led by a chairperson, secretary and treasurer. The minimum membership shall be 10 people with no upper limit. Each group shall provide a completed and fully signed form to join EcoSure Group. Application forms will be available at all ETL shops.

“The main member can add dependents on his/her cover. Premiums are to be paid via the EcoSure Group’s EcoCash merchant wallet.”

She said the insurance penetration was poised to grow given the company’s “second to none customer experience and greater convenience”.

EcoSure Group has four packages namely the EcoSure Lite with a monthly premium of M15 per member. The pay out in the event of the death each of the insured individuals is M10 000. For EcoSure Basic, the monthly premium is M30 while the pay-out is M20 000. For EcoSure Standard, the monthly premium is M45 for a M30 000 pay-out. The pay-out for Ecosure Premium is M50 000 while the monthly premium is M75 per individual.

The post Econet launches EcoSure Group appeared first on Lesotho Times.

• claims he never resigned from ABC treasurer’s post,
• accuses Hlaele, Masoetsa of plotting his ouster from the party.

Pascalinah Kabi

SENIOR All Basotho Convention (ABC) member, Tlali Mohapi, has rubbished reports of his resignation from the treasurer’s post.

He says he was surprised to receive party leader, Thomas Thabane’s letter wherein the latter accepted his resignation from the post. He insists he never resigned.  He has instead accused secretary general, Lebohang Hlaele, and spokesperson, Montoeli Masoetsa, of plotting his ouster from the party.

He says the duo wants him out to prevent him from probing the possible mismanagement of party funds.

Mr Mohapi doubles up as Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro’s private secretary. Dr Majoro is among the top ABC officials jostling to succeed Mr Thabane. The latter is hellbent on clinging to the top party post. Party insiders say Mr Mohapi’s fights with Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa are part of the wider factional fights pitting Mr Thabane against Dr Majoro and others who are angling to replace him.

Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa are said to be fighting in Mr Thabane’s corner.

So vicious is the infighting that Mr Mohapi was denied entry into a weekend meeting between the NEC and the party’s legislators from the Berea district.

The meeting was held on Sunday at Berea High School.

Mr Thabane and Dr Majoro attended the meeting along with Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa, chairperson Samuel Rapapa, deputy chairperson Chalane Phori, deputy secretary general Nkaku Kabi, minutes secretary Likhapha Masupha and women’s league president, Malelaka Malakabe.

Also, in attendance were former secretary general, Samonyane Ntsekele, and former deputy leader, Prince Maliehe.  The two are staunch Thabane loyalists. They lost their former posts at the ABC’s February 2019 elective conference but they were this year appointed by Mr Thabane into the ABC’s working committee in a move seen as an attempt to neutralise people like Dr Majoro and Mr Rapapa who are all angling for the top party post. Messrs Phori and Hlaele are also backing Mr Thabane while Messrs Mohapi, Kabi as well as Ms Masupha and Ms Malakabe are said to be behind Dr Majoro in his quest to wrest the leadership.

Mr Mohapi narrated his version of the weekend events in Berea to a local radio station this week.

He said he had hoped to attend the meeting along with other party officials but he was denied entry by four heavily armed men who said they were acting on the instructions of their leader. They did not say who their leader was.

Mr Mohapi said they denied him entry on the grounds that he had resigned from his post as ABC treasurer and had become an ordinary card-carrying member of the party.

He however, denies resigning. This is despite Mr Thabane and other party officials’ insistence that he resigned over a fortnight ago after being confronted over his repeated failure to perform his duties.

Mr Masoetsa told the Lesotho Times last week that Mr Mohapi had indicated that he was resigning in frustration over the previous NEC’s failure to hand over audited financial records to him.

But in his 21 October 2021 letter purportedly accepting Mr Mohapi’s resignation, Mr Thabane accused the former of failing to perform his duties.

Mr Mohapi confirmed receiving Mr Thabane’s letter but denied ever resigning. He instead accused Messrs Hlaele and Masoetsa of fabricating the issue and pushing for his ouster from the party to prevent him from investigating the alleged mismanagement of party funds.

He said things got heated up in Berea that he and Mr Kabi even attempted to push aside the heavily armed officers to enable him to gain entry into the meeting.

“There were four heavily armed men at the door who looked like they were going to war. They said their boss had told them that I had no right to enter the meeting. They said I had been given a letter of dismissal from the party. I told them that this was not true but they insisted that their boss had instructed them to deny me entry.

“I called my fellow NEC members. I even called the secretary general (Hlaele) and his deputy (Kabi). The secretary general didn’t come. His deputy came to the door and instructed them to let me in. We even attempted to push them aside but they refused to budge,” Mr Mohapi said on Radio 357 FM.

Mr Mohapi said on 22 October, he received Mr Thabane’s letter indicating that the latter had accepted his resignation on behalf of the entire NEC. He said he had already seen the letter circulating on social media the previous day.

But he never resigned, he said.

“The gist of the matter is that some people in the previous NEC mismanaged party funds. I even prepared a situational report when we first entered office in August 2020, indicating that there was mismanagement of funds. I also indicated that those who were legally supposed to sign for party funds were not doing so and people who were not entitled to do so were now the signatories instead. These included the secretary general (Hlaele), former deputy leader (Nqosa Mahao) who is now with the BAP (Basotho Action Party) and another former member, ‘Mamoipone Senauoane. It appears they are still signatories at FNB and Nedbank.

“This is why I said there is a serious issue which requires a forensic audit. That issue is deep and the question is: who has mandated the secretary general (Hlaele) to be dealing with party funds even now? Kobotata (ABC) members must know who mandated the honourables Hlaele, Mahao and Senauoane to deal with party funds.

“I must make you aware that there is a Kobotata investment with FNB Lesotho which I got to know about from the secretary general and it looks like that the investment should have matured by August this year. It looks like my investigation into these issues have torched a hot oven,” Mr Mohapi said.

He accused Mr Masoetsa of being influenced by Mr Hlaele to lie to the public.

“There is a man called the spokesperson who dances for the audience under the influence of the secretary general because they are in the same camp in these issues,” Mr Mohapi said.

Contacted for comment, Mr Masoetsa insisted that Mr Mohapi had resigned.

“That person is no longer ABC treasurer and will never again be an NEC member,” Mr Masoetsa said. He also denied that he was Mr Hlaele’s lapdog.

Mr Hlaele also denied using Mr Masoetsa to fight his battles, saying the latter spoke on party issues in his capacity as spokesperson “not under my influence”.

He also insisted that Mr Mohapi had resigned and the latter was free to appeal to the party’s conference whenever it would be held if he felt he was being victimised.

He accused Mr Mohapi of giving an impression that Mr Thabane no longer had a mind of his own and he was being used by others in the party.

“He (Mohapi) and others are projecting the view that Ntate Thabane is stupid and does not have a mind of his own That is not the case. He raised issues about Mahao and Senauoane and we told him that we were forced to include them as signatories during the time of our infighting after the 2019 elective conference.

“However, after our leader united us, Mahao and Senauoane ceased to be signatories until they left the party. Masenauoane never signed a single cheque of Kobotata. Only Ntate Mahao signed at the time we were fighting. He (Mohapi) is not the telling the truth when he says he presented a situational report in the NEC,” Mr Hlaele said.

Ms Senauoane also rubbished Mr Mohapi’s allegations, saying she did not even the banks which held ABC funds.

“I never signed for ABC funds at any bank. The truth of the matter is that I was coopted into the ABC’s NEC as a treasurer to fill the vacant position during the infighting but I never signed for a single cheque of the ABC,” Ms Senauoane said.

Prof Mahao said there was nothing to talk about with this reporter.

The post New twist to Mohapi resignation saga appeared first on Lesotho Times.

. . . suspended official seen as “Majoro loyalist”  

Nthatuoa Koeshe

ALL Basotho Convention (ABC) leader and former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has flexed his muscles by suspending the party’s national executive committee (NEC) member, Keketso Lepheane.

Mr Lepheane was suspended over his social media utterances questioning why the ABC’s recent 15^th anniversary celebrations were held at Mr Thabane’s Makhoakhoeng, Ha-Abia, home instead of some other neutral place. His suspension is with effect from 19 October 2021.

ABC insiders say Mr Lepheane is an outspoken supporter of ABC deputy leader and Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro, who is locked in a battle for supremacy with Mr Thabane in the ruling but faction-ridden party.

They say his suspension is aimed at neutralising Dr Majoro’s support base in the NEC and other party structures.

There is no love lost between Mr Thabane and Dr Majoro who replaced the former as premier in May 2020. This after the ABC’s NEC had resolved that the party’s then 81-year-old founding leader had become a liability due to his age and his alleged failure to stop his wife, ‘Maesaiah, from meddling in party and government affairs. In addition, the party also wanted Mr Thabane (now 82) to step aside and clear his name first over sensational allegations that he and ‘Maesaiah, had murdered his ex-wife, Lipolelo, on 14 June 2017.

It remains to be seen if their much-anticipated trial will eventually get underway in the High Court. But in the meantime, Mr Thabane has taken advantage of the fights between leadership hopefuls such as Dr Majoro, secretary general Lebohang Hlaele and chairperson Samuel Rapapa to claw back and regain some of the political clout he used to enjoy within the party.

Insiders say that he is keen on leading the party into next year’s elections and reclaiming the premiership in the event of an ABC victory. Other party stalwarts say they will push for an early elective conference to have him replaced as party leader before the 2022 general elections.

Mr Thabane’s refusal to exit the scene hitherto has in recent weeks fuelled intense factionalism manifested by among other things, the failure by some party stalwarts, including Dr Majoro, to attend the 15^th anniversary at Mr Thabane’s home.

Mr Lepheane was among those who snubbed the celebrations. Besides him and Dr Majoro, others who did not attend are deputy secretary general Nkaku Kabi, Messrs Rapapa, Masoetsa and Ms Doti.

Mr Hlaele, a Thabane loyalist and son-in-law to the former prime minister, described the quintet’s no-show as “unacceptable” and a clear example of their ill-discipline.

Dr Majoro and others later said they had not snubbed the event. They said they were committed elsewhere on the day. In any event, Mr Hlaele had not properly communicated about the event through the official party channels, Dr Majoro said.

Mr Lepheane was nevertheless not as diplomatic about his no-show at the anniversary celebrations. He is said to have questioned the decision to hold the event at Mr Thabane’s home.

Mr Hlaele did not take kindly to Mr Lepheane’s utterances. He subsequently sent an audio recording to fellow NEC members questioning why Mr Lepheane had issues with the staging of the event at Mr Thabane’s residence when he was “always running” to Prime Minister Majoro’s official State House residence to discuss party issues.

In the same audio, which was leaked to the Lesotho Times last week, Mr Hlaele also threatened disciplinary measures against Mr Lepheane and anyone else fomenting divisions in the party he claimed to be working very hard to re-unite after the messy April 2021 split which saw former deputy leader Nqosa Mahao leave to form his own Basotho Action Party (BAP). Mokhotlong legislator and former cabinet minister, Tefo Mapesela, also dumped the ABC to form his own Basotho Patriotic Party (BPP).

It appears the writing was therefore on the wall for Mr Lepheane once Mr Hlaele had threatened action against him.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Thabane has now pulled the trigger against the little-known NEC member.

“As the leader of ABC, I have learned of the things you said on social media on 15 October after I asked the general secretary (Hlaele) to arrange a meeting with constituency committees for the party’s 15th anniversary commemorations,” Mr Thabane states in his 19 October 2021 letter to Mr Lepheane.

“You made an announcement on social media that party issues should not be discussed at anyone’s home. Accordingly, I am suspending you from all the committees of the party with immediate effect,” Mr Thabane states.

The ABC leader does not indicate the duration of Mr Lepheane’s suspension or elaborate on what measures will be taken against him.

Mr Lepheane said he was not aware of his suspension. He said he had only seen a letter purporting to suspend him on social media but had not been formally served with it.

“I have not received the letter yet I have seen it circulating on social media,” Mr Lepheane said, adding, he would continue as an NEC member until he had been served with the suspension letter.

ABC spokesperson, Montoeli Masoetsa, insisted that Mr Lepheane had indeed been suspended by Mr Thabane.

The post Thabane suspends NEC member as ABC rifts escalate appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Mohalenyane Phakela

DEPUTY Commissioner of Police (DCP) Paseka Mokete’s much-delayed sexual assault trial got off to a dramatic start this week.

This after his lawyer, Monaheng Rasekoai, exchanged angry words with DCP Mokete’s alleged victim, Inspector ‘Makatleho Mphetho. She accused the lawyer of harassing her and deliberately twisting her evidence to suit his client’s interests.

Inspector Mphetho was supported by the prosecutor, Motene Rafoneke, who accused Mr Rasekoai of intimidating her.

In turn, Mr Rasekoai accused Inspector Mphetho of being a hostile witness and disrespecting him by failing to accurately answer his questions.

So heated were the exchanges that Senior Resident Magistrate, Peter Murenzi, had to ask both parties to “cool down” and conduct themselves professionally.

DCP Mokete stands accused of sexually assaulting Inspector Mphetho on 30 April 2020 by touching her buttocks, tearing her trousers and manhandling her.

Inspector Mphetho was put on the witness stand to testify against her boss and alleged victimiser when the trial got underway on Monday.

She told the court that she was on duty at parliament building on 30 April 2020 when DCP Mokete arrived in the company of his two bodyguards and his chauffer to hand her his resignation letter from the Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA). Inspector Mphetho is the deputy secretary general of LEPOSA, the militant police union which has been at odds with DCP Mokete, Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli and the rest of the police command. LEPOSA accuses the police management of incompetence and cronyism. In turn, the police command accuses LEPOSA of insubordination.

She said after accepting DCP Mokete’s resignation letter, the latter asked her to sign another document to acknowledge receipt which she refused to sign. She did not say why she refused to sign the document. She said DCP Mokete then disembarked from his vehicle and grabbed her buttocks and in the process, broke the buttons on her uniform trousers.

She said the incident traumatised her to the extent of urinating on herself. She took to her heels with DCP Mokete in hot pursuit.  The police boss then caught up with her and grabbed her by the collar of her jersey, she claimed. She said DCP Mokete’s chauffer, one Inspector Komota, intervened and asked her to return the resignation letter which she did. DCP Mokete and his team then drove away, she said.

Development Planning minister and Thabana Morena legislator, Selibe Mochoboroane, and senior government chauffeur, Motloang Moima, witnessed the incident and would therefore testify in her support, Inspector Mphetho said.

“Moima, who was standing on the National Assembly veranda when this ordeal occurred, asked me why my boss was attacking me so early in the morning. I told him that it was related to work issues. I then got into the parliament building for the session that was due to start at 9am and met Honourable Mochoboroane. He asked me about the incident, saying he had witnessed it from his vehicle at the parking lot. I narrated every detail to him.

“I wanted to go to the Central Charge Office to report the matter but I was too weak to drive. So, I asked (LEPOSA treasurer) Mathebe Motseki to come and collect me. We proceeded to the Central Charge office where we found the then deputy commanding officer, Superintendent Setsumi, who ordered one Inspector Matekane to assist me to open a case. Inspector Matekane also inspected the damaged trousers which I was still wearing and told me to submit it to them later on. He gave me a medical form which was filled by a doctor at Queen II Hospital.

“When I returned to submit the form at the charge office, the officer commanding the station, one Senior Superintendent Mathaba, was now present and I told him what had transpired at parliament. I also submitted my uniform to Inspector Matekane as part of the evidence,” Inspector Mphetho said.

Messrs Rasekoai and Kuili Ndebele are representing DCP Mokete.

Mr Rasekoai began cross examining Inspector Mphetho after she had submitted her evidence.

The cross-examination began smoothly on Monday with Mr Rasekoai fact checking Inspector Mphetho’s evidence-in-chief by asking her to confirm that she had indeed said certain statements that had been recorded and presented to the court.

However, things heated up that same afternoon after Mr Rasekoai read Inspector Matekane’s 30 April 2020 report of the alleged crime as well as the witness statements of Messrs Mochoboroane, Moima and DCP Mokete’s three bodyguards.

“So this report does not accurately capture your statement,” Mr Rasekoai asked Inspector Mphetho.

“It does not mention your buttocks being touched or pants torn. It only says you were humiliated and manhandled by my client. There are six people, five of whom are eyewitnesses, who make no mention of your buttocks being touched or pants being torn.

“When Inspector Matekane inspected those pants, did he record anything? Nowhere does Inspector Matekane mention that he inspected pants. So you were even allowed to go home with an item which is the subject of criminal record? You went to the police station twice that day but you only decided to bring the pants the following day. This issue of torn pants is not supported by any evidence,” Mr Rasekoai added.

His questions elicited an angry response from Inspector Mphetho who asked Magistrate Murenzi to intervene and protect  her from the lawyer.

“You (Rasekoai) wrote in your notes what you like not what I said. The actual recording should be played because it seems you captured my testimony in a manner that suits your own interests. I now need the intervention of the court,” Inspector Mphetho said.

An equally agitated Mr Rasekoai then accused Inspector Mphetho of disrespecting him.

“I have never been disrespected this much by a witness in my 13 years as a lawyer. She is being uncouth and I seek the court’s protection,” Mr Rasekoai said.

Both parties were now engaged in a slanging match prompting Magistrate Murenzi to order them to calm down.

“Let us all calm down and be tolerant to each other. I know that trials of this nature come with emotions. But keep your calm and answer the questions. You (Mphetho) are not an accused person so do not be defensive,” Magistrate Murenzi said.

The court then adjourned for the day and proceedings resumed on Tuesday morning with Mr Rasekoai continuing his cross-examination.

He began by recapping the Monday proceedings and asking Inspector Mphetho to confirm all the averments (formal statements submitted to court). This led to a fresh altercation as Inspector Mphetho insisted on giving detailed responses instead of the “yes or no” responses that Mr Rasekoai was demanding. A fed-up Inspector Mphetho then said she would not answer some of the lawyer’s questions.

Mr Rasekoai asked, “do you agree or disagree with what Honourable Mochoboroane said? Yes, or no? Do you agree with what Mr Moima said? Yes, or no? Do you agree with what the three police officers said? Yes, or no?”

Instead of giving the simple yes or no replies, Inspector Mphetho said, “Honourable Mochoboroane will testify that my buttocks were touched.

“I will not answer what you read to me because I have not seen it (Mochoboroane’s statement). I will only comment after he has testified here in court,” Inspector Mphetho said. She responded in the same manner when asked about Mr Moima and the three police officers’ statements.

Mr Rasekoai then asked the court to record that Inspector Mphetho had declined to answer his questions.

The prosecutor, Advocate Rafoneke, leapt to Inspector Mphetho’s defence, saying Mr Rasekoai had intimidated her with his style of questioning.

“You are intimidating the witness.  Your attitude towards the witness is wrong. You cannot be fighting the witness. I ask the court to bring him (Rasekoai) to order,” Adv Rafoneke said.

Mr Rasekoai shot back by accusing Adv Rafoneke of attacking him. He also asked the court to bring him to order.

“The witness has been hostile and I am not involved in a cat fight with her. I have to be robust. He (Rafoneke) is attacking me now and I ask the court to bring him to order,” Mr Rasekoai charged.

Magistrate Murenzi then adjourned the proceedings to tomorrow for continuation of the cross-examination.

The post Drama at DCP Mokete’s sexual assault trial appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

MOTHAE diamond mine has moved the majority of its camp and administration offices to a newly built permanent location within its leased site in Mokhotlong.

The new camp consists of a kitchen, dining hall, clinic, accommodation blocks and the administration offices. It was opened during the third quarter of the mine’s financial year ending 30 September 2021.

The majority shareholder of the mine, Lucapa Diamond Company, said in its quarterly report that the remaining construction works were scheduled for completion before the end of 2021.

Lucapa however, did not disclose how much the mine has invested in the construction of the new camp and administration offices.

The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed Lucapa owns 70 percent of Mothae mine while the government holds the remaining 30 percent shares.

“During the quarter, good progress was made with the majority of the Mothae camp and administration offices now moved to their new permanent site,” the mine said in a statement this week.

“The kitchen, dining hall, administration offices, clinic and accommodation blocks were handed over by the contractor on time and on budget and are being fully utilised by the mine. The balance of the accommodation units will be relocated prior to the end of the fourth quarter.”

Lucapa said additional facilities such as a recreation room, gym, training centre and others would be added later to improve the well-being and comfort of the mine-site team.

The mining and processing operations improved during the quarter under review despite weather and power supply challenges, the statement added.

“The plant achieved record throughput of 344 978 tonnes and its highest average feed rate post the plant upgrade. This was achieved despite ramp up, inclement weather, challenges relating to electricity supply and unscheduled plant downtime. With many of the challenges overcome and warmer weather approaching, it is expected that the plant ramps up in the fourth quarter will deliver against plan.

“During the quarter, Mothae recovered 9 567 carats and delivered a monthly record in August with 3 776 carats recovered. The largest diamond recovered during the quarter was 51 carats, with fancy light pinks and yellows also recovered. There were 208 diamonds greater than 4, 8 carats and 60 special stones recovered during the quarter.”

“The average prices achieved for Mothae have been favourably impacted by the recovering diamond market, with year-to-date prices of US$756 per carat being 88 percent ahead of those achieved in the previous comparative period,” Lucapa said.

The post Mothae moves to permanent site appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bereng Mpaki

LETŠENG Diamonds staffers yesterday donated a prosthetic leg to Mafeteng man, Mohau Mphatene.

The M38 900 worth limb was handed over to Mr Mphatene by Letšeng Diamonds chief executive officer (CEO), Kelebone Leisanyane, at the mine’s headquarters in Maseru.

Mr Leisanyane said the leg was meant to improve Mr Mphatene’s life as it would eventually allow him to walk without crutches.

“On behalf of Letšeng employees, I present to you this prosthetic leg to improve your live with enhanced movement,” Mr Leisanyane said.

Mr Leisanyane thanked the mine staff for their generosity in donating to Mr Mphatene through the staff fund.

He said they received the request from Mr Mphatene in May this year and agreed to assist after assessing his situation.

On his part, Mr Mphatene said the artificial leg had given him a new lease of life. He also expressed gratitude to the Letšeng management.

Mr Mphatene’s right leg was amputated after he was injured during a construction accident in South Africa. The leg was left shattered after he fell from the second floor of a building to the ground.

“I was beginning to lose hope on life but this donation has uplifted my spirits to look forward to living my life like other people.”

The artificial leg was produced by medical orthoptist and prosthetist, Chabeli Mohatlane.

Letšeng Diamonds employees contributed money into the Letšeng Staff Fund for charitable causes in Mokhotlong and across the country.

The membership to the fund is voluntary and all members are expected to contribute amounts they deem fit. Set up in 2015, the fund has so far spent M140 000 on different charitable causes like school fees for needy students.

The post Letšeng staff donate to handicapped man appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Moorosi Tsiane

SOCIAL was abuzz last weekend after the football community learnt that the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) did not register the girls’ under-17 side for the upcoming Africa Union Sport Council (AUSC) Games.

The games will be held in Maseru from 3 to 12 December 2021.

LeFA secretary general, Mokhosi Mohapi, last week explained that the reason for which the team was not enrolled was its lack of readiness.

As much as I understand LeFA’s position, I also think they should not have waited until this late to make the announcement.

The delay has led to the suspicion that the reasons cited by the association are just scapegoats. Instead, suspicion is rife that the real reason for the decision is the sexual abuse rumours that circulated earlier this month. At the time, it was rumoured that some players in camp had been sexually abused.

However, LeFA maintains that the team is not ready.

Only LeFA knows why the team only managed one camp but it probably was the correct decision not to enroll the team, otherwise the side would have been embarrassed.

Compared to its other counter parts in the region, Lesotho’s preparations are way behind in terms of girls’ soccer and enrolling an ill-prepared team would only disrupt the rebuilding exercise.

However, this is not the first time that we have handled preparations for events. In fact, this is our default operating mode. This is how we handle any other issue and that must change.

Some have argued that participating in competitions is the only way for the team to prepare.

But having watched our local women’s league, there is a long way to go. The fact that there has never been women junior’s competitions makes things worse. Our senior national team was thumped by Zambia (8-0) and Malawi (9-0) in last year’s edition of the COSAFA tournament.

But again, I also believe LeFA could have been upfront and announced this earlier.

The only good takeaway from the whole issue is that the team is now preparing for the next edition of the AUSC Games in Malawi next year. My hope is that there will be no bungling otherwise we will continue going in circles.

The post LeFA is right appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Leemisa Thuseho

LEQELE Netball Club were on Sunday crowned the National League champions after beating rivals, LCS, 25-22 at Ha-Ratjomose in Maseru.

The sides, which had last met in the league in 2018, renewed their rivalry after emerging victorious in the semifinals on Saturday.

Leqele qualified for the finals after a 47-11 win over their sister club, First Number, while LCS thumped Focus 55-12.

First Number beat Focus 31-24 in the third-place play-off.

‘Mampiti Morai of Leqele was named the shooter of the season while Relebohile Libatla of City Eagles is the overall player of the season.

Focus’ Litšoanelo Masia and First Number’s ‘Mameti Posholi were named midcourt and goalkeeper of the season respectively.

‘Matšepo Mafeke won the female umpire of the year award.

In the males’ competition final, Tigers beat Prince 28-14 to be crowned the champions. South Oceans came third.

Prince goal defender, Neo Orpen, walked away with the overall player of the year award in the males’ competition while the goal defender of the year award went to Tefo Mosala of Tigers.

Centre player, Bokamoso Mahooana of South Ocean, was named the midcourt player of the year while Tumisang Masenkane of Tigers was named goal shooter of the year. Masenkane also won the male umpire of the year.

Leqele coach, Munyaradzi Shanduka, told the Lesotho Times that he was excited to have won the league for the second time.

“My team is made up of top-quality players and I saw the victory coming because of the way we have been playing throughout the season,” Shanduka said.

“We have three teams (First Number, Leqele and Leqele Development) in the league but because we have our own way of doing things, all these teams reached the quarter finals and two went further to the semifinals. This means Leqele will be a powerhouse for a long time.”

Playing LCS is always a tough task but Shanduka said given the experience that his players have gathered over the years, they followed their script.

“We know that LCS is a big team which is trained in military style. They also have tall and experienced players but my young players are energetic and fast and we are able to balance tactics with physical training. Therefore, mastering all this makes us a tough side. Now I am proud that my girls have gathered enough experience and they do not fear any team.

“I have respect for LCS, they can’t be shadowed by the loss to Leqele as being number two shows that they are still a big team. But people should expect Leqele’s dominance to continue for a long time,”

In his capacity as LCS coach, Orpen said they were proud to reach the finals.

“We played and lost but we are proud to get a medal because the most important thing is to reach the finals. We will work hard next season. This is the second time we are finishing second and we must do better next time,” Orpen said.

The post Leqele crowned netball champs appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Leemisa Thuseho

MASERU Warriors coach, Morapeli Motaung, will not underestimate Roma Kings when the two sides clash in their Econet Rugby League encounter at Mabote playground on Saturday.

The defending champions, Warriors, last played in the league in July 2021 before the league was halted on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After the return of the league early this month, Warriors were meant to play NUL Spears on 11 October. However, Spears forfeited the match. They were meant to play Liqhomane at NUL last weekend but the game was postponed again to accommodate NUL graduations.

Out of six league games played so far, Warriors won five and lost one. They are second in the five-team league table with 25 points. Liqhomane are leading the pack with 34 points from seven wins and are yet to lose a game.

As for Roma Kings, they have only won twice out of four games and are third in the table.

Motaung told the Lesotho Times this week that his team was ready to face Roma Kings on Saturday.

“We are preparing and I think we are getting there although this is our first game since the return of the league,” Motaung said.

“The only challenge is that we might be without some of our players as they will be taking their Covid-19 vaccination this week. We also lack game time because we did not get a chance to play since the return of the league.”

While Roma Kings have never won against Warriors, he said they would not take any chances.

“Roma Kings are a dangerous team with good, speedy and experienced players. They won two games and they will surely be out in full force looking for another win, so I can’t say it will be an easy outing.”

Roma Kings are heading into game highly motivated following the 54-0 win over NUL on Sunday and the coach, Mokhethinyane Mpakeletsa, said they would be underdogs on Saturday.

“Warriors are a big team and they have been beating us all along. However, there is an improvement because last time we clashed we did well,” Mpakeletsa said.

Weekend fixtures will also see Mabote Beavers welcoming NUL Spears while Liqhomane will be on standby.

The post Maseru Warriors, Roma Kings clash appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Moorosi Tsiane

LESOTHO Volleyball Association (LVA) vice president, Masoli Khoanyane, is worried that some of the key players in the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games team could be withdrawn because they will be sitting for their final examinations.

Khoanyane said some of the players have already explained to their coaches, Tšepo Raletooane (boys) and Pekosela Nthako (girls), that they will be writing some examinations on 3 December 2021, the opening day of the AUSC Games.

The games are expected to end on 12 December in Maseru. Volleyball will be played at Lehakoe.

He said they have discussed the matter in their meetings with the team manager but said they were still hoping for the Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation Ministry and its Education and Training ministry to come up with a compromise.

“We have some students in our teams who will be writing their LGSCE on the starting date of the games so it has become a challenge,” Khoanyane said.

“Some players have already raised the matter and we are hoping that the Sport and Education ministries can find a compromise and find a solution.”

While they were yet to raise matter formally, Khoanyane said they were hoping it would be resolved soon because other sporting codes will also be affected.

“Learners need time to prepare for their examinations and similarly, athletes also need to prepare. Therefore, we are in a quandary.

“Our preparations started three weeks ago and our teams have been meeting on weekends for training but the challenge is that only local players have been able to train.”

Last weekend, the teams participated in preparatory matches where the girls emerged victorious while the boys lost. And Khoanyane suspects that the lack of training affected the boys.

He however, said both coaches were happy with their teams and would continue their weekend training schedules until the final camp just before the beginning of the games.

The teams will also be involved in a preparatory tournament in two weeks, Khoanyane said.

The post LVA could lose AUCS players to exams appeared first on Lesotho Times.

’Marafaele Mohloboli

THE Lesotho Music Rights Association (LMRA) is unhappy with the Tourism, Environment and Culture Ministry’s decision to unilaterally pick the local artistes who are participating in the World Expo in Dubai.

The Expo started on 1 October and will end in March 2022. It is running under the theme: “Connecting minds, creating the future”.

The LMRA said it must have been consulted as the custodian of local musicians’ rights.

The association’s spokesperson, gospel artiste, Ramosa Bosiu, said they were surprised to learn of the ministry’s decision.

“We are the custodians of the musician’s rights and the least that we expected was that the ministry would inform us even if they had already made their own decision,” Bosiu said.

“We have nothing against those who were picked and in fact, we are happy for them because they are our own. However, we should have been informed.

“Our policy is that nothing should be done for us without our knowledge or input. The ministry is aware because we have worked with them on different projects. We are therefore surprised how they arrived at this decision.”

Local artistes Ntate Stunna, Selimo Thabane, Skebza-D, Boima and the Mantsopa Cultural Group travelled to Dubai for the expo.

Bosiu allayed suspicion that the association wanted to benefit from the same rewards that the travelling artistes also received.

“We don’t want our complaint to be perceived as jealous. In fact, we want to know if they were rewarded accordingly or they chose to engage them individually instead of via the association so that they can underpay them.”

He said if the practice persisted, it was likely to cause rifts among artistes.

Famo musician, Mantša, said the ministry should have engaged the association for the process.

“We definitely wouldn’t all go to Dubai but I wish the ministry had engaged the association. I don’t have a problem with who was picked. What is important is that the association is meant to unite musicians and handle their affairs,” Mantša said.

However, culture director in the Tourism ministry, ’Matšosane Molibeli said they did not engage the association because “the invite came late”.

“The invite had specifications and strict deadlines. Among the requirements was that there was supposed to be a troupe that encompasses Lesotho’s culture and it also had to be modern, hence the choices.

“Besides, this was not a ministerial invite, it was directly for His Majesty. We treated it with all the urgency that it required and decided as a ministry.

“There is nothing sinister about the whole affair and our doors are open for LMRA to come to the table and talk to us and we can explain what informed our decision,” Molibeli said.

Molibeli said the Dubai sponsored the entire trip and the artistes have since returned home after their performance on 27 October, which was designated as Lesotho’s national day.

The event was followed by a business forum on the next day where Thabane shared the stage with other international performers. He returned home on 31 October.

The post Artistes cry foul over Expo invite appeared first on Lesotho Times.