Hold your mouth, Minister tells Maope

MASERU – FOREIGN Affairs Minister Lesego Makgothi says Kelebone Maope, who has been suspended as Lesotho’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), should learn to hold his mouth. This was in response to Maope’s interview with thepost.

Below is what the minister said when Maope’s allegations were put to him.

“I would not want to go into the details of the suspension because there is a court case and internal processes have not yet been concluded but what I can only say is that this has nothing to do with the September incidents that he mentions.
Instead it has something to do with what happened during the International Criminal Court of Justice conference very late last year. I would not wait four months to take disciplinary action against him.

The September events are irrelevant in this case. The allegations he makes are serious.
It is a heavy statement to say I ransacked his rented flat. He is living in an uptown market apartment that was not approved by the Ministry.
It costs the country US$17 500 per month. He has abandoned his official residence and it is now occupied by Minister Counsellor. Like I said, if I wanted to charge him I would have not waited four months to do that.

He plainly failed to tell you about what transpired during the ICC summit in November.
Since he has challenged the suspension in court I am at liberty to hold my peace until such time when I can go public. The internal process has not even been completed.

He is a lawyer by profession and he should know when to hold his mouth.
Tell him to stop beating about the bush if he is so keen to divulge information that is highly internal and stop this smear campaign of pointing fingers at other people.

Lesotho is not losing anything due to his suspension because he does not even know how to write a simple monthly report on what he is doing.
The confusion he is talking about has to do with his ego.
As soon as the process of the court case is over I am issuing a verbal note to the UN. It is ready but was stopped by his court process. But in principle the UN is aware.
All the statements he is making are inflammatory to him and are only making my case much easier.

Staff Reporter