Police bosses square off

 
MASERU-A tense standoff looming between two senior police officers over the command of the Maseru Urban Police, thepost can reveal.
The two top officers are Senior Superintendent (SSP) ’Malebohang Setsomi and SSP Limpho Mathaba.

This comes after SSP Setsomi was promoted to Senior Superintendent and assigned to the Maseru Urban despite the fact that SSP Mathaba is still in office.
SSP Mathaba had been transferred to Thaba-Tseka but he won a court order to remain in Maseru Urban.

Armed with that court order, SSP Mathaba has vowed to remain head of the police in the Maseru Urban district.
He has held on to his office at the Maseru Central Charge Office.
This has put him on collision course with SSP Setsomi who is also working from the same charge office. Both claim to be heading the charge office as well as stations in Thamae, Hoohlo, Lithoteng and Thetsane.
Now their juniors don’t know whose orders to follow.

Sources said on Tuesday police management told officers to ignore SSP Mathaba’s orders.
SSP Setsomi declined to comment.
“If you want police issues, there is police spokesperson Ntate Mpiti Mopeli who can comment,” SSP Setsomi said.
“I can’t comment about such issues.”

SSP Mathaba was however forthcoming about why he rejected his transfer to head the Thaba-Tseka district in early May.
He said he told his bosses that he could not accept the transfer because of his poor health.

His other reason was that he wants to be closer to his children who are still in school.
SSP Mathaba said he preferred a posting close to Maseru so that he can be close to his doctors.

He said the transfer came only three months after he moved to Maseru.
SSP Setsomi was one of those newly promoted officers.
SSP Mathaba said he approached the court after his bosses refused to consider his pleas to remain in Maseru or a close-by district.
“The court ruled that I should not go anywhere,” he said.
He said despite the order his immediate supervisor called SSP Setsomi to tell them that the transfer order still stands.  

He said the Regional Commanding Officer instructed that he should be in Thaba-Tseka by May 25 (Monday). He was also ordered to immediately hand over responsibilities and office keys to SSP Setsomi.
SSP Mathaba said he was also ordered to inform station commanders under him that he was no longer in charge. He was supposed to organise a meeting with the station commanders but disobeyed the order because “I did not want to defy the court order”.

The meeting went ahead in his absence.
SSP Mathaba says he is considering going back to court to enforce the order.
Supt Mopeli said he was not aware of the impasse between SSP Setsomi and SSP Mathaba.

Majara Molupe