News

I’m no novice, says Mokhothu

Published

6 years ago

July 27, 2018

MASERU – IF there is anything that seems to weigh heavily on Mathibeli Mokhothu’s shoulders, it is the issue of his age.
At just 41 years old, Mokhothu is considered by his critics as a political greenhorn.
They see him as a political upstart who was only catapulted into a position of leadership, thanks to his mentor, former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.
It was an appointment that seemed to rile some senior officials within the main opposition Democratic Congress (DC).

Their murmurs of discontent suggested that some sections of the party were not happy with Mokhothu’s sudden rise.
Critics say the DC almost committed ‘political euthanasia’ by electing into a position of leadership a novice while neglecting experienced politicians within the party.
Mokhothu, who is the deputy leader of the DC, says charges that he is a political novice are baseless and unfair.

As DC deputy leader he also remains within sniffing distance of the country’s top job in the event of an election in which Mosisili does not contest.
The issue of age is a matter that seems to irritate Mokhuthu whenever it is raised during the interview.
For him his relatively young age should not be seen as a liability but an asset.

In a robust defence of his political credentials, Mokhothu says he started his political career from the grassroots, starting with the sub-branches of the then Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) in the late 1990s.

He rejects as nonsense charges that he is a political novice who only came into the national spotlight after he assumed the deputy leadership of the DC last year.
In any case, he argues, the world has moved on with younger politicians taking over the reins.
He cites the case of France’s Emmanuel Macron who assumed power when he was just 39.

Closer to home, he says Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, who is standing in the presidential elections next Monday is only 40, a year younger than himself.
He argues that he has always been ready to lead from as far back as 2003 when he first stood as a candidate in the LCD’s primary elections.
“I’m ready to lead if my people so command. I know they have confidence in me,” he says.
He says he is not ashamed by his stunning rise to the top.

“It was the national conference that elected me,” he says.
“The conference spoke and we all have to abide by the decisions of the conference.”
Mokhothu says when he was appointed into Cabinet as Minister of Gender in 2015, he was only 38.

He was even younger when he was elected into parliament in 2012 when he was just 34.
As a young politician, Mokhothu says he wants to see real transformation in the lives of the people.
But for that to happen, “we need sound policies that are geared towards growing the economy”.

“We need to build a national economy that will be enough to cater for all people,” he says.
Mokhothu says the biggest challenge for Lesotho is fighting poverty.
“It is critical that we have a government that is geared towards growing the economy. Once we do that all these other social ills will be dealt with in a decisive manner.”

To fix these problems, Mokhothu believes Lesotho needs a radical shake-up of how it manages its limited natural resources.
“The DC has its own vision on how to turn around the economy, with the country’s natural resources being used to benefit the citizens,” he says.
“We need to re-think our mining policy.”

Under the current deal, the government of Lesotho owns 25 percent of shares in some local mines with the remaining 75 percent in the hands of foreign investors.
He says the skewed ownership structure has impoverished Basotho for decades.
Mokhothu also wants to see Lesotho taking charge of its raw materials and other natural resources at the initial stages.

“At the present moment, we sell at the raw stage. Our wool, mohair and diamonds should not be sold as they are. We need to make sure they are sold as finished products. We need to set up factories to process the raw materials to bring better gains to the country.”
That is a tough call given the levels of animosity within Lesotho.

Mokhothu says if given a chance to speak to Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, he would urge him to “help this country heal and open a new page”.
“He needs to chart a better Lesotho for every citizen,” he says.
Thabane must work towards growing the economy and ending the political discrimination in employment, he says.

Mokhothu however doubts that the Thabane-led coalition government has the political will nor drive to steer Lesotho towards economic growth and prosperity.
“They are there to feed themselves through selective tenders,” he says.
He alleges that the government had parcelled out to its cronies tenders worth M150 million in just a single year.

“That’s unheard of. They have created a platform to loot by picking their own people with whom they have shares in private companies,” he says.
If this continues, Mokhothu says Lesotho will soon join the list of “failed states” in Africa.
While that might be a bit melodramatic, Mokhothu is adamant that the country is on a path to ruination.

He cites what he says are the relentless attacks on institutions of the state.
“The police, the judiciary, parliament and the office of the Ombudsman are all under attack,” he says.
To Mokhothu, the government will not rest until it captures these institutions and packs them with their own pliable individuals, which will be a threat to our democratic state.
When it was put to Mokhothu that his own government under which he served during Mosisili’s tenure did far worse things during its last term, he says the difference was that the human rights violations were not “state sponsored”.

“We never officialised the killings,” he argues. “But this government has officialised these killings through the police.”
“People are being tortured and killed at the hands of the police following an order by the Prime Minister to beat up suspects. This is unheard of in a democratic state.”
He says until the government explains what happened to Lipolelo Thabane and ’Makarabo Mojakhomo, charges that the DC-led government committed gross human rights violations will remain hollow.
Lipolelo, Thabane’s estranged wife, was shot and killed just days before Thabane was inaugurated as Prime Minister last year while Mojakhomo disappeared without trace at the police headquarters in May.

“What are they doing themselves?” he asks.
He says the killing of Maaparankoe Mahao was an accident that should not have happened.
“There was no order that Mahao should be killed.”

Asked how he would rate Mosisili’s performance over his long 14-year tenure as premier, Mokhothu offers an eloquent defence of his mentor.
It is clear from the responses that he remains fiercely loyal to Mosisili.
“He developed the education sector in a manner that cannot be compared to any other leader,” he says.

He says the book rental scheme which made books accessible to all children despite the size of the pocket of the parent was Mosisili’s idea.
He also built roads and bridges and introduced the feeding scheme for primary school children.
Political commentators say it is such social programmes that made Mosisili the “poster boy” of Lesotho’s politics.

However, they say despite doing well in improving a lot of the poor, Mosisili’s biggest weakness was his failure to read the proverbial ‘writing on the wall’ indicating that his time was up.
They say his failure to hand over power to a successor was his biggest weakness.
That is not so, according to Mokhothu.

He says Lesotho is “not the United States”.
“Lesotho is a poor country and as long as the man elected by the people is doing well, there should be no need for him to go.”
He argues “the old man (Mosisili) is still healthy and can continue to serve his people”.

Mokhothu was born on March 20, 1977 in Thaba-Chitja Ha-Potso in Quthing to a father who was a mine worker.
While his father was away in the mines, the task of raising the children, all seven of them, was left in the hands of their mother.
Yet from a very young age, he became aware of his political environment and the struggle for a democratic Lesotho.

His family was fiercely pro-Basotho Congress Party (BCP) under Dr Ntsu Mokhele.
He remembers his father asking him to read for him the BCP newsletter and the party’s Constitution.
Occasionally he would read to him the Bible.

“As I read, my father would engage me in debates asking me what I had understood from the reading.”
The impact was huge. That reading of BCP materials began to shape his ideological understanding of the politics of Lesotho and the people’s struggle for social justice.
“I understood the philosophy of the BCP and came to appreciate the ideology of the congress party and its tenets. I began to understand that the BCP was a party that was set up to help and liberate the poor.”

Mokhothu is a qualified school teacher. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the National University of Lesotho (NUL).

Staff Reporter

News

Knives out for Molelle

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

The Post

MASERU

KNORX Molelle’s appointment as the Director General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) in February 2023 could have been illegal.

The Law Society of Lesotho has told Prime Minister Sam Matekane that Molelle was appointed without being admitted as a legal practitioner in Lesotho, as required by law.

The society claims the information came from a whistleblower on January 2 and was corroborated by its roll of legal practitioners in Lesotho.

The society says the appointment violates section 4 of the Prevention of Corruption and Economic Offences Act 1999 which states that a person shall not be appointed as the DCEO director general unless they have been admitted as a legal practitioner in terms of the Legal Practitioners Act.

In the letter, Advocate Ithabeleng Phamotse, the society’s secretary, tells Matekane that this requirement “is not a mere procedural formality but a substantive qualification essential to the lawful appointment of the Director General”.

“The absence of such qualification fatally impairs the appointment ab initio, rendering it null and void from the outset,” Advocate Phamotse says in the letter written on Tuesday.

The society argues that if left unaddressed the illegality undermines the credibility, effectiveness and legality of the DCEO’s operations and exposes the kingdom to serious risks, including challenges to the lawfulness of decisions and actions made by Molelle.

“Should it be confirmed that the appointment was made in contravention of the mandatory legal requirements,” Advocate Phamotse said, “we respectfully urge you to take immediate corrective action to rectify this glaring irregularity”.

Advocate Phamotse tells the prime minister that if the appointment is not corrected, the society would be “left with no alternative but to institute legal proceedings to protect the interests of justice and uphold the rule of law in Lesotho”.

“We trust that you will accord this matter your highest priority and act decisively to avert further damage to the integrity of our governance structures.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman, Thapelo Mabote, said they received the letter but Matekane had not yet read it yesterday.

Matekane is on leave and is expected back in the office on January 14.

Questions over the validity of his appointment come as Molelle is being haunted by the damaging audio clips that were leaked last week.

The clips were clandestinely recorded by Basotho National Party leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe.

In some of the clips, Molelle appears to be describing Matekane and his deputy Justice Nthomeng Majara as idiots. He also appears to be calling Law Minister Richard Ramoeletsi a devil.

In other clips, he seems to be discussing cases. thepost has not independently verified the authenticity of the audio clips.

Staff Reporter

News

Massive salary hike for chiefs

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

The Post

MASERU

THE government has increased the salaries for traditional leaders by a massive 88.5 percent.

This means that a village chief not appointed by a gazette will now earn M3 001 a month, up from the previous salary of M1 592. That means village chiefs will now earn an extra M1 409 per month.

A village chief, or headman, appointed by a gazette has moved from M1 966 to M3 567 per month.

Above a village chief is one with jurisdiction over a small cluster of villages, a category three chief, who now moves from M3 768 to M5 181 per month.

A category four chief, known as ward chief, has moved from M4 455 per month to M7 993.

The category five chief, who reports directly to a principal chief, will now earn M10 674, up from M9 939 per month.

There is no increment for principal chiefs.

The government says the budget for chiefs’ salaries has moved from M129.4 million to M208.3 million annually.

The hike follows a series of discussions between the Lesotho Workers Association, representing the chiefs, and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship.

The revised salaries will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2025.

According to the settlement agreement, a discussion about raising the lowest salary of M6 000 for the lowest-ranking chiefs will be revisited in October 2025.

Chiefs who spoke to thepost have expressed satisfaction with the hike, saying it will significantly improve their lives.

Chief Mopeli Matsoso of Ha-Tikoe in Maseru said his previous salary of M1 500 per month would now be doubled, which would improve his life and help provide smoother services to the community.

He stressed that they used to close the offices while going out looking for jobs to compensate for their little salaries.

“Now the people will get smoother services,” Chief Matsoso said.

“The offices will forever be open,” he said.

Chief Matsoso said the salary hike will also serve as a motivation for other chiefs.

Chief Tumo Majara of Liboping, Mokhethoaneng, also expressed his gratitude.

Chief Majara acknowledge the positive impact the salary review would have, especially as a new officeholder.

“I guess we are all happy, that review will help a lot,” he said.

The Principal Chief of Thaba-Bosiu, Khoabane Theko, said the salary increase of chief is a welcome move by the government.

“I’m yet to study how the new salary structure looks like. But I welcome it as a good move by the government,”Chief Theko said.

Nkheli Liphoto

News

Maqelepo says suspension deeply flawed

Published

3 days ago

January 13, 2025

The Post

MASERU

Motlatsi Maqelepo, the embattled Basotho Action Party (BAP) deputy leader and Tello Kibane, who was the party chairman, have rejected their suspension from the party arguing it was legally flawed.

The BAP’s central executive committee on Tuesday suspended Maqelepo for seven years and Kibane for five years. The suspensions became effective on the same day.

The party’s disciplinary committee which met last Wednesday had recommended an expulsion for the two but that decision was rejected with the committee pushing for a lengthy suspension.

Maqelepo’s suspension will end on January 7, 2032 while Kibane’s will run until January 7, 2030.

Their suspension letters from the BAP deputy secretary general Victoria Qheku, say they should not participate in any of the party’s activities.

“In effect, you are relieved of your responsibility as a CEC member and BAP deputy leader,” Maqelepo was told in the letter.

“You were found guilty by default on all charges and the committee recommended your immediate dismissal from the party,” the letter reads.

On Kibane, the verdict states that the committee decided to mitigate the recommended sanction by reducing his suspension to five years.

“In the gravity of the charges, the suspension affects your membership in the BAP parliamentary caucus from which you are removed as a chairman.”

They were suspended in absentia after they refused to attend the disciplinary hearing, which they said was illegal.

In response to the suspension, Maqelepo wrote a letter addressing the BAP members in general, defying the committee’s decision to suspend them.

He has called for a special conference, appealing to party constituencies to push for it, citing the ongoing internal fight that includes the leadership’s decision to withdraw the BAP from the coalition government.

Maqelepo also said the central executive committee is illegally in a campaign to dissolve committees in the constituencies and replace them with stooges.

He reminded the members that there is a court case pending in the High Court seeking an interdiction to charge them in the party’s structures without approval of the special conference that he is calling.

He said the party leadership should have awaited the outcome of the case before proceeding with any disciplinary action.

“The party that is led by a professor of law continues to do dismissals despite the issue being taken to the courts,” Maqelepo said.

The party leader, Professor Nqosa Mahao, is a distinguished professor of law.

Maqelepo said they would write the central executive committee rejecting its decision to suspend them, saying they will continue taking part in party activities.

He said their fate in the party is in the hands of the special conference.

He appealed to all the party constituencies to continue writing letters demanding the special conference.

Both Maqelepo and Kibane received letters on November 28 last year inviting them to show cause why they should not be suspended pending their hearing.

They both responded on the following day refusing to attend.

Maqelepo, Kibane, Hilda Van Rooyen, and ’Mamoipone Senauoane are accused of supporting a move to remove Professor Mahao from his ministerial position last year.

They were part of the BAP members who asked Prime Minister Sam Matekane to fire Professor Mahao, who at the same time was pushing for the reshuffling of Tankiso Phapano, the principal secretary for the Ministry of Energy.

When Matekane ignored Professor Mahao’s demands, the latter withdrew the BAP from the coalition government much to the fierce resistance of the party’s four MPs.

Maqelepo started touting members from constituencies to call for a special conference to reverse Professor Mahao and the central executive committee’s decision.

The central executive committee issued a circular stopping Maqelepo’s rallies but he continued, with the support of the other MPs.

In the BAP caucus of six MPs, it is only Professor Mahao and ’Manyaneso Taole who are supporting the withdrawal from the government.

Nkheli Liphoto