News

Power project divides village

Published

6 years ago

April 5, 2019

MASERU – WHEN people who were living around Mohale Dam were relocated to Ha-Mosalla, their hosts welcomed them with open arms and for 18 years they lived as one people.
Their livestock shared grazing lands.
The small classrooms in the area had to make do with increased numbers after the relocation that followed the 1986 water treaty between Lesotho and South Africa and the building of Mohale Dam.

All in all, they had become one community under one chief and shared the natural resources without many problems.
But an electricity project that has been dogged by allegations of favouritism is threatening to tear apart the community that had for three decades overcome their differences to live as one people.
Instead of unity, there is now open resentment and anger.

Last week, the hosts were shocked after the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) connected electricity supplies to homes belonging to the relocated villagers while they were sidelined.
The LHDA is the executive arm of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which tunnels water from Lesotho’s Katse and Mohale Dams to South Africa’s Gauteng province.
The LHDA has a policy to help villages affected by the water project, in particular to compensate families whose properties were taken away.

The families that moved to Ha-Mosalla were among those eligible for the LHDA compensation hence the installation of electricity free of charge to their houses last week.
Their hosts were furious.
“We are one community when they use our natural resources but when they get electricity from the LHDA we are two separate communities,” said one villager.

This has divided the Ha-Mosalla villagers into two camps — the happy electricity receivers and the disconsolate hosts.
Ha-Mosalla comprises of three villages, Sekantšing, Ha-Majoro, and Sekoting all under Chief Tšeliso Jobo.
The people of Sekantšing, Ha-Majoro and Sekoting demonstrated their discontent and disapproval of the electricity project last Thursday.
The police had to be roped in after they disrupted the launch of the electricity project by Energy Minister Tsukutlane Au and the LHDA CEO Refiloe Tlali.
“We will not stand such division that the LHDA wants to bring in our village,” shouted an angry villager.
“We will not stand it at all…” others chanted.

Prior to the commencement of the event, villagers were trickling for the event before a group of villagers suddenly stood up from their seats to join a cluster of people that was beginning to gain numbers by the road side.
They chanted songs of defiance against the minister and the LHDA CEO.
The compensation programme by LHDA is to develop areas where villages affected by the dam construction are relocated.
The development can be roads, electricity or water, which developments do not only benefit the settlers but the village in which they have resettled.

“These people have come here to pull us apart, to divide us and allow hatred to brew among us,” the villagers shouted.
“We don’t want them here!”
They did not mince their words, telling Tlali and Au and the LHDA off.
“Initially, the LHDA had promised to light up all divisions of Ha-Mosalla and now we are surprised to hear that the sod turning was for one division only,” Paseka Theko, a villager from Sekantšing said.
Theko said for years they have requested for electricity from the government, “but they have been giving us empty promises”.
“Politicians come here during elections giving us endless promises that they have not fulfilled till this very day,” he said.
“Empty promises!”

The villagers made threats but could not specify what exactly they were going to do.
“I cannot say what we will do, but I swear to you, this will never be a peaceful village because of this,” Theko said.
“The people who the project is concentrating on will just have to see how they will manage living in a village that is divided and has no peace.”
After saying this, Theko asked people from his camp to leave the event.
“Let us go. Let us leave these traitors here. The minister is further going to lie to us,” he said.
Quite a large number of villagers left the sod turning venue.

Chief Jobo said the division in his village is not giving him peace.
“I hate a divided community but there is nothing I can do because the LHDA explained clearly to me how this compensation works and I cannot stop these developments for the people that do genuinely deserve them,” Chief Jobo said.
The chief said he just as much understands the frustration in his village because for years they have been promised electricity.
“I am going to work hard to see that the promises given here today by the minister and the Member of Parliament are fulfilled for the peace of my community,” he said.

The MP for Thaba-Bosiu constituency, Thabo Sofonia, said it is sad that the development comes at a time when the people’s patience has been stretched to the limit, especially after the government failed to fulfil its promises to them.
“This has brought a great challenge to this village and it didn’t start being this bad today, we all know,” Sofonia said.
“During the consultations we requested the LHDA to at least invest the money into the electricity scheme in which all divisions of this village have already invested and then allow us to talk to the Minister of Energy and those that have a stake to come and connect electricity to all the homes in the village. But our talks were all in vain,” he said.
“I promise that I will work to the best of my ability to have the whole village lit by the end of this year,” Jobo said but the villagers shouted back: “No! It’s not true.”

Jobo reasoned with them: “We will never develop as a village if we are going to put spanners before these small developments.”
The Minister of Energy, Tsukutlane Au, promised to address the issue “as soon as possible because a divided village lives in bitterness and anger”.
“This is not what we want our people to become in this government,” Au said.
“Our mandate is to develop, empower and protect the nation,” he said.
“The water has been muddied and the dross needs to settle down before we can fix this.”

The LHDA’s Community Projects Planning Coordinator, Naleli Martins, told the villagers straight away that the development would be only for the resettled families.
“The development is mainly for the people that were affected and the precise village within which they live,” Martins said.
“They are not meant for the entire village and its subdivisions,” he said.
Martins said the LHDA has never promised the four subdivisions of the village any electricity development.
“This is not LHDA’s money, it is the beneficiaries’ money and they together tell us what developments they want in the village they have been relocated to (and we comply).”

Martins said some beneficiaries in other villages requested roads and others water.
Affected families from around Mohale Dam were relocated in 53 villages.
They formed associations wherever they relocated to so that it could be easy for the LHDA to help them as a group.
Martins said at first the resettled families were helped with “projects like piggery projects, broiler projects and so on to restore their livelihoods”.

“These projects however, did not benefit a lot of the beneficiaries because there was lack of financial literacy among them,” Martins said.
Martins said in order for the beneficiaries to get the next batch of money, they had to account for the money they received before for project management purposes.

Rose Moremoholo

News

Knives out for Molelle

Published

6 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

6 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

6 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