News

Thabane’s bid to block rally flops

Published

6 years ago

July 5, 2019

MASERU – THE ANC’s secretary general, Ace Magashule, last week snubbed a request by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to block a rally organised by Professor Nqosa Mahao’s camp in the Free State.
The rally went ahead in Virginia last Saturday.

In a letter to Magashule dated June 28, 2019, Thabane said his party’s National Executive Committee was “reliably informed that there are individuals masquerading as ABC Members and Members of the ABC NEC, who intend to hold a political rally in Virginia…under the ABC banner”.
The letter said such people were illegitimate.

“We therefore humbly request your good office to assist in informing the RSA authorities, that be, NOT to grant any permit, to hold the said political rally under the ABC banner,” the letter read.

The letter described Professor Mahao and his group as “former members of the ABC NEC”.
The ANC did not issue any statement on the matter with the Free State authorities allowing the rally to proceed.
Speaking at the rally in Virginia, Mahao said the ANC could not stop their gathering because South Africa as a country believes in democracy.

“South Africa is a constitutional state and is governed by law and nothing else,” Professor Mahao said.
He said he is going to meet South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa this week for clarifications on some issues.
He said the Lesotho government should channel its energies to things that will develop the country instead of petty politics.

Ramaphosa is expected to be in Lesotho for a one-day visit today.
Addressing thousands of Basotho migrant workers and job-seekers, many of whom are illegal migrants, Mahao criticised Thabane’s job creation policy saying the premier should up his game to solve unemployment that has hit the country.

Mahao said it is not enough for Thabane to say youths should remove invasive shrubs (Lihala-hala or wild aster) as a strategy to curtail unemployment.

He said absorbing youths in the removal of wild aster is not the best way to respond to the massive challenge of joblessness in Lesotho.

Mahao said South African mines used to employ 150 000 Basotho 20 years ago.
He said now about seven mines have been shut down in Welkom alone, throwing out thousands of workers many of whom are Basotho.

Mahao said his miniresearch shows that there are now just 21 000 Basotho miners who are still left in the South African mines.

“Did we prepare as a country for such challenges? Our different governments slept until where we are today,” he said. Mahao said because of the stark poverty in villages, most Basotho move to South Africa in search of a better life in the illegal mines under harsh conditions.

“Many of them lose lives and it is not their choice, a man has to provide for his wife and the children,” he said.
He said the blame should be on the governments that did not plan ahead.

Mahao said he was embarrassed when Thabane announced at a press conference last week that youths will be given jobs to uproot wild aster.

He said this reminds him of his school days when the late Chief Leabua Jonathan told them he would assign Basotho mine workers to plant trees should they get fired from South African mines.

He said Chief Leabua, the then Prime Minister from 1965 to 1985, delegated the late Retšelisitsoe Sekhonyana who said “we should not worry because those 150 000 men will be hired to plant trees all over the country”.
Mahao said Chief Leabua spoke as if all the men would plant the trees in all 365 days that make a year.
“And by now we would have no space to walk in Lesotho,” he said.

He said the resolution that youths should be hired to remove weeds is not different from that one made by Chief Leabua.

“I am just saying our leaders should not be condescending towards Basotho,” Mahao said.
He said as the newly elected committee when they settle in office they will recommend a policy conference where members will meet and brainstorm strategies to lift the country out of penury.

He maintained that removing wild aster is not a strategy good enough to curtail unemployment in the country.
Mahao said countries are improving their education systems while Lesotho is doing the opposite.

He cited the case of Botswana which he said is going to hire 10 000 teachers to enhance their education but Lesotho is reducing the intake of students into tertiary institutions.

He said Lesotho needs to be restructured because the manner in which it has been governed over the 50 years was not correct.

Mahao said they will also answer the problems facing youths and they will also persuade the government to have a job summit as soon as possible.

He said at the summit the government, the nation and investors will meet to discuss how Basotho can be helped to create jobs.

Professor Mahao said political instability caused by the ABC members make investors refrain from investing in Lesotho. He appealed to Thabane to sympathise with Basotho because in this ‘war’ Basotho suffer.

Nkheli Liphoto

News

Knives out for Molelle

Published

2 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

2 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

2 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