Tefo Tefo

THE Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA) yesterday filed an urgent application challenging the promotions of six police officers with the police body accusing the police authorities of breaching the law.

Police Commissioner, Holomo Molibeli on 12 January 2018 promoted six police officers with immediate effect, following the announcement of six vacant positions within the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) last December.

The six officers who were promoted are Inspector Baleme Edwin Lebajoa who is now an Assistant Commissioner, Senior Inspector Lefu Ralethoko who was elevated to the Senior Superintendent while Police Spokesperson, Inspector Mpiti Mopeli and Butha-Buthe Police Senior Inspector, Thato Ramarikhoane, are now Superintendents.

Inspectors, Mohlapiso Mohlapiso and Boipuso Monne were promoted to the rank of Senior Inspector.

However, LEPOSA alleges the said promotions were executed contrary to the laws governing the LMPS.

In its court papers, LEPOSA calls upon the respondents to explain why “the promotions announced on 12 January 2018, shall not be declared null, void and of no legal force and effect in law for violating provisions of Section 8(1) read with 8(2) of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service Act No. 7 of 1998.”

The police association also wants the High Court to nullify the said promotions for not being compliant with the provisions of police regulations as amended in 2003.

Listed as the respondents are the Commissioner of Police, Mr Molibeli, Staff Officer to Commissioner of Police, LMPS Human Resources Officer, the six promoted officers and the Attorney General.

Supporting the association’s claim, LEPOSA’s secretary general, Moraleli Motloli made an affidavit giving rise to the police body’s complaint.

“On 11 December 2017, a Memo published by the 1^st respondent (Mr Molibeli) announced six vacancies in the Lesotho Mounted Police Service.

“The vacancies were in the ranks of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Senior Superintendent, Superintendent and Senior Inspector,” he states.

He alleges the candidates were only given seven days to apply, adding the memo that invited applications contained specifications that were couched in general terms “with a view to evade the legal obligations placed upon the 1^st respondent to base promotions in the LMPS on merit as envisaged by Regulation 7(2) of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (Administration) Regulations 2003 as amended.”

He adds: “Important and verifiable considerations such as training and educational qualifications were deliberately left out in the job specification even for the senior positions such as the Assistant Commissioner of Police.”

Senior Inspector Motloli argues the merit based system requires competitive stages such as shortlisting and interviewing of candidates.

“In this particular instance, there were no competitive stages followed after the advertisement. Instead, there has been startling secrecy which clearly offends the dictates of fair competition.

“In terms of the law, there should be a Police Appointments and Promotion Board which presides over all the stages of promotion and appointment of police officers,” he charged.

He further said the board should comprise the police commissioner, a person nominated by the Minister of Police and a person nominated by the Minister of Public Service.

However, he alleges there was never such a board to deal with the promotion of the said six police officers.

“On the 12 January 2018, the 2^nd respondent (Staff Officer to Commissioner of Police), purportedly on behalf of 1^st respondent, announced the promotion of six officers to the ranks that were initially advertised.

“The anomaly with these promotions is that they were not done by the board, and they were not based on any established criteria of promotions contrary to the provisions of Regulation (7) of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (Administration) Regulations 2003 as amended,” he stated.

He further accuses the police authorities of breach of procedure explaining that three officers, Senior Inspector Ralethoko and Inspectors Mopeli and Lebajoa, skipped ranks contrary to Regulation 7(1) of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (Administration) Regulations 2003 as amended.

S/Insp Motloli says this clearly demonstrates the wanton disregard for law in the processing of such promotions.

He further says promotion of the said officers was made in the middle of the financial year – something that he argued was “indicative of the fact that the 1^st respondent has his own preferences who cannot even wait for beginning of the financial year”.

The police association secretary general also alleges the promotions were “unfair, discriminatory and violated the provisions of the Police Act of 1998 read with Lesotho Mounted Police Service (Administration) Regulations 2003 as amended.”

The court is expected to convene tomorrow (today) to deal with the interim reliefs sought by LEPOSA, which include treatment of the application as an urgent matter and the suspension of the promotions until the finalization of the application.

’Marafaele Mohloboli and Bereng Mpaki

THE government yesterday presented the National Reforms Commission Bill 2018 that is aimed at establishing a commission to spearhead national dialogue towards the implementation of multisector reforms, amid strong protests by opposition legislators who eventually walked out to protest what were they said was government arbitrariness and lack of consultation on the bill.

The bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Reforms Commission whose mandate is to facilitate a national dialogue on the constitution and other related issues with the purpose of ensuring integrated constitutional, parliamentary, judicial, security and public service reforms.

The envisaged commission, which shall be composed of six commissioners and led by a chairperson who shall be a retired judge or eminent person, will operate for an initial period of 18 months and this can be extended for another 12 months to enable it to complete its mandate.

Among other things, the functions of the commission are to “examine the consistence and compatibility of the provisions of the (national) constitution in relation to democracy, rule of law, good governance, national defence and security, parliamentary and political systems.

“It shall collect and analyse information relevant for constitutional, parliamentary, judicial service, public service and defence and security reforms from any member of the public, religious organisations, civil society organisations, youth or women’s associations or groups or any other group that the commission may consider for purposes of constitutional reforms.”

The commission will also “review and prepare a draft bill to the constitution and any legislation as well as prepare and submit a report on its findings to the Prime Minister”.

Law, Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights Minister, Lebohang Hlaele, presented the bill which was immediately opposed by opposition legislators who accused government of arbitrariness for suspending the Standing Order 51 (5) which would have enabled the bill to be scrutinised beforehand by parliamentarians.

Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) leader, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane, stood on a point of order saying the bill was against the pledge signed by the major political parties on the eve of the 3 June, 2017 snap elections in which they pledged to uphold an all-inclusive and participatory reforms process.

Advocate Rakuoane argued that if the government proceeded to present the bill, then it would be undermining the civil society organisations that were also signatory to the reforms pledge signed in April 2017. He said their input had not been considered in drafting the bill.

Thabana Morena constituency legislator, Selibe Mochoboroane, also stood on a point of order, saying the bill was being railroaded through parliament in violation of the reforms pledge which had indicated that reform process should begin with the national dialogue which would produce the road map and agenda for reforms.

“The government should have begun by the first step of the National dialogue that will pave the way for the reform process and the road map,” Mr Mochoboroane argued.

“The reforms should be for the good of our people and not for the government and they shall be informed by the National Dialogue. We can’t allow the tabling of the bill to commence as this will be starting on the wrong footing.”

Shortly afterwards, parliament was suspended as the Speaker of the National Assembly, Sephiri Motanyane, said he was not aware of the reforms pledge which was signed by the political parties.

“I was not aware of the pledge. It is the first time that I am hearing of it, but what I know for sure is that these reforms should be Basotho’s reforms. It is therefore incumbent for me to suspend this House and convene a meeting with government.”

When proceedings resumed almost 30 minutes later, Mr Motanyane ruled that there was nothing wrong with the presentation of the bill as it was procedural as all members had a chance to learn about it.

It was at then that the opposition walked out of parliament in protest leaving Hloahloeng constituency legislator, Ntlhoi Motsamai (of the Democratic Congress), who argued that government action was “unacceptable”.

“We need political accommodation and this process should be inclusive and have multi-level stakeholders which is not the case as of now,” she said.

The walk out was followed by a press conference where the opposition announced that it would boycott the reforms process as long the National Dialogue was not held.

“We are not going to be part of this process so long as it is not informed by the National Dialogue which shall be inclusive and benefit the whole nation,” DC leader and former Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, said.

“The National Dialogue shall inform a need for a commission and what the bill shall be called and all other processes. The set-up of a commission has to be the subject of agreement at the National Dialogue.”

The opposition stance was supported by civil society organisations who expressed their objections in a letter to Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane.

In its letter yesterday, the Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (LCN) stated that “civil society learns with dismay that the government is intending to table a bill aimed at creating a commission to carry out reforms and that tabling would be followed by suspension of Standing Order 51 (5) to enable the Bill to be discussed without being referred to the (parliamentary portfolio) committee.”

The LCN further proposed that if the government was indeed committed to the reforms process, it should “promptly halt the legislative process and defer the bill until such time that stakeholders’ inputs on the government roadmap would have been received and multi-stakeholder conference convened”.

Pascalinah Kabi

SOUTHERN African Development Community (SADC) Oversight Committee Chairperson, Matias Bertino Matondo, has warned Basotho on the perils of chronic instability, saying there is need to engage in a serious soul-searching exercise to establish why Lesotho is the only one, out of 15 regional countries, to continuously endure an unstable political climate in which governments do not last full terms and army commanders are killed by subordinates.

A serious comparative analysis of Lesotho against the standards of its regional peers would also help Basotho focus on the things they need to improve to rid the Kingdom of its tag as the perennial bad boy of the region.

Dr Matondo defended last month’s deployment of the SADC standby force to Lesotho which has been criticised by opposition parties and some sections of civil society, saying it was a necessary move to create a conducive environment for the implementation of SADC recommendations.

He said some people were “oblivious of what was happening” on the ground in Lesotho and there was more to the security situation in the country than meets the eye, necessitating the SADC deployment.

The SADC standby force, also known as the SADC Preventive Mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho (SAPMIL), was deployed to Lesotho on 2 December, 2017. The standby force is made of 217 soldiers, 15 intelligence personnel, 24 police officers and 13 civilian experts.

A confidential SADC report that was prepared ahead of the deployment of the SADC force and seen by this publication, stated that the latter had a mandate of assisting the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in managing the security crisis in the country in the aftermath of the 5 September, 2017 assassination of army commander, Lieutenant General Khoantle Motšomotšo, by his subordinates; Brigadier Bulane Sechele and Colonel Tefo Hashatsi.

According to SADC, one of the main objectives of the SADC deployment is to “assist in isolating renegade elements within the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF)”.

The standby force will also support Lesotho in retraining its army personnel, especially in the area of civil-military relations while working towards security sector and other institutional reforms.

Furthermore, the SADC force will “monitor the investigation of the assassination of Lt-Gen Motšomotšo, prioritise and expeditiously assist in the operationalisation of national unity and reconciliation dialogue with a clear approach, to be facilitated by SADC”.

The confidential SADC report also speaks of arms of war and ammunition missing from the armory of the LDF as well as heavy AK47 rifles that had disappeared from the Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS).

Also missing are the arms confiscated by the LDF from the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) during a coup attempt on 30 August 2014 when the army raided and seized arms from police stations around Maseru.

It is suspected that all these arms are in the possession of rogue elements of the LDF who might want to use them to launch reprisal attacks, heightening instability in the Kingdom.

And even though there is a semblance of stability since Prime Minister Thomas Thabane was returned to power in the June 3 2017 elections, Dr Matondo said the standby force was necessary to maintain stability while Lesotho embarked on crucial reforms to ensure lasting peace which was crucial to socio-economic development.

In an exclusive interview with Lesotho Times this week, Dr Matondo said people should not be deceived by the fact that people were going on with their business as usual as there could be simmering tensions below the surface which could destroy the peace.

“I have been telling our colleagues, brothers and sisters from the Kingdom of Lesotho that everything is peaceful until something happens and when things happen, they come unannounced,” Dr Matondo said.

“I have been telling them that a single bullet to somebody’s head- God forbids- can disrupt the whole (reforms) process. We should not take things at face value and be deceived by the fact that people are going on with their business as usual.”

He said the standby force was not here to fight but to protect Basotho, which is why theirs was termed a “preventative mission”.

“We are here to ensure that no one is arrested out of personal vendettas, that human rights are protected and that no one is abused. We are not here to fight with the Basotho.

“Our mission is to help strengthen peace, security and political stability, lend assistance in the implementation of the constitutional, public and security sector reforms in line with SADC decisions and recommendations.

“We envision a peaceful, stable and vibrant Kingdom of Lesotho geared towards the realisation of its full economic, social and cultural potential through sustainable economic growth and development,” Dr Matondo said.

He said it would be a “beautiful” thing for Basotho to do comparative analysis to establish why other SADC countries had not experienced the kind of upheavals Lesotho was experiencing.

“How many countries have gone through what has been taking place here? How many chief of defence forces have been killed by their junior officers?

“It has never happened in South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia or Zimbabwe but it happened here twice. We have to ask ourselves, what is wrong, why should junior officers kill their senior officers twice? These are questions all Basotho should ask themselves.

“Secondly, why do we have so many snap elections here in the Kingdom of Lesotho? Why should we have snap election after snap election in this country?”

Dr Matondo said all these issues needed to be urgently addressed to ensure that governments were given a chance to rule the country for a full term after the reform process.

“So people should not be oblivious of what is happening here because sometimes we wake up in the morning thinking everything is alright when it is not alright.

“Only when things happen do we say there is something wrong that ought to be addressed. Common crimes will happen but when things are taking place and are politically motivated, then there is something wrong,” he said, adding they were also engaging the media to spread the correct message about the SADC mission which was to engage Basotho to ensure that the SADC decisions and recommendations were fully implemented.

“We will assist our Basotho brothers and sisters with training, capacity building and addressing the root causes of instability and these root causes are embedded in the political dispensation.”

He said Lesotho was the only country in SADC where floor crossing was so active and dynamic that a politician could be part of a coalition one day and suddenly shift allegiance resulting in the collapse of the government.

“We have done a diagnosis and there are specific provisions that need to be amended and one of the key issues which should be addressed is that of floor crossing.” Dr Matondo said, adding that failure to abolish floor crossing was a recipe for anarchy where governments would continue to collapse soon after being formed.

“Why not give a government time to go through the full-term to focus on development and investment? We are not saying the motion of no confidence should be abolished because those are instruments of democracy but they are instruments that should not be abused but used as mechanisms of holding governments accountable.”

He added: “We are not trying to please SADC but to build lasting peace and stability in this country. We want to ensure that there is real peace and stability and that no one will have a reason to flee this country”.

“No one in opposition should flee. There will be no need to flee when everybody is protected by the law. This is what democracy is all about,” he said.

’Marafaele Mohloboli

FORMER deputy leader of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) and current leader of the True Reconciliation Unity (TRU), Tlali Khasu, has described as “irrational,” claims by Prime Minister and ABC leader, Thomas Thabane, that he has been holding secret meetings with some cabinet ministers and legislators from the ABC.

Dr Thabane told a Sunday party rally in Malimong #22 constituency in the Berea district that some ABC legislators and ministers were holding secret meetings with the party’s former deputy leader, Tlali Khasu.

“I have noted that there are some ministers who are busy having caucus meetings initiated by the former deputy of this party and I urge those meetings to stop forthwith because the person behind them is no longer with us,” Dr Thabane said, adding, “he (Mr Khasu) has followed his heart and his vacancy shall be appropriately filled by party cadres at a conference”.

Mr Khasu left the ABC on 17 September 2016 after being suspended for three months for allegedly castigating Dr Thabane during a radio programme.

His spirited attempts to challenge the suspension in courts of law proved futile as the High Court upheld the decision.

Mr Khasu subsequently formed the True Reconciliation Unity (TRU) in January 2017 together with another former ABC stalwart, Pitso Maisa.

The TRU nonetheless found the going tough in the June 2017 snap national elections and its poor showing later fueled speculation that Mr Khasu would retrace his footsteps back into the ABC fold and abandon the no-hope TRU.

Trusted ABC sources told the Lesotho Times late last month that the former ABC deputy leader is making overtures to Dr Thabane to facilitate a return to the ABC after he found the going tough in the rough and tumble of Lesotho politics.

The sources cited Mr Khasu’s attendance of an ABC event in Makhoakheng late last month as evidence of his efforts to restore cordial relations with his erstwhile comrades.

Mr Khasu, however, flatly denied the claims that he intends to rejoin the ABC, saying he merely attended the event to visit Dr Thabane in person.

And in an interview with the Lesotho Times on Tuesday, Mr Khasu said it would be irrational for Dr Thabane to think that he would hold secret meetings with ABC legislators.

“To be honest I haven’t met with any one of them and I don’t even know what I would be discussing with them,” Mr Khasu said.

“I have enough on my plate as it is and if at all there was anything that needed discussing over a meeting, I would meet with him (Dr Thabane) and not his people.

“These are all lies. There are some people who are busy feeding him lies about me and he has chosen to believe them.”

Three weeks ago, Mr Khasu visited Dr Thabane in Makhoakhoeng and extended a Christmas message during a party which was thrown in honour of ABC artists for their work for the party. Mr Khasu’s surprise appearance was interpreted by some as part of his move to wiggle his way back into the party.

However, Mr Khasu said the visit had nothing to do with him wanting to rejoin the ABC.  It was merely a courtesy call on Dr Thabane as the two were “neither strangers nor enemies”, he said.

…threatens cabinet reshuffle to weed out corrupt ministers

…lambasts PSs for drunkenness

’Marafaele Mohloboli

PRIME Minister Thomas Thabane says he has no option but to reshuffle his cabinet to get rid of “corrupt ministers”.

The Prime Minister has also fired a broadside at unnamed principal secretaries whom he accused of drinking heavily, questioning where they were getting the money to splurge on expensive alcohol to keep themselves constantly inebriated.

He threatened ruthless action against such PSs.

Dr Thabane said he had been observing his ministers and was badgered by the failure of some in his cabinet to uphold the principles of good governance on which he based his campaign.

Dr Thabane’s threat of a cabinet reshuffle- the second such in less than two months- was made at a rally early this week in Malimong #22 constituency in the Berea district.

Dr Thabane came to power in the aftermath of the 3 June 2017 snap elections at the head of a four party coalition which comprises of his All Basotho Convention (ABC), the Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).

He waged a successful election campaign that was premised on the pledge to tackle endemic corruption in the public and private sector in the country. After assuming power, he publicly stated that corruption would not be tolerated and vowed to bring offending ministers and other public officials to book.

And on Sunday in Malimong, Dr Thabane reiterated that corruption remained a persistent problem, saying he would not hesitate to use his powers to rid government of the bad apples.

He said he had observed over a period of time a trend wherein some of the ministers involved themselves in corrupt activities particularly in the awarding of tenders.  This did not reflect well on the government, he said.

He said he had engaged his coalition partners on the issue of graft and there was a consensus that it should not be tolerated.

“I have been watching (the corruption) in silence but I had to observe carefully lest I judge hastily,” Dr Thabane said.

“I have observed with sadness that some ministers within the ABC are beginning to take interest in these corrupt activities and I have decided to act before it gets out of hand. I have no other choice but to reshuffle.

“I loathe anyone who indulges in such activities be it the giver of the bribe or the one who is bribed because I won the elections with one of my campaign key messages being the fight against corruption.

“Appointing ministers is one of the powers vested in me and it is not always an easy thing to later reshuffle ministers. But when you are in my position it is something that you commit to do because you would have accepted to lead.”

Dr Thabane also warned ministers to cut back on foreign travels to avoid wasting money on unnecessary trips.  He would not hesitate to introduce tough measures to constrict unnecessary foreign trips.

“Airplanes are not taxi cabs, they are very costly and starting now I am going to disapprove of trips which I feel are not necessary. If at all you feel that I may disapprove of your trip even before you request, don’t even bother come to me,” Dr Thabane warned.

His call for the reduction in foreign trips echoes that of Finance Minister, Moeketsi Majoro, who made it abundantly clear in his maiden 2017/18 budget in July 2017 that Lesotho must save money for investment into productive sectors to boost economic growth and job creation.

Speaking at the time, Dr Majoro said cabinet ministers should cut back on foreign trips, drastically reduce their bloated delegations and forego first class travel.

He said he had formulated the proposed budget against the background of extremely challenging global, regional and local conditions which necessitated cost-cutting measures across the board including government expenditure as it related to ministers’ expenses.

The budget speech was delivered under the theme ‘Pursuing fiscal sustainability within the context of political instability and insecurity’.

Among other measures aimed at reducing expenditure, “ministers and equivalent ranks would no longer fly first class”.

“Ministers will no longer travel for more than seven days without the express permission of the Prime Minister based on elaborate justification,” Dr Majoro said, adding that ministers had to reduce the size of their delegations to international meetings to just the optimum numbers necessary for them to perform their duties effectively.

Dr Thabane also attacked some principal secretaries for drunkenness, saying, “I have also noted with concern and shame how some of you principal secretaries drink heavily”.

“One wonders where you get all that money that you spend so extravagantly on alcohol. I therefore urge you to stop this behaviour or else I shall have to deal with you.”

Dr Thabane also railed at some ABC legislators and ministers, accusing them of holding secret meetings with the party’s former deputy leader, Tlali Khasu.

“I have noted that there are some ministers who are busy having caucus meetings initiated by the former deputy of this party and I urge those meetings to stop forthwith because the person behind them is no longer with us. He has followed his heart and his vacancy shall be appropriately filled by party cadres at a conference.”

Mr Khasu left the ABC on 17 September 2016 after being suspended for three months for allegedly castigating Dr Thabane during a radio programme.

Mr Khasu subsequently formed the True Reconciliation Unity (TRU) in January 2017 together with another former ABC stalwart, Pitso Maisa.

Dr Thabane’s attacks on party members and threats to reshuffle the cabinet are the second such in the space of less than two months.

Last November, Dr Thabane told a party rally in Hlotse that his ABC had been infiltrated by “enemies who have come to confuse us”.

He said the enemies were spreading malicious rumours about the office of the First Lady, ’Maesaiah Thabane and its role in assisting vulnerable villagers. He also threatened at the time to reshuffle his cabinet.

He spoke at a time when social media was awash with complaints from people who claimed to be ABC supporters who accused his wife of “capturing the government”.

They complained that Dr Thabane had allowed ’Maesaiah to run the government through what they termed a “bedroom coup”.

Meanwhile, Malimong legislator, Mr Leshoboro Mohlajoa, took advantage of the Sunday rally to reassure Dr Thabane of the full support of the Berea members of parliament and voters.

The assurance put to rest earlier speculation that legislators from the district were not happy with the fact that only one of their number was appointed to a ministerial position last June despite the fact that the district had given the ABC its second biggest area electoral win with nine seats out of the 11 contested in last year’s national polls.

The ABC won the most seats in Maseru with 15 seats out of the 18 contested in the district.  The ABC garnered a total of 48 seats, while the AD won nine, BNP five and RCL one.

ABC legislator for Khafung #23 constituency in Berea constituency, Habofanoe Lehana, was subsequently appointed  Local Government and Chieftainship Affairs minister- a development which reportedly riled the legislators in the constituency who felt they deserved more appointments for their success and loyalty to the party.

The other Berea legislators are Fako Moshoeshoe (Mabote), Litšoane Litšoane (Bela-Bela), Likopo Mahase (Khubetsoana), Mohlajoa (Malimong), Motlatsi Maqelepo (Berea), Hlomelang Lefu (Makhoarane), Samuel Rapapa (Mosalemane) and Tšoeu Molise (Tšoana-Makhulo).

The discontent was laid bare by an audio clip that circulated on social media networks after the elections in which an unidentified woman – claiming to be a member of the ABC’s Berea election committee – claimed party supporters in the district had convened  a meeting with their legislators to voice their concerns at the lack of more ministerial appointments.

“We discussed the fact that our legislators were not appointed to  more ministerial positions and we made a decision to defect to the Democratic Congress,” the woman says in the clip.

“We need to make Ntate Tom (Thabane) see that we are not fools. It’s unfair that he did not reward our loyalty and decision to stick with the party through thick and thin.”

However, any lingering doubts about the legislators’ loyalty to the party were put to rest on Sunday when Mr Mohlajoa moved to reassure Dr Thabane.

“I would like to assure that there is no one else but you (Dr Thabane). You have the full support of this district,” Mr Mohlajoa said.

He said unemployment and poor infrastructure topped the list of challenges in the district and called on the government to build at least three factories to create 3000 jobs in the district.

Tefo Tefo 

THE community of Ntširele in Khubetsoana is grieving after one of its prominent members was brutally murdered by her live-in partner. The deceased’s her four month old grand-daughter was seriously injured after being sprayed with acid in one of the most gruesome cases of women and child abuse in Lesotho.

Lebohang Nkuebe (41) has since appeared in court over the murder of his partner, prominent businesswoman ‘Mathabang Radiile (53).

Crown Prosecutor Advocate Tsietsi Hlaele said a second attempted murder charge has since been preferred against Nkuebe.

The Radiile family had complained that only the murder charge had been raised against Nkuebe despite his gruesome torture of the infant.

It is understood that Nkuebe confessed to stabbing Ms Radiile multiple times with a knife after initially trying to deny any knowledge of what had happened on the fateful day.

Murder suspect Lebohang Nkuebe

Nkuebe was at home with his partner around mid-morning on the November day of the murder.  An argument is said to have ensued during which Nkuebe drew a knife and stabbed Ms Radiile several times killing her on the spot.

Nkuebe then proceeded to spray the four month old infant, Ms Radiile’s granddaughter, with acid causing her severe life threatening injuries.  The infant’s mother was at work at the time of the incident.

So seriously wounded was the infant that she faces an uncertain future. She has undergone surgery and is due for another operation to try and save her life.  Staff at Queen Mamohato have tried all they can to assist the infant and the Radiile family is grateful for their efforts.

It is understood that after killing Ms Radiile, Nkuebe had stuffed a cloth into the infant’s mouth so that her cries could not be heard by neighbours and then dumped the infant on the floor in another room to create time for him to devise a scheme to cover up his murder of the toddler’s grandmother.

Nkuebe then left the house to run his errands leaving Ms Radiile’s lifeless body in a pool of blood in another room while the tortured infant lay for hours helpless with no one in the house. The infant’s mother was at work. Apparently, Nkuebe, who worked in Ms Radiile transportation business, is understood to have gone to collect children from school and delivered them to their homes while the infant suffered on her own with her grandmother already murdered.

Ms Radiile was contracted by various parents to collect their children from schools and deliver them to their homes. Nkuebe assisted her partner in the business and regularly went to pick the children during late afternoons.

Nkuebe initially tried to claim that the murder had happened while he was away collecting the children and tried to paint it as a robbery attack. Family members said his story did not add up because nothing was stolen from the house.

Nkuebe subsequently volunteered information to the police about how he murdered his lover and even showed them the weapon he used and the clothes he was wearing which he had tried to wash and hide.

Various community members around Ntširele said they had been dumbfounded by the case and expressed concern at  the ever escalating crime levels.

“How can any right thinking person do such a thing to a mere four month old baby…..This man (Nkuebe) is not human. He is a beast…He deserves to be buried alive,” said Mohapi Lerotholi.

Other community members expressed disgust that a man, who had confessed to such a heinous crime, could be shortly afterwards be seen on the streets and in pubs as well as social media after being granted bail.

“We have become a depraved and soulless society,” said,  Ntsekele Ntsekelo, another  Ntširele community member.

The police handling the matter could only say that investigations into the matter are nearing completion and promised to have the matter proceed to trial.

“We are only waiting for a post-mortem report from TY (Teya-Teyaneng) where we perform all post-mortems for both Maseru and Berea districts,” said Sergeant Kubutu Kubutu from Mabote Police Station.

“We are also waiting for a medical report for the minor child who was injured and these documents will mark the completion of our investigations,” he said.

Asked why the police had not opposed Nkuebe’s bail application after he was charged with such heinous acts,  Kubutu said: “We did not oppose it (bail) because we did not have valid grounds to oppose it.”

This is despite that when Nkuebe first appeared in court on 20 November 2017, the second charge had not been put on the charge sheet because the police said they wanted a medical report.

The Radiile family remains unsure if the second charge has been preferred against Nkuebe. All they know is that a couple of weeks after the gruesome incidents, Nkuebe was back on the streets – moving ahead with his life- and actively participating on social media, appearing more worried about  retrieving the clothes he left in the house he used to share with Ms Radiile.

Efforts by the family to establish the terms on which Nkuebe was granted bail have hit a brick wall.

Advocate Hlaele said he only dealt with the case at Nkuebe’s first court appearance on 20 November 2017 and the bail issue was then dealt with at the High Court.

No one ever alerted the family about the bail proceedings at the High Court despite their keenness to follow all proceedings involving the loss of their beloved mother.

Sergeant Kubutu said he did not know any of the bail conditions despite being the investigating officer.

He however, said the police have learned that the injured infant was still attending medical check-up sessions as her health was not yet stable.

“We have learned that she is expected to undergo some operation scheduled for 2 February this year,” he added.

He said the case was still fresh yet the police were already in an advanced stage of their investigations to get the matter ready for prosecution.

Nkuebe is still attending regular remands before the Magistrate’s Court, he said.

See Comment here: A sickening justice system

THERE is something deeply sickening about the administration of the criminal justice system in Lesotho.  Just consider this scenario as reported elsewhere in this newspaper Murder Most Foul!

One Lebohang Nkuebe brutally murders his live-in partner, ‘Mathabang Radiile, by knifing her around her neck and body.  He then subjects Ms Radiile’s four month old infant granddaughter to the most inhuman torture by spraying a toxic acid all over her body.  He stuffs a cloth inside the infant’s mouth to disable her from crying and from being heard. He then abandons the hapless infant and lives the house to go and run his errands to try and cover up his actions by claiming that he was not at home when the murder happens.  Nkuebe knows fully well there is no one else to be at home soon after he has already killed the infant’s grandmother. The infant’s mother is at work and will only return much later in the afternoon. Nkuebe abandons the infant only to return much later to shout for help as if the incident happened while he was away. He calls the infant’s mother and tells her to rush home from work as an “intruder” has killed her mother (Ms Radiile) and harmed her daughter.

The infant’s mother, Mpo, and other neighbours rush home to witness the despicable incident and to rescue the suffocated baby.  As Nkuebe tries to narrate what happened, irate neighbours and relatives nearby take his account with a drum of salt. It simply makes no sense. Some angry neighbours subsequently try to attack him in retaliation and he flees. Nkuebe is subsequently called to the police where he confesses to his crime and narrates how he did it.  What he confesses to is consistent with the crime scene.  At his first remand hearing, Nkuebe refrains from asking for bail because he fears for his safety if released. He has a change of heart and then asks for bail at the next remand. It is duly granted with no qualms from the police.  Nkuebe then moves on with his life and spends a jolly Christmas at his other home. The traumatized family, which has lost a mother and might as well lose a child, immediately learns from friends, who have seen the killer moving around in town,  that he is indeed back on the streets, just a couple of weeks after committing his dastardly acts.  While the Radiile family mourns, the killer spends his time on social media. They try to establish how he could have been granted bail so soon after committing such a dastardly act and before he has been charged with the second crime of burning a little infant but they are thrown from pillar to post.

Ms Radiile’s crime is to have fallen in love with this murderer. She is a successful businesswoman by the standards of her community and has successfully raised her family. She has given Nkuebe a home and a decent living. She devotes herself to him. She gives him a job. Only if she knew she was helping a devil.  She is knifed to death by the very same man he loves after refusing to give him money he wanted to go and consort with other women.  Distasteful as they are, we have decided to publish the graphic images of the charred body of the four month old infant to show the gravity of this matter.  Yet the man responsible for these heinous crimes is already gallivanting around town.  The investigating officer in the case, one Sergeant Kubutu Kubutu proudly pronounces in an interview with this newspaper that “We did not oppose it (bail) because we did not have valid grounds to oppose it.” Really Ntante Kubutu. We raise our alarm and revulsion at this startling remark, not as an indictment against Sergent Kubutu as a person, but the whole rotten system he represents.  Should there be any wonder why criminal cases of violence against women and children are ever escalating?  Should there be any wonder why the country has seen an upsurge of murder cases in recent years. Surely when those responsible for enforcing criminal laws adopt such a cavalier attitude towards those who commit such serious offences, then the entire criminal justice edifice in Lesotho has not only crumbled, but it has  become a virtual circus.

To illustrate this point, despite the fact that this baby was severely burnt on 14 November 2017, there is nothing on her condition in the file at Mabote Police Station. No one has bothered to go and record statements of the witnesses at the scene as soon as Nkuebe had called them. No one has bother to record statement of doctors that have examined and operated on the baby. No one has sought to establish the exact extent of the injuries of the baby for evidential purposes in court.  All is left to the same traumatised family to ensure the compilation of medical reports of their infant and hand them over to the police at their offices. If this is not disgustingly shameful, we wonder what else is.  In civilised jurisdictions, police officers and prosecutors don’t stampede to achieve bail for gruesome murderers. They seek justice by ensuring that offenders don’t get the easy greenlight to be back on the streets after committing serious offences. In South Africa for instance, murder is classified as a schedule 5 offence, alongside other offences like attempted murder, rape and the assault of a child under the age of 16 while premeditated murder is a schedule 6 offence.  Both schedules 5 & 6 make it difficult for the persons charged under them to get bail.  In both schedules bail is not granted without a judicial inquiry to establish whether it’s in the best interests of justice that bail be granted. The accused person would have to lead evidence and bring witnesses to prove that they are a good candidate for bail. Similarly the leads evidence to oppose bail. In these offences a judge determines whether or not to grant bail after this serious inquiry during which evidence is led. In terms of the Schedule 6 offence of pre-meditated murder, it is even more onerous to get bail as an accused must prove exceptional circumstances.  No so much in Lesotho where serious offences are treated with such cavalier attitudes that it all makes a mockery of justice.  There are definite reasons why committers of serious offences should not get bail so easily. Some murderers have been released on bail only to commit more murders to eliminate evidence, further traumatizing the victim families.  An effective criminal justice system must of necessity warn criminals that if they are caught and there is credible evidence against then, it won’t be easy for them to get bail. In addition to getting convicted and punished.

But Lesotho is something else. You can go and kill today, and the next few days you are out on the streets moving on with your life because the seriousness of the offence of murder is not a factor, judging by the way Nkuebe has been treated and by Sergent Kubutu’s remarks.   In other words, the system incentivises murderers.  With such a cavalier system is it any wonder that the man charged with killing Mokalekale Khetheng, Sergeant Kubutu’s very own colleague, is now living lavishly in South after deciding he would no longer pitch up for court after winning easy bail.  Is it any wonder that Habofane Ntsie decided to walk away half way through his judgment to live a life of bliss in South Africa after killing two people, just to mention but a few examples?

Is there any reason to wonder why some families who are victims of murder end up taking the route of appointing private investigators to help them establish the facts of the murders of their loved ones? Elsewhere in this edition, we carry a report of the murder of LEC audit head Thibello Nteso. The Nteso family hired a private investigator and a private pathologist as they became wary of the credibility of the police investigations and the findings of the government pathologist. The family has spoken publicly about their frustration at the slow pace of police investigations into the murder of their son.  As usual to justify their incompetence, the police always resort to their most familiar refrain that they are waiting for this or that other report.  In our edition of 11-17 January 2018, we carried a report on the frustrations of the family of Reitumetse Nthunya, who was vicious killed at the tender age of five just before she could graduate from kindergarten. The suspected killer Ntahli Chuene, a tenant of the bereaved family, handed herself to the police the same day she killed Reitumetse and even offered to show the police where she had stashed her body.  Three years later  Reitumetse’s family is still crying for justice and the murderer Chuene is living her life.

“The justice system has let us down because we lost a child more than two years ago and we are still waiting for the woman who took our child’s life to be tried…We need to understand why she did it,” said Reitumetse’s mother, Ms Mareitumetse Nthunya. To add salt to severe injury, this is not the only murder Chuene had committed as she had already killed another child Mpho Chuene to whom she is related.

With such cavalier attitudes by those tasked with administering the criminal justice system, why should murderers fear to ply their trade?  Should these law enforcement officers be surprised if communities resort to taking the law into their own hands and begin meting out mob justice to the killers who are given a free reign by an inept criminal  justice system. The time has now come for Basotho to stand up and say enough is enough and demand action.  Surely, the story of the many families reeling while the killers of their children are given a free reign should make us unite in demanding justice.

There is a flicker of hope however. We have a new police commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, a man of high integrity who is determined to bring criminals to book. For his mission to succeed however, he needs the support of competent investigators.  Any successful criminal prosecutions must of necessity begin with competent, exhaustive and speedy investigations by police. Compol Molibeli would have to wean the LMPS of incompetents and ensure an effective and efficient police service.  For that he shall need massive support from all and sundry. This means that families aggrieved by incompetent police investigations must come forward and publicly state their cases. But above all Lesotho’s entire archaic criminal justice system needs a complete overhaul to bring it in sync with modern realities.

When a man confesses to a serious crime, he loses his presumption of innocence till proven guilty. Why should he get easy bail? Why should his case drag ad infinitum. When a person commits a serious crime, why should their behaviour be incentivised by getting easy bail?  It’s completely dumbfounding for any police officer to declare that there are no valid grounds of opposing bail for a suspect who has been charged with murder and burning an infant with acid. In fact, it is not only dumbfounding, it’s nauseating and sickening.

Justice Minister Mahali Phamotse and Law, Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights Minister Lebohang Hlaele must make reforms of the constitutional justice system a top priority.   A paradigm shift is required in our criminal justice system.  Equally needed is a thorough change of mind-set of our police officers and prosecutors who are key to an efficient criminal justice administration system.

Most of the recent arrests of various criminals have centred on high profile suspects. But out there, ordinary Basotho are reeling as reflected in the case of Ms Radiile and her grand-daughter.  As reported on page 4, another young family of Mr Nkesi is reeling after he was shot in cold blood. Many other such families are suffering out there while the killers are given a soft landing by a depraved criminal justice system. Enough is enough. This will no longer be tolerated. We will vigorously expose and fight any attempts to incubate and breed criminals. This country needs responsible citizens to prosper not murderers aided and abetted by a debauched criminal justice system. The Nkuebes of this world must be hanged. Society is better off without them.

’Marafaele Mohloboli

THE Socialist Revolution Party (SRP) also known by its Sesotho name, Kanana ea Basotho, will tomorrow receive its certificate of registration from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The development which comes three months after the party was formed by prominent business man and former All Basotho Convention (ABC) member, Teboho Mojapela, was confirmed by IEC Operations Officer, Kotsoane Motsie in an interview with the Lesotho Times yesterday.

Mr Motsie said the party submitted all the necessary documents hence the issuing of the registration certificate.

“The SRP has been registered as a political party after it satisfied all the requirements of the IEC, making it one of the 32 parties registered with the Commission,” Mr Motsie said.

Mr Mojapela formed the SRP in October 2017 after falling out with the ruling ABC which is led by Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane.

The reasons for the fall-out have never been publicly disclosed.

He was not available for comment yesterday but he has previously told this publication that he would bide his time and capitalise on the shortcomings of the ABC and other parties to build a strong following that will enable him to make his mark on Lesotho’s cut-throat political landscape.

He also accused established politicians of using politics to enrich themselves at the expense of the electorates.

“Politicians solicit for the electorate’s votes and use them as ladders to achieve their objectives. Afterwards they drop the voters when they are no longer useful to them,” Mr Mojapela said.

Although the name of his party suggests socialist values which emphasises the centrality of the rights and welfare of workers at the expense of capitalist employers, Mr Mojapela made his name in the money-lending business in Lesotho and South Africa.

He is believed to have been a benefactor of several political parties whose election campaigns he reportedly funded over the years.

Limpho Sello

THE Ministry of Health has come up with aggressive strategies to address the scourge of tuberculosis including outreach programmes to screen the population and introduce direct observed treatment (DOT) for those found to be infected with the deadly disease.

National TB and Leprosy Programme Manager, Llang Maama, this week told the Lesotho Times that at 724 tuberculosis cases per 100 000 people, Lesotho has the second highest tuberculosis incidence rates in the world after South Africa.

Dr Maama said that the fact that many Basotho lived and worked in South Africa and that Lesotho was completely surrounded by South Africa put Basotho at even greater risk of contracting tuberculosis.

She said that tuberculosis incidences were also very high due to the HIV co-infection. Lesotho has the second highest HIV infections in the world after Swaziland.

It was against this background that Dr Maama said Lesotho would vigorously pursue strategies to drastically reduce infections and ensure Lesotho moves out of the 30 high burden tuberculosis countries in Africa.

She said they were working flat out to ensure they reduced the incidence of tuberculosis to 10 from 724 per 100 000 people by 2030.

“As a country we have embarked on intensified case finding where we have stepped out of our comfort zone to reach out to patients by ensuring that people are screened for tuberculosis when they go for consultation or check-up at health centres,” Dr Maama said.

“We are also using our outreach programmes to educate communities and ensure they fully understand about tuberculosis and related diseases so that they can play their part in the fight against the disease.

“We also have to work on the best prevention models and engage the media to disseminate messages about tuberculosis.

“We have to reduce the tuberculosis incidence to at most 10 per 100 000 people because we are currently at 724 per 100 000 people which is just too high.”

Dr Maama also revealed that they would employ the DOTS strategy to ensure that patients took their medication and completed the course of treatment.

The DOT strategy entails the use of a trained health worker to provide the prescribed tuberculosis drugs to a patient. The health worker has to observe the patient swallow every dose to ensure they do not default as this can contribute to the latter developing a drug-resistant strain of the disease which can be fatal.

Dr Maama said that in addition to key segments of the population like factory workers, prisoners and miners, they were also targeting children and the elderly for screening.

Despite the high incidence, Lesotho has registered some gains in its war against tuberculosis with World Health Organisation (WHO) revealing in its Global TB Report 2017 that the country has achieved a 7 percent decline in TB cases since 2010.

This was the second highest reduction after that of Zimbabwe which registered an 11 percent in the same period.

Other high tuberculosis burden countries that registered a decline are Kenya (6.9 percent), Ethiopia (6.9 percent), the United Republic of Tanzania (6.7 percent), Namibia (6 percent), Zambia (4.8 percent) and the Russian Federation (4.5 percent).

Tsitsi Matope

THE Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) has begun distributing condoms in male prisons throughout the country as part of efforts to stem the tide of HIV infections that are said to be on the increase in the correctional facilities.

LCS health officials told the Lesotho Times that 31 percent of the men and 69 percent of the women in the correctional facilities were living with HIV.

They said the high figures highlighted the need for effective and innovative HIV-management programmes, including the strengthening of preventive and treatment strategies.

Superintendent Limpho Lebitsa who is based at the Maseru Central correctional facility, said that even though prisoners were not allowed conjugal rights, they had come up with unconventional decision to distribute 300 condoms on a weekly basis because “a lot happens behind bars and away from the eyes of prison officers”.

He said the prevalence of sodomy could not be discounted hence the placement of condoms in the correctional facilities.

“While unnatural sexual acts are prohibited, we cannot deny or pretend these acts do not happen,” Superintendent Lebitsa said, adding, “Therefore, we make condoms available for prevention”.

The need to strengthen prevention and HIV educational programmes became more critical in the early 2000s after the LCS realised that some inmates who had tested HIV-negative on admission, became positive at a later stage, the Lesotho Times also learnt.

Health personnel ensure those who test positive for HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) receive counselling and are immediately placed on treatment including antiretroviral treatment, Superintendent Lebitsa said.

Superintendent Lebitsa further said that apart from HIV, other common STIs among male inmates at Maseru Central are genital warts and gonorrhoea.

Lesotho is one of the countries battling a high HIV prevalence rate which currently stands at 25 percent, the second-highest in the world after Swaziland.

In recent years, Lesotho has adopted various initiatives as part of efforts to achieve the United Nations’ 90-90-90 AIDS targets by 2020.

The 90-90-90 Strategy advocates for commitment by governments to ensure that by 2020, 90 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy; and 90 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

Among Lesotho’s HIV/AIDS initiatives are the Know Your Status; Prevention of Mother to Child (PMTC); and Test and Treat campaigns.

The country also undertook the Lesotho Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (LePHIA) to measure the impact of these campaigns and the study revealed huge progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS and surpassed the second of the 90-90-90 treatment targets.

LePHIA is a nationally representative study led by the government through the Ministry of Health, with funding and technical support from the US government through PEPFAR, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Colombia University.

 Lijeng Ranooe

QUEEN ‘Masenate Bereng Seeiso’s Hlokomela Banana Initiative continues to provide dignity for girls in different parts of the country through the Adopt-A-Girl SMS Campaign.

During her keynote address at a breakfast meeting held at Avani Maseru this week, Her Majesty handed over donor certificates to partners who pledged to adopt secondary schools to assist girls with sanitary towels, under a Hlokomela Banana Project, an initiative of the Queen’s National Trust Fund.

“I am humbled by the way Basotho noted my appeal for support through the adoption of schools, to help provide our girls with the dignity they deserve,” Her Majesty said.

Of the 310 schools in Lesotho, a total 91 schools comprising 15 288 girls have been supported under the Hlokomela Banana Project since it started.

The Adopt -A -Girl SMS campaign is expected to enhance the mobilisation of more support to cover girls in all schools across the country by 2020.

However, Her Majesty explained that when the initiative started, she felt strongly that it was unacceptable to have girls who missed their classes or dropped-out of school due to lack of sanitary towels.

“I then started to provide what I called, Dignity Kits, to help reduce the rate of dropout-rate at local high schools,” Queen ‘Masenate said.

She said following the initiative and calls for more partners to come on board, the number of girls adopted continues to grow.

“Through your generosity, we will be able to add eight more schools. My vision is that, by the year 2020, we will have the capacity and means to support all our girls, particularly those in the rural areas, and hopefully, continue supporting all girls across the country.”

Her Majesty said sustainability of support was possible with strong partnership that understands the importance to keep our girls in school at all times.

“I therefore encourage various actors, including the private sector and the civil society to come on board and work with us by adopting schools. I would also like to appreciate the support by partners already working with us and say, please keep up the good work you are doing.”

Her Majesty expressed her special gratitude to Lil-lets, explaining their incredible support have so far kept many girls in school.

“We would not be where we are today if it were not for the great support we have continued to receive from Lil-lets. I am equally humbled by the special support we have continued to receive from all our local partners,” Her Majesty said.

Other partners include Premier Foods Lesotho; Blue Ribbon; individual well-wishers; Metropolitan Lesotho; Econet Lesotho; First National Bank Lesotho (FNBL); Nedbank Lesotho; and Sekhametsi Investment, which donated M150 500 to the Queen’s National Trust Fund.

Also speaking at the event, the ‎Premier Foods Lesotho’s Senior Managing Director, Mpeake Sekhibane explained that the Hlokomela Banana Campaign started at the St James High School in Mokhotlong district.

“We started providing the Dignity Kits to 614 girls before we started mobilising more support from companies, encouraging them to each adopt a school. It paid off and received an overwhelming response,” Mr Sekhibane said.

He explained with currently 78 000 girls in the secondary schools of Lesotho, Her Majesty’s 2020 Goal can be achieved if 78,000 people could each adopt one girl.

Tefo Tefo

RESIDENT Magistrate, Polo Banyane, yesterday ordered the prosecution to prepare its argument on whether or not the army officers facing three counts of murder as well as the attempted murder charge arising from the shooting of Lesotho Times Editor, Lloyd Mutungamiri, should be released from detention.

Ms Banyane made a ruling after one of the lawyers representing the army officers, Advocate Letuka Molati, urged the court to release them from detention on the grounds that the trial date against such officers has not yet been set.

Advocate Molati was pressing for the release of the army officers on the basis of the Speedy Trial Act, which stipulates that an accused person should not be detained for more than 60 days without a trial date being set.

The murder-accused army officers are Sergeant Lekhooa Moepi (43); Captain Mahlehle Moeletsi (50); Lance Corporal Mahlomola Makhoali (32); Private Nthatakane Motanyane (24); Brigadier Rapele Mphaki (47); Motšoane Machai (39); Liphapang Sefako (48); and Nemase Faso (28).

The eight members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) allegedly strangled Lekhoele Noko, Molise Pakela and Khothatso Makibinyane at Setibing in the rural Maseru on 16 May 2017, and dumped their bodies in the Mohale Dam.

In a separate charge, four army officers are facing an attempted murder charge for shooting Mr Mutungamiri in July 2016.

They are Brigadier Rapele Mphaki; Khutlang Mochesane (57) from Ha-Makhoathi; Mahanyane Phasumane (37) from Masowe; Nyatso Tšoeunyane (41) from Lesobeng, Ha-Khupiso in Thaba-Tseka; and Maribe Nathane from Leribe. They first appeared before the Magistrates’ Court early last month.

According to the charge sheet, the said army officers shot Mr Mutungamiri at his home in Upper Thamae in the late hours of the 9 July 2016 after knocking off from work.

The army officers facing murder charges and the ones facing an attempted murder charge were all remanded in custody after being told to apply for bail before the High Court because the Magistrate’s Court did not have powers to hear bail application on the attempted murder charge.

They have since been attending regular remand proceedings at the Magistrates’ Court from Maseru Maximum Security Prison.

But, in a new turn of events, the accused want to be released from detention as they argue the prosecution seems not ready to proceed with the trial of the cases against them.

Advocate Molati argued there was no valid reason why the said army officers were still being detained because there had not been any suggestion that they could pose any security threat if released from prison.

“Only the commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), Commissioner of Police or the Director General of the National Security Services (NSS) could give evidence that a person is a security threat.

“But none of them has adduced such evidence, so far,” Advocate Molati argued.

But the District Public Prosecutor, Qcinumuzi Tshabalala, told the court that he was unable to brief the court on the progress the investigations of the two cases because he was on leave for the past few weeks.

Therefore, he pleaded with the court to grant him some time to prepare his argument to oppose the release of the said soldiers under the said law.

Ms Banyane remanded the said army officers in custody and told them to appear again on 7 February on remand.

She ordered the prosecution to be ready by then to address the court on whether the said soldiers should be released from detention or not.

’Marafaele Mohloboli 

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER and leader of the Alliance of Democrats (AD) Monyane Moleleki says the party’s secretary general, Mokhele Moletsane and Youth League president, Thuso Litjobo, must both be incorporated into the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

Mr Moleleki’s remarks were made in the wake of the infighting that has split the party into two factions backing Mr Moletsane on one side and Mr Litjobo on the other as the party gears up for an elective conference scheduled for 4 March, 2018.

The duo were expected to fight it out for the post of deputy leader which fell vacant after the death of Kabelo Mafura who was also minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation last month.

However, Mr Litjobo announced that he and Mr Moletsane had withdrawn from the race after being advised to do so by the party leader, Mr Moleleki.

Mr Moleleki felt that the duo’s candidatures would foment divisions and destabilise the party.

However, Mr Moleleki spoke of the need to accommodate them in the NEC while addressing party faithful at a thanksgiving ceremony in Matlakeng constituency on Saturday.

The ceremony was held to thank the supporters for the party’s showing in the 3 June, 2017 snap elections where it won one constituency and a further eight proportional representation seats.

The AD subsequently cobbled its seats together with those of the Reformed Congress of Lesotho, All Basotho Convention and the Basotho National Party to form a coalition government.

Speaking at Matlakeng, Mr Moleleki, said the two were now politically mature and it was time they became part of the NEC.

“I love the secretary general (Moletsane) and the president of the youth league (Litjobo) equally,” Mr Moleleki said, adding, the two were “bullets the AD could use to destroy the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the Democratic Congress (DC)”.

“They are both my sons that I groomed over the past 11 years and when I look at them now, I am convinced that they are ready to be part of the NEC.

“I therefore plead with you (party faithful) to deliberate on the positions which you will elect them to.  I plead with you that Litjobo and Moletsane must be elected into the NEC. But I will not dictate the positions as I have realised that there are two positions which may cause divisions in the party.”

Mr Moleleki said if elected into the NEC, Mr Litjobo and Mr Moletsane would work to destroy the LCD and DC which he described as the “jackals’ parties.”

Mr Moleleki also said that each party branch within a constituency would have a single representative for a maximum of 500 members at the elective conference.

Those branches that had more than 500 members were entitled to two representatives.

Tefo Tefo

FOUR police officers who stand accused of murdering Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) head of the internal audit department, Thibello Nteso, have been remanded to 5 February, 2018 by the Maseru Magistrates’ Court.

The quartet first appeared in court on 12 January 2018 to face charges of murdering Mr Nteso near the residence of former police commissioner, Molahlehi Letsoepa, on 6 February 2017.

The four are police constables, Moeketsi Dlamini (38) from Ha Mofoka and Monaheng ’Musi (30) from Ha Motsepa in Thaba-Tseka, Inspector Thaele Ramajoe (45) from Koabata in Berea and Superintendent Tlala Phatela (52) from Ha Phatela in Qacha’s Nek.

They also face an additional charge of malicious damage to property for allegedly damaging the deceased’s vehicle.

Magistrate, Monyake Hlabanyane, on Monday remanded them in custody to 5 of February, 2018 after submissions by Maseru District Public Prosecutor, Qcinumuzi Tshabalala, who told the court that police investigations into the matter were ongoing.

It is the state case that Dlamini and ’Musi were on guard duty at the home of the then Police Commissioner, Letsoepa, in Maseru West on 6 February, 2017 when they allegedly shot and killed the 44-year-old Mr Nteso.

He was shot once in the hip area and the same bullet also penetrated the other leg.

The constables claimed they had suspected a plot to attack the former police commissioner after they noticed a firearm-holder in the late Mr Nteso’s car which was parked near Mr Letsoepa’s residence.

They fired shots at Mr Nteso’s vehicle at about 9pm that night to stop him as he was driving away from the residence of the LEC corporate secretary who lives near the former police commissioner.

It is alleged that Mr Nteso was at the corporate secretary’s residence to work on a forensic audit report.   A fortnight ago, the deceased’s younger brother, Tankiso Nteso, told the Lesotho Times that his brother had confided in him that he had been handling a big case of embezzlement of funds from LEC coffers involving more than M170 million.

It is understood his forensic audit had contributed to the suspension of the Managing Director and the Chief Finance Officer.

The other two suspects in the murder case, Inspector Ramajoe and Superintendent Phatela, allegedly ordered the cover-up of the murder by tampering with the crime scene.

The officers were arrested a few days after the family of the late Mr Nteso told this publication of their disappointment at the slow pace of the police investigations into his murder.

The police later explained that the delays were caused by the unavailability of Mr Nteso’s post mortem report which was only handed over to them two weeks ago to facilitate the arrest of the suspects.

Last year, the Nteso family hired a private investigator and a private pathologist as they were wary of the credibility of the police investigations and the findings of the government pathologist.

The deceased’s younger brother said the findings by the private investigator showed that Mr Nteso’s murder was linked to his work which would have exposed the embezzlement of  more than M170 million from LEC.

’Marafaele Mohloboli

PRIME Minister, Thomas Thabane, has defended the deployment of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force to Lesotho, saying its presence was necessary to stabilise the security situation in the country.

Dr Thabane also warned the opposition against fomenting chaos in the country and advised them to rather join the government in its peace-building efforts to ensure lasting stability and sustainable development.

Dr Thabane, who is also the leader of the main ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, said this during a party rally early this week in the Maletsunyane #47 constituency in Semonkong.

His remarks come in the wake of last Wednesday’s press conference by the opposition where former Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, demanded the withdrawal of the SADC Force as a pre-condition for the opposition’s participation in the process aimed at coming up with multi-sector reforms that will create lasting peace and stability in Lesotho.

Dr Mosisili, who is also Democratic Congress (DC) leader, said that the presence of the SADC force not only created a hostile environment which was inimical to the reforms process but also to attracting foreign investors to Lesotho.

The press conference followed the opposition’s walk out of parliament in opposition to the introduction of the National Reforms Commission Bill of 2018.

The bill is aimed at establishing a commission to spearhead national dialogue towards the implementation of multi-sector reforms in line with SADC recommendations.

Law, Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights Minister, Lebohang Hlaele, presented the bill which was immediately opposed by opposition legislators who accused government of arbitrariness for suspending the Standing Order 51 (5) which would have enabled the bill to be scrutinised beforehand by parliamentarians.

The opposition walked out of parliament after they unsuccessfully tried to block the introduction of the bill.

They argued that a national dialogue should have preceded the crafting of the bill to enable it to incorporate the views of all stakeholders.

Dr Mosisili subsequently said they would not cooperate on the reforms process as long as SADC troops remained in Lesotho.

His sentiments were echoed by DC spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, who told this publication that the opposition had made a collective decision not to attend any of the parliamentary session until the withdrawal of the SADC forces.

“As we have always said, the SADC troops have no business here in Lesotho and they should go as part of our pre-conditions to participate in the reforms process.

“We also want people who have been detained due to political influences to be released from prison and they include the former commander of the LDF, Tlali Kamoli,” Mr Qoo said.

“We want the reforms as badly as they want them, but they should get their act together. We have not even started frustrating the process as yet. More is still to come if they don’t rectify their wrongs,” he added.

However, Dr Thabane defended the presence of SADC Force at the Sunday rally in Semonkong.

“SADC sent its forces in the fields of politics and security and they are not here for fun,” Dr Thabane said, adding, “Their mission is to establish exactly why Lesotho is always in the public eye on issues that cause violence.

“Let this be the last time we shall have to seek the intervention of other countries simply because we cannot deal with our own issues.”

The SADC forces have been in the country since 2 December, 2017.

The deployment of the standby force – made of 217 soldiers, 15 intelligence personnel, 24 police officers and 13 civilian experts- was endorsed by SADC leaders to assist the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in managing the security crisis in the country in the aftermath of the 5 September, 2017 assassination of army commander, Lieutenant General Khoantle Motšomotšo by his subordinates, Brigadier Bulane Sechele and Colonel Tefo Hashatsi.

According to SADC, one of the main objectives of the SADC deployment is to “assist in isolating renegade elements within the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF)”.

The standby force will also support Lesotho in retraining its army personnel, especially in the area of civil-military relations while working towards security sector and other institutional reforms.

Furthermore, the SADC force will “monitor the investigation of the assassination of Lt-Gen Motšomotšo, prioritise and expeditiously assist in the operationalisation of national unity and reconciliation dialogue with a clear approach, to be facilitated by SADC”.

Dr Thabane also railed at the opposition for seeking to destabilise the country.

“When we were in Parliament a few days ago there were a lot of issues at play and it was evident that there are some people who want to throw this country into anarchy.

“I would, therefore, like to openly urge those people to stop holding night meetings plotting the government’s downfall because that will not do them any good. They have tried before but failed,” Dr Thabane said.

He said they should rather focus their energies on assisting the government to ensure lasting peace which was crucial for socio-economic development.

“I urge them to support this government so that we can all work for peace.

“I went into exile once and I shall not do that again. I know that they thought I was running away from them but I was only running away from (former army commander Tlali) Kamoli’s gun and look where he is now.”

Dr Thabane fled the country in 2015 after allegedly uncovering a plot by Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) members to kill him. He was subsequently joined in exile by current coalition partners, Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Thesele ‘Maseribane and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) leader, Keketso Rantšo.

DR Thabane also accused Lieutenant General Kamoli of plotting to overthrow his first administration in 2014.

Lt-Gen Kamoli who was forced into retirement at the recommendation of SADC on 1 December, 2016, is currently languishing in remand prison awaiting trial for murder and attempted murder.

The murder charge is for the fatal shooting of police Sub-Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko during the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against the first government of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.

Several soldiers, under Lt-Gen Kamoli’s command, stormed various police stations and seized arms they claimed were to be used against civilians at a Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) rally that same weekend.

However, Dr Thabane’s government charged that Lt-Gen Kamoli launched his coup attempt in reaction to his dismissal by the Prime Minister a day earlier.

The 14 attempted murder charges stem from the 27 January 2014 simultaneous bombings of the Moshoeshoe II homes of First Lady Maesaiah Thabane and the Ha Abia residence of former Police Commissioner, Khothatso Tšooana.

The opposition has since criticised Dr Thabane’s Sunday address, saying his government was abrogating its responsibilities to SADC.

LCD spokesperson, Teboho Sekata, said it was surprising to hear a “whole prime minister saying that SADC forces will be dealing with politics”.

“The government is simply shifting the blame for anything that goes wrong on to the opposition. Why is it so difficult for them to hold a national dialogue and bring back the exiled (opposition) leaders so that the reforms are inclusive?

“They are just making things difficult for themselves.”

DC spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, said “it is true that we are holding meetings as the Prime Minister said and that is expected of us as the opposition”.

“We have only asked that the reforms be inclusive, the soldiers arrested on political issues be released and the exiled leaders be brought back.

“It is not just us who are holding these meetings. We are holding them in concert with other parliamentarians who are part of the government and are not happy with the administration. We shall not cease to hold such meetings,” Mr Qoo said.

Pascalinah Kabi

“They have shot you badly…pray hard and ask God to spare your life.”

These are the last words Thato Matamane uttered into her husband’s ear, a few seconds before Mr Sebolai Nkesi took his last breath.

As she narrates the ordeal of the recent brutal killing of her husband, Ms Matamane is visibly distressed and traumatised.  She cannot come to terms with her tragic loss.

“It was around 9:40 pm on December 20 (2017) when I called my husband on his mobile phone, asking him where he was because it was getting late. He told me he was at Ha Motšoeneng, driving back home,” Ms Matamane said.

Mr Nkesi arrived at their Ha Tsautse home shortly afterwards. In about five minutes to be precise.   She heard Mr Sebolai moving his car into his usual parking space.

She also heard the driver’s door closing and waited to welcome him in the house. But her excitement to hear more about the business deal her husband had just sealed and which they had discussed earlier in the day turned into an endless horror nightmare.

“I heard gunshots. I called my husband by name and when he didn’t respond, I opened the door. As I was trying to step out, they shot at the door. I quickly closed it and escaped by a whisker. I ran back into the house,” she said.

She phoned her neighbours asking for help but none of them stepped out for fear of being shot as well. As she sat down, shaken, she remembered that she had not locked the door and quickly went to lock it.

She gathered the strength to open the curtain and see what was happening outside.  Her eyes met with a horrifying scene.  Her husband’s virtually lifeless body lay between the main entrance door and the car he had just parked.

There were eight wounds on the body and two on his head.

“When I saw his body there, I didn’t care whether they were going to shoot me or not, I opened the door and rushed outside straight to him. He still had his pulse but he had lost so much blood, and I cried; they have shot you. …..pray hard and ask God to spare your life –  He responded by nodding slightly. I ran around knocking at my neighbours’ doors to try and get help to get him to hospital,” said Ms Matamane.

The neighbours subsequently opened their doors and attended to Mr Nkesi but it was already too late. Upon inspection, the older neighbours indirectly informed Ms Matamane that her husband was dead.

“They said to me we were no longer going to hospital but needed to wait for the police to come and take his body. It was a nightmare that I haven’t awoken from. I stood there, feeling numb and within no time the police arrived.

“They informed me that the case was beyond them and called for the CID – Criminal Investigations Department – whose officials came after two hours to take statements and collected the body,” Ms Matamane narrated as she pulled down her doek, trying to block out the persistent pain around her upper body.

She added: “I can’t accept that he is dead nor forget what I saw. I have three most distinctive pictures of his body in my mind – when he lay dead, during the post mortem and at the mortuary. Each of these scenes were very different and all remain very vivid in my memory.”

The mother of two minor children said the 35 days since the demise of her husband had not only left her severely distracted but had also deeply traumatized their 9-year-old son who was very close to his father.

“One day I caught him praying, asking God to give me life so I can raise him and his little sister … He was pleading with God that he was not ready to raise his three-year-old sister should I also die. It pained me. My son is a mess now and he is suddenly scared of men because my husband was gunned down by two men. I saw them even though I can’t identify their faces,” she said.

Ms Matamane said the two suspects, still on the run, did not only kill Mr Nkesi but went on to shatter her family’s dreams.

“My husband was a businessman. He had just bought Setsoto (a public bar at Ha ’Nelese) and he had dreams for us, but they are all gone…We just don’t know where and how to start,” she said.

Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli said investigations into the case were ongoing and that “no arrests have been made.”

Pascalinah Kabi

FORMER Airwing Commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Exavery Letsoela, has been appointed the new commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) as the government continues with efforts to   restructure the security sector and weed out elements associated with detained former commander Tlali Kennedy Kamoli.

Lt-Gen Letsoela replaces Major General Lineo Poopa who has been acting commander since the 5 September 2017 assassination of Lt-Gen Khoantle Motšomotšo by his subordinates, Brigadier Bulane Sechele and Colonel Tefo Hashatsi.

Government also made further made significant changes to the LDF top brass, appointing Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s former bodyguard, Matela Matobakele, Deputy Commander. He has also been promoted to the rank of Major General.

Maj-Gen Poqa Motoa, who previously held the rank of Brigadier, has also been appointed as Chief of Staff for Administration and Human Resource affairs while Major General Ramanka Mokaloba, (previously a Brigadier) was appointed Inspector General of the LDF.

The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and National Security, Colonel Tanki Mothae (Retired), this week confirmed Lt-Gen Letsoela’s and other appointments.  Lt-Gen Letsoela’s is with effect from 23 January 2018 while the other appointments are with effect from 24 January 2014.  He added that Maj- Gen Poopa had been retired with immediate effect pending redeployment elsewhere in government. The nation will be informed of Maj- Gen Poopa’s new assignment in due course, he said.

Colonel Mothae said, without elaborating, that more changes would be made at the LDF in the coming months.

He said His Majesty King Letsie III, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, had decided to appoint Lt-Gen Letsoela as the new LDF head with effect from 23 January 2017.

He described the appointment as “critical in the restructuring of the LDF”.

The defence principal secretary said Maj Gen Poopa’s retirement followed discussions the outgoing commander had with the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister held discussions with Maj Gen Lineo Poopa and he has since been retired. The nation will be informed of his next appointment as agreed with the Prime Minister,” Col Mothae said.

Maj Gen Poopa was appointed acting commander following the assassination of Lt-Gen Motšomotšo, who was gunned down by Brigadier Sechele and Colonel Hashatsi , at his Ratjomose Barracks offices in Maseru.

According to the government, the two  killed Lt-Gen Motšomotšo after accusing him of “selling them out” after his decision to hand over  various members of the LDF accused of various crimes during Lt-Gen Kamoli’s reign to the police for investigations and prosecution.

Lt-Gen Motšomotšo, who had served as Lt-Gen Kamoli’s deputy, during the latter’s reign of terror period, had made an about turn and started fully cooperating with Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s coalition which took power after the June 3 snap plebiscite.   Lt-Gen Motšomotšo had told Messrs Hashatsi and Sechele that he had no option but to cooperate in the implementation of a SADC commission of inquiry report which recommended the prosecution of all LDF officers involved in various atrocities under Kamoli.

Two junior LDF officers, Corporal Tjekane Sebolai and Private Selone Ratšiu, had already been handed over to the police for interrogation over the fatal shooting of Lisebo Tang near Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli’s residence in Ha Leqele in May 2014.  Ms Tang, who was in the company of her partner, was shot after being inexplicably mistaken for a person intending to cause harm to Lt-Gen Kamoli.

Several former LDF officers, including Lt-Gen Kamoli himself, are now in detention over various other atrocities including the murder of former army commander, Lt-Gen Maaparankoe Mahao, the shooting of Lesotho Times Editor Lloyd Mutungamiri, the bombings of the Moshoeshoe II homes of First Lady Maesaiah Thabane and the Ha Abia residence of former Police Commissioner, Khothatso Tšooana, among other cases.

None of the soldiers involved in the atrocities had been prosecuted under the Pakalitha Mosisili-led seven party coalition regime, with the Democratic Congress (DC) leader saying SADC recommendations were not binding.

However, Dr Thabane, whose All Basotho Convention (ABC) and its coalition partners had born the biggest brunt of Lt-Gen Kamoli’s excesses, moved fast to implement SADC recommendations after assuming power in June 2017.

Even though Dr Thabane had the grace to appoint Major General Poopa as acting commander in the wake of Lt-Gen Motšomotšo’s murder, sources said that Major General Poopa would never be confirmed to become substantive head of the LDF.

This was because his name had loomed large in some of the Kamoli era atrocities. Major General Poopa’s name looms large in Lt-Gen Kamoli’s attempted coup of 30 August 2014 during which the LDF raided police stations, seized arms and the killing of police officer, Sub Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko.

The sources said more senior soldiers would be investigated and arraigned in line with the SADC recommendations. So far no-one has been actually charged over the 30 August 2014 coup attempt which was condemned widely as an illegal act.

Maj-Gen Poopa is also suspected of having a hand in the escape of   former National Security Service, Colonel Tumo Lekhooa, whom the police wanted to interrogate. Col Lekhooa is alleged to have fled the country and has not been seen or heard of since.  It is understood that the police had appealed to Maj-Gen Poopa to assist in the arrest of Tumo Lekhooa to no avail.

“The police have an interest in some senior army officers who cannot be interrogated at the moment because of their positions. Therefore, some drastic changes will have to be made in the LDF to facilitate investigations,” one of the sources said.

Another source also added: “Not so long-ago, SADC spoke of some rogue soldiers who were likely to cause trouble, and that these soldiers needed to be isolated. We are likely to see the interrogation of these high-ranking soldiers by the police now that the position of the commander has been substantively filled by a professional man.”

Lt-Gen Letsoela’s Biography

Lt-Gen Letsoela joined the army in March 1987. He enrolled in the Pilot Pupils Course at Dunnotar Central Flying School in Pretoria, South Africa in 1992. He received his flying wings in November 1992 and proceeded to the Multi-Engine Flying School (MEFS) for an Operational Conversion Course at Bloemspruit Air Base in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1993.

Thereafter, he returned to Lesotho as full time operational pilot for subsequent type ratings on service Casa 212 and Cessna 182Q aircraft. He attended several aviation training courses and military staff appointment preparatory training programmes.

He rose through the ranks holding different staff appointments including Flying Instructor, Base Flight Safety Officer and Director: Air Operations and Training. He enrolled for a two-year diploma non-resident training programme on Aircraft Accident Investigations under the auspices of the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA) from 2006 to 2008.

Upon graduation from Singapore Aviation Academy, he attended the Joint Command and Staff Course (Senior Division) at the Zimbabwe Staff College in 2009, in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Concurrently, he pursued a part-time Diploma in Defence and Strategic Security Studies and International Relations at the University of Zimbabwe. He was appointed Deputy Airwing Commander in 2011, occupying the rank of Major.

He was promoted to Airwing Commander in August 2013, occupying the rank of Brigadier. In 2014, he attended the Executive National Security Programme at the South African National Defence College in Pretoria before he was promoted to the rank of Major General as the Airwing Commander in November 2016.

He was awarded several medals for excellence, including the Military Gallantry, Military Brave Deeds, Military Meritorious and Military Service Medal.

’Marafaele Mohloboli

JUSTICE has remained elusive for ’Matšepang Kaizer six years after her husband, Motlalepula Kaizer, was gunned down at the house of former All Basotho Convention legislator, Pitso Maisa.

“The memories of that fateful day when my husband was gunned down by unknown assailants still brings tears to my eyes,” the 38 year-old ’Matšepang told this Lesotho Times this week.

“Everything happened so fast and it still feels like a horrible nightmare that I could wake up from.

“Whenever the going gets tough I always recall how I was robbed off my husband who sweated to put food on our table.”

According to ’Matšepang, no sooner had her husband left their home to charge his phone at the then Motimposo legislator, Pitso Maisa’s house which is just a few metres away than she heard gunshots.

“Rumours were rife that there was a fierce rivalry between rival members of the ABC who wanted to contest the 2012 elections in the Motimposo constituency. Knowing that my husband had gone to his (Maisa) house, I quickly ran out at the sound of the gunshots and it was like a dream to find him lying helplessly in a pool of blood and struggling to breathe.

“In a laboured tone he said, ‘they have shot me and I am dying.’ I asked him who had shot him and he said he did not know.

“I just felt numb and passed out. Later when I came to, I was then told that my husband had passed on.”

Since then, she says she has visited Mabote Police Station but has been taken from pillar to post in her quest for justice.

“Justice delayed is justice denied but with the breakthroughs in so many unresolved murders, my hope has been rekindled and I am also looking forward to a breakthrough in this case.

“I have always thought that I am not getting justice because I am poor. I had lost all hope in the police but after learning of other people who have been through the same ordeal and the help that they have received, I now have faith that my turn will finally come,” Matšepang said.

Maisa, who has since left the ABC and started a new party Truth and Reconciliation Unity (TRU), told this publication that the shooting incident left him with so many unanswered questions.

He said the bullet that killed Motlalepula was meant for him.

“Sad as it may be to the Kaizer family, Motlalepula saved me. He took the bullets for me but he did not deserve to die in that way.

“I had heard of a plan to assassinate me days before the shooting incident and I also learned that my-would be assassin tracked me from the Lakeside area. They missed me after I changed the route to go home.

“My arrival home was also delayed by some vendors who were refusing to give me my change after I bought cigarettes from them. Shortly after leaving their stall, I heard gunshots when I was just a few metres away from my house,” Maisa said.

Like so many other murder cases, this one has dragged on for a long time with the police seemingly unable to assist the bereaved families.

Contacted for comment Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, said now that the matter had been brought to his attention, he had commenced investigations to ascertain why the case had taken too long to resolve.

He said the police had a responsibility to protect lives and property of all people in the country.

“Since the matter has been brought to my attention, I have started investigations into why it has taken this long. I promise that in the end justice shall be served and I appeal to ’Matšepang to come and see me so that we can work together on this matter finality,” Sup. Mopeli said.

Mamohlakola Letuka

QUTHING – ‘MAHLAELE Khabo sits in her living room, shoulders slouched and worry written all over her face. It has been a typically long day at Sebapala Primary School in Quthing, a district which has over the years, earned the dubious distinction of having the worst results for primary and secondary education.

Ms Khabo is a veteran who has seen it all- she has been in the noblest profession for 41 years and tried everything but the results will just not improve. And there is no way they can improve when many schools in the district have only one qualified teacher to oversee the learning process.

She is in a slightly better position with two qualified teachers at her school.

The rest are either relief or in-service teachers still undergoing training.

Although some of the in-service teachers have demonstrated commitment, Ms Khabo says hard work and passion are not a substitute for qualifications.

Some of these teachers find themselves having to teach subjects which they failed with often tragic consequences where learners are not given the proper educational foundation.

As a result, some learners still cannot write their names or do simple arithmetic.

The passionate Ms Khabo also recalls a time in the not-too-distant past when she had to take care of the whole school all by herself, a feat that was so stressful that she soon found herself on the verge of depression and hypertension.

Although the situation has improved at her school, the conditions are still far from adequate to ensure effective learning. Due to staff shortages, most teachers are required to teach more than one class.

And it is not just the shortage of teachers as Quthing still has to contend with a myriad  challenges ranging from the shortage of learning materials, staff motivation, lack of teacher supervision as well as the generally negative attitudes of the learners and the local communities towards education.

According to Ms Khabo, school inspections are few and far between. Even if school inspectors come, they are rarely follow-up visits to enforce standards.

It is even worse for remote schools where the inspectors never visit at all.

This was confirmed by the senior educator in Quthing district, Motlatsi Mosoang, who told the Lesotho Times that they had to use helicopters to reach some parts of the district.

“The remote areas are not accessible by road and having to use helicopters means we cannot visit as often as we would want to,” Mr Mosoang said.

The communal attitudes towards education have also proven to be a stumbling block to the attainment of good results.

Quthing borders the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A significant number of people trek from Quthing to provide unskilled manual labour on farms in the Eastern Cape and further afield in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.

It is a practice that is more than century old. It poses a real challenge to teachers who struggle to impress upon learners the value of education when all they can imagine is growing up and going to work in the Eastern Cape like their parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins did before them.

“Unfortunately, manual labourers do not make the best role models to motivate young learners to understand the importance of education,” said another teacher who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity.

Another challenge, Ms Khabo explains, is posed by the impact of the traditions of the local communities where circumcision and other rites of passage are considered so important that they often impact on the learning time particularly for male pupils.

Boys look forward to going to the traditional schools where they are taught survival skills including hunting for food, taking care of the family and slaughtering animals.

Thereafter, they undergo circumcision which confirms their passage into adulthood and enables them to participate in the decision-making processes in their communities.

While such skills may be useful, they are however woefully inadequate given the demands of the modern world where skills acquired through the formal education system are a prerequisite for gainful and dignified employment.

“Young learners place a high value on traditional initiation ceremonies to the detriment of their formal education.  You can be a circumcised and highly skilled hunter fully equipped to survive in the bush but modern life requires that you handle computers, do the maths and work in offices among other things. And the best preparation for all that is the classroom and not some traditional school in the bush. The sooner learners and their parents appreciate this the better,” said another teacher.

Ms Khabo concurred, saying, “It is an undeniable fact that most boys come back (from traditional schools) with changed behaviour and the self-entitlement ideology that they are ‘men’ and they will not listen to any female or an uninitiated man.

“They come back from the mountains very disrespectful and fail to absorb anything they are taught at school.”

The parents are also to blame.

Although parents are important stakeholders in the education of their children, Ms Khabo decried their tendency to have learners babysit their younger siblings- something which cost them valuable learning time.

She said this often occurred when parents participated in poverty alleviation projects which usually last a month or more.

“A learner misses a lot by being absent from school for a month while baby-sitting. The damage that this does is immense as most learners are deprived of the necessary educational foundation that would enable them to do well in future,” Ms Khabo said.

She also said some parents just do not care at all about their children’s education to the extent that they will not even help them with their homework.

“Last year, the World Vision tried to assist us to have reading programmes in which parents were supposed to help their children at home. But some parents refused saying they were not paid to teach. Some parents will not even read their own children’s reports.

“They do not take responsibility of their children’s work, we give homework as part of assessing their children’s capacity, but they do not get involved and they can’t even cover their children’s books,” Ms Khabo said.

Teachers like Ms Khabo will most likely continue giving their best but the odds stacked against successful learning in Quthing are huge.

They may be vast challenges but they are not insurmountable. It will however, take the concerted efforts of all stakeholders- from government to learners and their communities- to ensure that Quthing eventually sheds its unenviable tag as the district that always brings up the rear whenever pass rates are announced.

Limpho Sello

THE Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled (LNFOD) has demanded the inclusion of organisations for the disabled among the list of participants to be consulted on the reforms process to ensure that the envisaged multi-sector reforms fully cater for the concerns and welfare of the disabled.

Since its advent to power in June 2017, the Thomas Thabane-led four party coalition government has embarked on consultations with various stakeholders including political parties, business organisations and non-governmental organisations as part of   efforts to build consensus on the multi-sectoral reforms the country needs to implement.

The constitutional, security sector, public service, governance and media reforms were part of the recommendations made by the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2016 to ensure lasting peace and stability which is crucial to the country’s socio-economic development.

LNFOD Executive Director, Nkhasi Sefuthi, this week told the Lesotho Times that LNFOD submitted its recommendations to the parliamentary portfolio committee on law and public safety, calling on the government to ensure that people with or organisations of people with disabilities are included in the commission that is proposed in the National Reforms Commission Bill of 2018.

Advocate Sefuthi said they proposed that organisations of persons with disabilities should be explicitly mentioned in the Reforms Commission Bill among those to be consulted and they should participate in the reforms process to facilitate the inclusion of the concerns of people with disabilities.

Adv Sefuthi stated that persons with the disabilities should be not be considered under the civil society organisations, saying the separation was necessary to ensure the former fully participated in the reforms process.

The National Reforms Commission Bill was tabled before parliament on 17 January, 2017.

The bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Reforms Commission whose mandate is to facilitate a national dialogue on the constitution and other related issues with the purpose of ensuring integrated constitutional, parliamentary, judicial, security and public service reforms.

The envisaged commission, which shall be composed of six commissioners and led by a chairperson who shall be a retired judge or eminent person, will operate for an initial period of 18 months and this can be extended for another 12 months to enable it to complete its mandate.

Adv Sefuthi said LNFOD had also recommended that one of the commissioners for the proposed Reforms Commission should be a representative of   persons with disabilities.

“The functions of the commissioner who is a representative of persons with disability and knowledgeable and experienced in disability rights, will be to support other commissioners on the mainstreaming of disability rights in the reforms.

“We want one of the commissioners to be assigned to work specifically on issues of disability.

“We have important issues that we would like to be incorporated because we have realised that we are always left behind whenever government is working on enhancing democracy and human rights simply because no one understands our concerns very well,” Adv Sefuthi said.