Pascalinah Kabi
MAFETENG – Eighty kilometres south of Maseru lies Mafeteng, a district which is among Lesotho’s most susceptible to vagaries of drought and poverty.
This arid district with desert-like features which was among the worst affected by the 2015/16 El Nino-induced drought, has become a veritable battle ground for the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
At the centre of this political fight is the Thabana-Morena constituency which MEC leader, Selibe Mochoboroane, won twice under the LCD banner.
But since Mr Mochoboroane ditched the once mighty LCD early this year to form MEC, a high stakes contest for the constituency is in the offing as the country gears for the national elections on 3 June 2017.
And LCD leader, Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing this week addressed a well-attended rally in the constituency where he made no bones about his desire to reclaim the constituency for the LCD.
“Although the election pact between LCD and DC is yet to be officially announced, I must tell you that LCD will be contesting for 25 constituencies in the coming elections and we have specifically asked for Thabana-Morena,” Mr Metsing told approximately 6000 supporters on Sunday.
The deputy prime minister in the outgoing seven parties’ coalition government told supporters his party had specifically asked for Thabana-Morena because “that is our constituency and we need to win it back”.
Mr Metsing swore that Mr Mochoboroane was in for a big surprise as he was not going to win back the Thabana-Morena constituency under the MEC flag.
He urged the LCD/DC followers to support the pact signed by the two parties as it would help them reclaim their rightful place in Lesotho’s politics.
He said that they signed the pact after realising that they would rescue the country from political instability if they united as congress parties.
“We will go back to our glorious days by uniting as congress parties. Unity is power and we agreed to swallow our pride,” Mr Metsing said.
LCD suffered a huge blow, winning only two constituencies in 2015; 78 less than the 1993 elections.
Mr Metsing said this was the time for the LCD to return to winning ways and urged followers to elect party candidates as they “needed power so that we can bring back the people’s hopes of good governance, peace and stability”.
“We are going to work hard to eradicate high unemployment rates and improve lives,” he said, adding that they were ready to write a history which the next generation would appreciate.
He said the unity of the two congress parties would also give the national assembly the stability it needed.
He said the country was in this current state of political affairs because of floor-crossing.
Mr Metsing said the LCD/DC alliance was a solid one, reminding supporters that Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili was also a product of LCD.
“Ntate Mosisili is who he is today because of LCD. Ntate Ntsu gave him the leadership baton and I and ntate Mosisili are political sons of ntate Ntsu,” he said, adding that it was therefore proper to say that both LCD and DC were one.”
He said developments in the Thabana-Morena constituency were a result of LCD and not an individual (Mr Mochoboroane) who stood under LCD banner.
“Let the June 3 elections be the judge of who went wrong between us and Mr Mochoboroane and Monyane Moleleki (Alliance of Democrats leader),” he said.
And while there were no clear solutions proffered by Mr Metsing to the peculiar challenges of the constituency and district, his speech was well-received all the same by the party faithful.
“It doesn’t mean LCD takes our problems for granted,” said one 23-year-old woman who spoke to the Lesotho Times on the sidelines of the rally.
“The LCD has always had people’s interests at heart and no one can dispute this with all honesty,” she said, adding under the LCD banner, government constructed road facilities, hospitals and ensured that children from poverty-stricken homes had access to education by introducing compulsory free primary education.
“Ntate Metsing is a true leader. He will save this country and once he has stabilised Lesotho, he will be able to concentrate on our needs. The party election manifesto will address issues of soil erosion, famo war and other challenges we are faced with,” she said.
Asked if LCD had the ability to deal with deadly famo wars that had ravaged the district in recent years, she said that “it was proven, even to prophets of doom, that the LCD cared about us when it came up with strategies on how to deal with the matter during the three party coalition government.”
“Now that it will just be the LCD and DC in government and I can tell you that ntate Metsing will help come up with strategies that will end the famo war.”
Another party follower, Relebohile Setenane said the LCD would address massive land degradation in the district.
“It is not a secret that during the 15 years LCD was in power, there were so many projects like food for work which sought to address land degradation in this district and many others. LCD has done it and it can still do it,” Mr Setenane said.
Mr Setenane, who travelled from Mazenod to attend the rally, said political rallies gave followers a direction and besides they were “a form of an entertainment in a country with a recreational programme that is so doomed”.
LCD is the only party to hold a rally at Thabana-Morena and it remains to be seen if others will follow and if the MEC will pull a bigger crowd and address the bread and butter issues affecting the constituency.
164 people who claimed to have defected from other parties joined the LCD on Sunday.