THE disturbing testimony by army commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, before the High Court last week should serve as a clarion call to end political interference in the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) for good.

His frank admission that just like his incarcerated predecessor, Tlali Kamoli, he too continues to experience political meddling is not just a sobering reality check, but an indictment on the nation’s collective failure to insulate the military from the toxic grip of political opportunism.

It is deeply unsettling that eight years since Kamoli’s incarceration and the tragic death of former army commander Maaparankoe Mahao (2015), and Khoantle Motšomotšo after him (2017) the country is still contending with the same old demons.

Lt-Gen Letsoela’s testimony laid bare the contradictions that haunt the trial of Kamoli and eight other soldiers.

These are men, by the current commander’s own admission, were acting within the structured parameters.