…but RFP says DC leader shouldn’t be taken seriously
Mohloai Mpesi
OFFICIAL opposition leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, said it was inevitable that he would become Lesotho’s next Prime Minister regardless of “sequential threats” being meted against the opposition by Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s government.
Mr Mokhothu told a rally of his Democratic Congress (DC) in Hololo constituency, Butha-Buthe, over the weekend, that he would eventually preside over Lesotho’s affairs “whether the (Matekane) government likes it or not”.
Mr Mokhothu accused Mr Matekane of wanting to rule Lesotho through the barrel of a gun “by using the security sector to fight his political battles”.
But Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) spokesperson and Minister of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Mokhethi Shelile, downplayed Mr Mokhothu’s outburst, saying the opposition leader “should not be taken seriously”.
Mr Mokhothu told the rally Mr Matekane’s government was like “ a dead man walking and its days in office are numbered.”
“Look at them, their road is leading to the graveyard. They cannot make DC fail in our attempts to rule this country. They can only delay the process. I am going to rule them, whether they like it or not. I am going to preside over the affairs of this country,” Mr Mokhothu told his cheering supporters.
“I don’t care whether they have security agencies backing them. They cannot stop an inevitable process….. Their day will come. It is only a matter of time.”
The rally was attended by several DC MPs as well as founding party leader and former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and his wife ‘Mathato.
A former health minister, Khaya Nyapane, under former prime minister, Thomas Thabane, was welcomed as a new party member at the rally.
Mr Nyapane left the All Basotho Convention (ABC) to join current Minister of Health, Selibe Mochoboroane’s Movement for Economic Change (MEC) in 2021. MEC is a partner in Mr Matekane’s seven-party coalition administration. He has since ditched MEC to join the DC.
Other politicians who joined the DC at the same rally are Moshe Leoma and Mosotho Liteboho Mota from the RFP. Mr Leoma is a former Alliance of Democracts (AD) MP.
United for Change (UFC) deputy-leader, Mohlominyane Tota, graced the event.
Mr Mokhothu condemned an application by RFP Thaba-Moea constituency legislator, Puseletso Lejone, challenging the motion to topple Mr Matekane. The court challenge saved Mr Matekane on 16 October 2023 when it appeared the opposition had assembled 61 MPs to topple the premier and replace him with Mr Mokhothu.
According to Mr Mokhothu, the court application was only a strategy engineered to stop him from “taking my position as Prime Minister”. He added the case was being “deliberately stalled” in the courts.
The DC leader further alleged that the courts, as well as the DCEO, had been captured by Mr Matekane’s “government of the filthy rich”.
Mr Mokhothu said he could not emphasize enough, how he was willing to break his back, and go the extra mile to secure his position as Lesotho’s premier.
“Since the 16th of October after we filed the motion of no-confidence, we realised that it ( Matekane government) has lost numbers. We are currently being governed by a minority government,” Mr Mokhothu said.
He accused the courts of delaying finalising Mr Puseletso’s case to “deliberately” give Mr Matekane time to lobby other lawmakers to secure adequate numbers “to save their regime from being toppled”.
“With dismay, the courts are still brooding (ho fuama) over the matter. It has now been two months and some weeks with the case in court. They are delaying time deliberately while they (government) try to lobby other MPs. That endeavour will neither rescue nor secure them numbers because we are going to rain hail on them in parliament. We are going to vote against this government in the parliament.”
He blasted the heads of the security agencies for interfering in politics. Army boss, Mojalefa Letsoela, Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli, and Nationals Security Services (NSS) head Pheello Ralenkoane have declared they will not allow Mr Matekane to be unseated.
They have instead directed legislators to concentrate on the reforms process as opposed to toppling the government.
“It is not unusual to topple the government in parliament. It is not a new thing. So, if the LDF is tired of transferring the national flag, they should just rest in the barracks,” Mr Mokhothu said in response to Lt-Gen Letsoela’s remarks that he was tired of handing over the country’s flag to a new prime minister because of the frequent changes of governments.
“They think they can scare me with security agencies, I am not a child I can’t be threatened. I am the last person who can be threatened by the people in uniform. Not at all
“I have worked with General Letsoela, and we worked very well when I was Deputy Prime Minister. I am surprised when the rich people arrive, and he starts making nonsensical statements. “
RFP spokesperson, Mr Shelile, said Mr Mokhothu’s statements “don’t need to be taken seriously because security agencies in Lesotho protect the constitution of the country”.
“They (security agencies) have taken an oath to protect the constitution. We don’t connive with the security agencies as he alleges. He only wants to play politics. We are not even hiding behind the courts of law, as he alleges.
“He and those who follow him want to twist the will of the people. His political party lost the elections in an embarrassing way,” Mr Shelile said, adding Mr Mokhothu did not have adequate support to topple the government.
“He (Mokhothu) is entitled to dream of becoming a prime minister. Perhaps when he wakes up, he gets angry realising that he is not a prime minister and then starts lashing out.”
