…constituency officials who sided with the PS also given marching orders
Mohloai Mpesi
The Basotho Action Party (BAP) this week axed Principal Secretary, Tankiso Phapano, from the party after his protracted squabbles with party leader, Energy Minister Nqosa Mahao.
Also given their marching orders on Monday via a circular issued by BAP Secretary-General, Lepolesa Makutoane, are three senior officials of the BAP’s Mohale’s Hoek constituencies, who had sided with PS Phapano in the prolonged fight.
They are the BAP’s Mpharane constituency chairperson, Thabiso Jacob Likotsi, Taung constituency chairperson, Tṧeliso Matseletsele, and Phamong constituency treasurer, Molibetsane Mafethe, who is originally from Mekaling constituency.
While neither Mr Phapano nor Prof Mahao could be reached for comment, Mr Likotsi told the Lesotho Times last night, that they planned to seek redress in the courts of law because “we can’t just accept to be thrown out of the BAP like rotten pumpkins”.
Prof Mahao’s and Mr Phapano’s conflict started in November 2023, shortly after the BAP became a partner in Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s seven-party coalition administration to help the latter avert a no confidence motion.
Prof Mahao was appointed Energy Minister with Mr Phapano as his PS. But the two begun fighting over various issues at the ministry. Their fight divided the party with several officials quitting the party’s structures.
Mr Phapano was subsequently charged over a litany of allegations including “sowing confusion, conflict and distrust” between the BAP and its ally, Revolution for prosperity (RFP) by “peddling untruthful and baseless allegations to the leadership of the RFP”.
Mr Phapano was further charged with alleging that Prof Mahao, had surrendered the Ministry of Energy’s administration to “Mohato Seleke and Thato Ponya.”
Both Messrs Seleke and Ponya are not employees of the Ministry of Energy.
But the two, were said to be Prof Mahao’s allies at the height of the squabbles in the former ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) that resulted in the collapse of the once mighty party and formation of the BAP as a splinter.
Prof Mahao had been the ABC deputy-leader.
A circular seen by the Lesotho Times dated 5 August 2024, announced that the disciplinary committee of the central executive committee (CEC) of the BAP had made recommendations to expel the four members “after being found guilty of breaching the constitution of the party”.
“We approved the recommendations from the Disciplinary Committee of the CEC. The committee recommended to expel at once from the party, the following people, Thabang Jacob Likotsi, Ts’eliso Matseletsele, Molibeli Mafethe and Tankiso Phapano, after being found guilty of breaching the constitution,” the circular read.
Prior to issuing the circular on Monday, Mr Makutoane had on Tuesday 23 July, penned Mr Phapano a letter, in which he had asserted that the PS had deliberately sown confusion in the party.
Mr Makutoane had accused Mr Phapano of making false utterances, that Professor Mahao had appointed one ‘Makabelo Matsoso to the position of managing director of the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) because she, Ms Matsoso was “having a love affair with former Managing Director of LEC Mohato Seleke”.
“You deliberately and intentionally shattered the trust between the BAP and the RFP as parties in the coalition government, by peddling untruths that the BAP leader and energy minister had appointed Makabelo Matsoso, whom you described as having a love affair with Mr Seleke, to be the managing Director of the LEC,” Mr Makutoane wrote.
“Your action was solely meant to ruin relations and the partnership between the BAP and RFP, and to smash the status of BAP as part of the government. The CEC, therefore, replaced the positions of other members of the committee who have resigned.”
BAP’s endless brawls had propelled youth committee spokesperson, Tlhabeli Mojapela, to tender his resignation to the CEC in early March this year.
The BAP’s former chairperson, Tello Kibane (MP), also rendered his resignation from the CEC in early March, on the grounds of the long-drawn-out brawl, which he said was “affecting other people who want to solve squabble between Mr Phapano and Professor Mahao”.
Former BAP deputy secretary-general, Hilda Van Rooyen, would also resign from the party on 21 of May 2024.
BAP treasurer, ‘Mamoipone Senauoane, resigned from the party on the morning of 5 July this year.
She resigned in dramatic fashion, dropping her resignation letter in the BAP CEC WhatsApp group before swiftly exiting the platform.
Mr Kibane, Ms Van Rooyen and Ms Senauoane are BAP proportional representation legislators.
Former Minister of Finance and Development Planning under erstwhile Premier Moeketsi Majoro’s 2020-2022 coalition government, Thabo Sophonea, from the BAP’s Thaba-Bosiu constituency, has since been appointed to fill the vacancy created by Ms Senauoane’s departure.
“The Central Executive Committee (CEC) has decided to appoint Thabo Sophonea, a member of the CEC from the constituency of Thaba-Bosiu as Treasurer, to fill the position after ‘Mamoipone Senauoane resigned from the position as per section 4.2.3 (a) of the BAP constitution,” the circular read.
“The CEC also appoints two BAP members to fill spaces in the committee as per section 4.1.7 (a) of the constitution of the party, their names are: ‘Matṧolo Monaheng from Mafeteng constituency and ‘Machabeli Sehloho from Taung constituency.”
Contacted for comment last night, Mr Likotsi told Lesotho Times yesterday, that they planned to challenge their dismissal in the courts of law.
He was adamant that they could not be thrown out of the party like rotten pumpkins “when we have slaved and sweated for this party”.
He said they were “never formally served” with any processes adding “we only learned about the circular dismissing us from social media”.
He said that they did not bother to ask the party about their expulsion because “….we had already noticed that the CEC’s motive was to expel us”.
“We did not enquire about our dismissal because we had already realised that their plan was to expel us from the party. So, we were not even surprised to see the circular making rounds. We had realised early on that their actions were leading to that point,” Mr Likotsi said.
He said they had gone to court previously to challenge disciplinary proceedings that the BAP had planned to institute against them. The court had directed that the hearing should continue.
“Yes, we went to court, but the courts directed that we should go back to the disciplinary hearing and only come to the courts with resultant decisions,” he said.
“We are still going to take this matter forward. This is our party, and we cannot just be thrown out of the party like people who have not worked for the BAP.”
He said they had suffered a lot for the party, incurring expenses during the October 2022 general elections campaigns which were not reimbursed.
“Some of us were contesting in the national elections. We incurred expenses. So, we can’t just be thrown out like rotten pumpkins. We will fight to stay in the party, until someone understands that we are here to stay,” he said.
It remains unclear how the expulsion will affect Mr Phapano’s role as PS. Prof Mahao had previously unsuccessfully pushed to have him fired.
