…a victim’s harrowing tale of torture
Mohloai Mpesi / Moorosi Tsiane
IN yet another harrowing incident, Mosa Motaung of Ha-Motjoka, Teyateyaneng, in Berea district, narrowly escaped death after allegedly enduring brutal torture by members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) and the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) last week.
The term “heartless” barely captures the severity of the torment inflicted on him by law enforcement officers who were searching for a gun they believed he had.
As part of a nationwide crackdown, soldiers and police officers have been deployed across the country to seize illegal firearms.
The exercise, termed “Operation Hard Fist”, is intended to reduce rampant crime including violent murders and stock theft. Unfortunately, this operation is claiming many innocent civilian lives, including two individuals who were beaten to death by soldiers a week ago in Khokhoba, Ha-Lebese, Berea.
These torturous incidents follow Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s directive to LDF Commander Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela to get tough on crime.
The Prime Minister, addressing soldiers recently who had returned from deployment to Mozambique’s war-torn Delgado region, urged the commander to do “everything in his power to put an end to the escalating murders” in Lesotho. Mr Motaung became one of many citizens subjected to inhumane treatment after the Prime Minister’s statement.
While the government claims not to condone the barbaric tortures inflicted on civilians, the acts by the armed forces seem to be escalating, spreading fear and anger across the nation.
Midnight raid
Mr Motaung’s ordeal began when, late at night on Sunday 8 September, members of the LDF and LMPS stormed into his home. Little did he know he was about to join the growing number of citizens tortured by security forces. In the early hours, between midnight and 1am, officers arrived at his home, demanding to see his 19-year-old son, claiming they were looking for illegal firearms.
“They said they were looking for my son and that he had a gun. My son was shocked because he doesn’t own a gun,” Mr Motaung said slowly.
“They interrogated me as if I were a suspect, insisting they were looking for illegal firearms and demanding that I hand over a gun. But since I don’t own one, I told them I had nothing to surrender. They warned me not to be surprised if they returned looking for the gun,” he said, recounting his ordeal.
He also said two officers who identified themselves as Mosutu and Mofokeng, told him and his family that they could find their son at the police headquarters in Maseru the following day.
“They took my son and told us we should report to the police headquarters in Maseru and ask for Mosutu and Mofokeng.”
Abduction
The next morning, Mr Motaung and his wife, ‘Makhotso Motaung, went to the station as instructed but were denied access to their son. With no answers, they returned home. That same evening, the nightmare escalated.
“As I was preparing the evening meal, there was a knock on the door. It was the same people, and now they were demanding guns from me. I told them I didn’t have any.
“They didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. I even offered to let them search my house, but they refused. Instead, they ordered me to get dressed, saying I would give them the guns whether I wanted to or not. Then, they took me to the Police Headquarters.”
He said the officers continued pressuring him to hand over the firearms, threatening to use force if he didn’t comply.
“They accused me of undermining them and insisted I would eventually hand over the guns.”
Motaung believes his family’s dignity has been shattered after being taken into custody for questioning alongside his son.
“It is incredibly painful when your child is taken and tortured, and then they take you and subject you to the same treatment. Imagine the stigma this has created for my family in our community,” he said.
Torture
On Wednesday 11 September, officers transported Mr Motaung to Mabote Police Station, where the real torture began. His hands were bound tightly behind his back with cables, and his legs were chained. He was made to lie face down, while several men sat on his back, buttocks, and chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. To worsen the agony, he says something was placed over his face, suffocating him.
“They fastened my hands behind my back with cables, tied my legs with chains, and covered my face with something that made it hard to breathe. Five or six men sat on my back and buttocks, hitting me with a spade on my ribs and buttocks.”
Desperate and unable to withstand the pain, Mr Motaung did the only thing he could—he lied. He began naming innocent villagers, hoping to shift the officers’ attention away from him.
“They kept on torturing me, and I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. So, I started giving them names of people from my village, hoping they’d stop.”
When the officers returned without finding any firearms, the torture resumed.
“I lied again, telling them I had a gun hidden under my wardrobe. There was no gun, but I just wanted the pain to stop,” he said as tears cascaded down his cheeks.
Escape attempt
On Thursday, officers transported Mr Motaung back to Teyateyaneng, where he had falsely claimed to have hidden the firearm. His hands were still tightly bound behind his back, and his legs were chained. In a desperate attempt to escape the relentless torture, Mr Motaung did the unthinkable—he jumped out of the moving vehicle.
“I knew I was facing death, and jumping out felt like my only chance to survive. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted to live. Whether I survived or not, I left it in God’s hands.
Realising he had fallen, the officers stopped and took Mr Motaung to a hospital, where he was immediately treated for severe injuries. His ribs were fractured, his left foot and right arm were broken, and his lungs were filled with blood.
“It was the closest thing I could do to survive. I don’t know why they suspected I had a gun. I’m not a criminal – I’m just a truck driver.”
Habeas corpus
The desperate Ms ‘Makhotso, ran to court on Friday afternoon, seeking an order for the LDF and LMPS to produce the body of her husband “dead or alive”.
“Upon my arrival at the Police Headquarters in Maseru, my husband was in a very bad condition and he could not even feed himself when he tried to eat. His arms were very weak and he informed us that he felt so much pain that he felt it was better to die.
“We then demanded to be furnished with an explanation regarding my husband’s arrest and why he had not been charged if he was at fault. They did not afford us any answer.”
The next time Ms ‘Makhotso saw her husband was at ‘Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital fighting for his life. The call informing Ms ‘Makhotso about the condition of her husband did not come from the police or soldiers who had “abducted” him. Instead, Mr Motaung had requested assistance from the hospital employee to call his wife.
Despite the urgency of Ms ‘Makhotso’s application, the High Court had still not heard the matter this week when these reporters visited Mr Motaung in hospital.
In the past, habeas corpus applications (to produce the body) have been heard by a judge on call, even at midnight. However, that has not been the case with Ms ‘Makhotso’s application.
Injuries
Mr Motaung’s injuries are extensive, keeping him bedridden at Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital. His ribs are severely damaged, and he is awaiting the results of X-rays and blood tests. His left foot and right arm are in casts, and pipes have been inserted into his ribs to drain blood from his lungs.
“When you arrived, I had just undergone another procedure. The doctors replaced the pipes, which are there to drain the blood that has spilled into my lungs.
“The doctors are doing all they can to ensure my survival, but the physical and emotional damage has been devastating.
“My left foot is broken; I can’t stand, and my right arm is also broken. I have to lie in the same position all day and night. The doctors have inserted tubes to withdraw blood from my lungs and to wash out the remaining blood, while another pipe helps me get nutrients.”
Motaung’s harrowing experience is just one of many stories emerging from Lesotho as the government’s crackdown on illegal firearms spirals out of control, leaving a trail of trauma and death in its wake.
