PROMINENT businessman and philanthropist, Bothata Mahlala, has declared that he is not afraid to leave the Democratic Congress (DC), asserting that those “pretending” to be close to the party leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, are primarily driven by personal interests rather than genuine support for the latter’s leadership.
Mr Mahlala recently withdrew his candidacy from the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) elections, where he was nominated for the position of deputy leader. His decision means he will no longer be contesting against the incumbent deputy leader, Motlalentoa Letsosa.
The NEC elections, scheduled for 24 to 26 January 2025, have sparked widespread interest across party structures nationally.
The DC spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, had alleged that Mr Mahlala was forming a new party and that he had seen documents registering this new party at the Law Office, allegations that Mr Mahlala rubbished. Mr Qoo is seeking to retain his position as the party’s spokesperson in the upcoming elections.
In an interview with Lesotho Times political reporter Mohloai Mpesi and News Editor Mohalenyane Phakela, Mr Mahlala reaffirmed his loyalty to the DC. He said while he will remain a dedicated member of the party, he will now serve in an ordinary capacity.
As tensions escalate within the DC, with some members and NEC figures criticising him, Mr Mahlala maintained that he feels under no pressure to leave the party.
“Those who are desperate for the party are the ones seeking personal gains, not the advancement of national interests,” Mr Mahlala said.
Excerpts:
LT: Tensions seem to have escalated between you and some NEC members. Don’t you think this might make it difficult for you to remain in the party?
Mahlala: Well, they’re already making it difficult. The DC spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, recently claimed that the constitution of a new party I’m allegedly forming is already at the Law Office. Such statements are baseless and come from individuals driven by personal agendas who want to discredit me for their benefit.
It’s unacceptable for someone of Mr Qoo’s stature to make unfounded allegations. If you’re going to make claims, you should have concrete evidence to support them. For example, DC councillor Retšelisitsoe Mohale photoshopped a false image of me pretending to show me with a woman in bed. I can prove his malicious act. That’s not an allegation—it’s a fact that he fabricated the picture.
When people spread rumours that I’m forming a political party and claim to have exclusive knowledge, they’re trying to position themselves as indispensable to the leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, for personal gain. To answer your question, yes, they may try to make things difficult for me in the party, but I’m not desperate to remain a DC member.
Desperation comes from those seeking personal benefits, like employment opportunities for themselves or their families when the DC comes to power. I’m not in DC for personal gain, so I can leave anytime I choose.
LT: What is your current relationship with the NEC, especially since you once aimed to challenge the DC leader Mokhothu himself if nominated?
Mahlala: Our relationship is not good. Most people align themselves with the leader, regardless of whether they agree with his decisions, because we are now in an era of politics driven by personal gain. Many support the leader publicly while privately expressing dissatisfaction with his leadership.
LT: Are these individuals hoping to benefit from you as well?
Mahlala: Exactly. They pretend to support the leadership but privately voice their frustrations to me. It’s their modus operandi. If I were the leader, they would probably have done the same to me as well.
LT: Mr Qoo says you never helped the Democratic Congress (DC) financially, let alone print a single T-shirt for the party yet you are often portrayed as a key funder of the DC. He says the party gets an allocation from its treasurer to finance its activities including those in your constituency, Mount Moorosi. Your response?
Mahlala: It is unfortunate that when we differ in opinions today, we speak untruthful things, yet we are trusted to run the party. I am not here to praise myself for what I have done for DC, but Mr. Qoo knows very well that what he is saying is not true.
I heard that he is saying I don’t know where DC gets its money from. I joined DC at the end of 2019. That very same year, I helped DC. But let me leave it there. In 2020, I was elected to be part of the DC Committee tasked with raising funding for the party. Meaning, Mr Qoo says that in 2020, 2021, and 2022, when I was part of the committee seeking funds for DC, I don’t know where those funds were coming from? For three consecutive years, I was a member of a committee raising funds for the party. He knows. He says in those three years there has never been any money coming from my pocket or from wherever I asked for it.
That is the same as someone playing a game of football, claiming that a player has never participated and does not know how their team won three consecutive games. Meaning, he is saying that for three years as a member of that committee seeking money for DC, I don’t know where DC was getting its funds from.
LT: Will you continue supporting the party financially?
Mahlala: I’ll remain an ordinary member, with no responsibilities or obligations to provide financial support.
LT: You have withdrawn from the race where you were nominated for the position of deputy leader. Why exactly did you withdraw your candidacy?
Mahlala: I withdrew because of the deteriorating peace within the DC camps. Most of the time, during NEC elections, we become divided depending on our interests in the candidates elect. These divisions lead to factions, resulting in the humiliation of fellow members within the same party.
It is normal to have different opinions, but when it leads to the humiliation of others, the situation becomes unacceptable. For example, we recently had youth elections in August of last year. We went there as two factions, each supporting a different leader. This division started there and has continued to widen. Some youths even went to court, where the case is still pending, believing that the elections were flawed.
I have observed that the current situation heading into the NEC elections is similar to that of the youth elections. To avoid such divisions and because we have experienced similar divisions in previous elections, and for the sake of peace and stability within the party, I decided to withdraw my nomination.
LT: Were you personally targeted?
Mahlala: I was attacked as a person based on the assumption that I am leading a faction. As I mentioned, two factions emerged after the youth elections, and it seems they are targeting me because they believe I am the leader of the other faction.
A living example is that DC youths created fake accounts using my name. Some photoshopped my picture to make it appear as if I was sleeping with a woman in bed. I know the individual who manufactured all of that, and I confronted him.
A whole DC councillor, Retšelisitsoe Mohale— not just an ordinary member—photoshopped my picture to make it look like I was sleeping with a woman in bed. I have raised these issues in DC’s closed meetings, urging that these youths stop creating fake accounts. Unfortunately, they were not reprimanded; instead, they continued doing so, claiming they were protecting the leader.
However, the leader of DC should not belong to a particular faction within the party. As DC members, we have only one leader, yet they targeted me, manufacturing fake accounts using my name and making statements that undermine the party.
LT: Are you still a DC member?
Mahlala: Yes, I’ve been a member since 2019, and my membership runs until 2029 unless I choose not to renew it. For now, I remain a member.
LT: What if your supporters urge you to form a new party?
Mahlala: I don’t think I’m ready to form a party.
