DOCTORS, just like lawyers, judges, among other professionals, hold significant authority within society. We all seek their expertise and their presumed extensive knowledge of medicine to help us overcome ailments and live happy, healthy lives.
Upon entering a doctor’s room, we should all experience a sense of relief and optimism that our health concerns will be effectively and properly managed, just as we enter a courtroom hoping a learned professional judge will dispense justice. A doctor’s room must be a place of comfort and healing and not a place of despair.
Which explains why we feel apprehensive and angry at allegations that Dr Hlalele Mofubelu, a well-known physician at Naledi Family Clinic in Maseru, has been abusing his rooms to prey on unsuspecting female patients.
The allegations are as shocking as they are debilitating.
In last week’s edition of the Lesotho Times, we reported on the accounts of women who have allegedly been sexually harassed by Dr Mofubelu during their consultations for various health issues. The testimonies from these women are alarming, as they reveal strikingly similar experiences, indicating a troubling pattern of sexual abuse perpetrated by this doctor.
According to some of these women, they had already lodged complaints against Dr Mofubelu with the Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Council of Lesotho. We hope this largely comatose body will emerge from its slumber and deal with these matters appropriately. The fact that it has maintained stone silence amid the national outcry over these allegations is hardly encouraging.
Among the many women who have come forward is Alinah Mpholo, a 43-year-old resident of Maseru, who asserts that she was sexually harassed by Dr Mofubelu. What began as a standard medical appointment quickly devolved into a distressing experience when Dr Mofubelu allegedly tampered with Ms Mpholo’s underwear to inappropriately touch her.
“…The consultation commenced with a brief discussion about my symptoms. After I described my condition, he instructed me to disrobe and lie on the examination bed. He then proceeded to manoeuvre my legs towards my chest, inquiring if I experienced any pain. At that moment, I genuinely believed he was conducting a legitimate examination—after all, he is a doctor, and he should adhere to professional standards,” Ms Mpholo recounted.
“He lifted both my legs towards my chest, shifted my underwear aside with one hand, and instructed me to cough. Despite my discomfort and confusion regarding how this related to my back pain, I complied.”
Dr Mofubelu then proceeded to touch her inappropriately, leaving her in shock. He then ordered her to leave the examination bed, declaring that the session was over. “He concluded by touching me, prompting me to instinctively push my legs down. I looked at him in disbelief, and he merely told me to get off the bed because we were finished.”
The publication of Ms Mpholo’s and other women’s experiences while seeking medical assistance in Dr Mofubelu’s office sparked significant interest.
Numerous other women came forward to share their own distressing encounters on the Lesotho Times Facebook page and other social media platforms. Some directly contacted this newspaper.
Their stories exemplified a discernible pattern of abuse. It is important to clarify that, as a newspaper, we do not position ourselves as a court of law. However, we have a duty to provide a voice for the voiceless. We sought Dr Mofubelu’s side of the story as per our professional dictates. He merely issued a blanket denial of the allegations as “malicious fabrications” aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
Despite his denials, numerous other women have come forward to volunteer their stories. Some requested anonymity, while others courageously chose to openly discuss the abuse they suffered in Dr Mofubelu’s consultation rooms.
While we are in no position to declare Dr Mofubelu guilty (we are not a court of law), the numerous accounts shared by these women and their discernible pattern are profoundly troubling. They need to be properly investigated by the police and if their veracity is established, the law must take its course.
We therefore encourage all these women to overcome the stigma that comes with being victim to sexual harassment to report these cases to the police. Only if the cases are probed by law enforcement and prosecuted successfully, if there is evidence of abuse, with proper punishment meted out can there be a lucid message to all male professionals that the days of treating women as objects for male pleasure are long gone.
Dr Mofubelu is already in the cross hairs of the Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Council of Lesotho regarding the renewal of his Retention Certificate, which permits him to practice medicine.
Dr Mofubelu has approached the High Court, claiming that the Council is “unlawfully” denying him the right to practice… According to his own legal submissions, the Council found him guilty of sexually harassing a patient, Rabohlokoa Raphoolo, in June 2022.
The fact that the Council has already substantiated the Raphoolo case, should spur authorities to act on the other cases. They should encourage the victims to come forward and report and guarantee those who do not want their names publicised that their wishes will be respected.
A decent society should have no place for characters like Dr Mofubelu. They need to be held fully accountable.
The medical Council must publicly pronounce itself on this doctor’s case and give Basotho women comfort that it will not tolerate their abuse by its members. Its silence in the face of these allegations thus far is shameful.
