Moorosi Tsiane
THE Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM) leader, Reverend Tšepo Lipholo’s wife has rushed to the Constitutional Court to try and block her husband’s alleged looming arrest.
In her bizarre application filed this week, ‘Mathapelo Lipholo, says her husband is hiding fearing for his life.
She accuses the governments of Lesotho and South Africa of conspiring to arrest and possibly “kill” her husband for advocating the return of land – measuring approximately 240,000 square kilometres – which he claims was stolen from Lesotho by South Africa during the colonial era.
Dr Lipholo has been on a crusade to have South Africa return land he claims it stole from Lesotho.
He petitioned the United Nations General Assembly in January 2025 to intervene in the land return quest which includes the whole of South Africa’s Free State province and other regions.
However, his actions were met with resistance as the Lesotho government distanced itself from his petition.
Now, his wife has gone to court, with her bizarre claims that her husband is being targeted for his efforts.
She warns of a possible carnage should the government proceed with Dr Lipholo’s arrest.
Ms Lipholo was expected to argue the preliminary aspects of her strange case, which include the urgency of her application yesterday. However, the case was deferred to next Wednesday as the file was not court-ready.
Commissioner of Police Matsoso Borotho, the Territory of Basutoland, the Territory of the Sotho, Prime Minister Sam Matekane, Speaker of Parliament Tlohang Sekhamane, the Parliament of Lesotho, Attorney General Rapelang Motsieloa, the Basotho nation, and President Cyril Ramaphosa are cited as first to ninth respondents respectively in the application.
Dr Lipholo’s supporters were present at the High Court premises yesterday to give their support.
In her court papers, Ms Lipholo claims there is a coordinated plan to arrest her husband on treason charges. She however does not cite any evidence.
“The illicit warrant of arrest has already been issued against my husband as found from reliable sources (which cannot be revealed for security reasons) and the South African police have already invaded my husband’s hiding place with several police cars in an effort to arrest him.
“I have very serious apprehension that unless this court intervenes and interdicts the respondents, if my said husband is arrested by the said governments of both Lesotho and South Africa, he will be assassinated in cold blood as has happened in this country to patriots like him.”
She also wants the United Nations Security Council to provide security for her and her husband until the finalisation of the Basutoland restoration petition.
Ms Lipholo argues that if the court does not order that they be provided with protection, their petition before the UN will be futile because by the time it is resolved, Dr Lipholo may no longer be alive or arrested.
She asserts that Lesotho has failed and neglected to implement the said resolutions.
“Instead of seeking to comply with such UN resolutions and international law, these post-independence governments of the Republic of South Africa have imposed even untold worse inhuman atrocities and hardships against the indigenous inhabitants of Basutoland.
“For example, these postcolonial South African governments cancelled their six months travel visa moratorium which Lesotho had with the Boer governments, but they call inhabitants of Basutoland illegal immigrants in their own land, torturing, killing and imprisoning them and destroying their passports even against international Conventions on landlocked Countries.”
She says these atrocities are especially rampant during long holidays when Basotho return home.
“There are many of Basotho who are rotting in the jails of South Africa waiting to be deported as so-called illegal immigrants who were arrested as late as last week while they were trying to come home to their families.
“These poor people are called illegal immigrants in their own land when government of South Africa has unlawfully conquered and occupied the land for more than 62 years now since the passing of the said United Nations resolutions.”
Ms Lipholo alleges that both governments resolved to charge her husband with treason shortly after the “inhabitants of Basutoland” in Bloemfontein declared Dr Lipholo their king on 17 April 2025.
“On or about 18th April 2025, the said government of Lesotho together with the government of the Republic of South Africa conjured up charges against my said husband that he has committed treason under the circumstances. My said husband has been running for his life because he has heard and I have also heard and believe same to be true that a warrant of arrest has been issued for him and given to Interpol to bring him dead or alive as if he is the most dangerous criminal.”
