Mohalenyane Phakela
FORMER Minister of Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation, ‘Mamotsie Motsie, is embroiled in a bitter dispute with her late son Motsie Motsie’s widow over his estate.
‘Makatleho Motsie accuses her mother-in-law of harassment, claiming ‘Mamotsie has been trying to force her out of her Semphetenyane marital home and has interfered with her attempts to sell the house by threatening prospective buyers and sales agents.
However, ‘Mamotsie insists she cannot allow ‘Makatleho to sell what she describes as Mr Motsie’s children’s home – a house she says ‘Makatleho knows nothing about and “did not contribute a penny to its construction”.
After Mr Motsie’s death, ‘Makatleho had been living in the house with their daughter Katleho, and her stepdaughter Ntsieng, who is from Mr Motsie’s first marriage to the late ‘Mantsieng.
Mr Motsie passed away in December 2018 at Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital after a period of illness. ‘Makatleho, a South African native, was his second wife.
Following Mr Motsie’s death, tensions reportedly simmered for a while before boiling over in 2021, shortly after ‘Mamotsie lost her diplomatic post as Consul General in Durban, South Africa. She had previously served as Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture under Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, and was later reassigned to the forestry portfolio before taking up the consular position.
“My nightmare began when she came back from Durban,” ‘Makatleho told the Lesotho Times yesterday in an interview.
“Without income, she started fighting me over what belonged to my family. I had been living peacefully with both girls until she came back and disrupted everything.
“I had sent Ntsieng to stay with my mother in Pretoria while searching for a better life, that is how much I loved that child like own.”
According to ‘Makatleho, things took a dark turn when ‘Mamotsie insisted that Ntsieng, her granddaughter, return to live in the Semphethenyane house. She alleges that shortly after, she was locked out of the home. When she changed the locks, she claims that her stepdaughter and mother-in-law broke in and began removing furniture from the house to sell it.
“We have had numerous encounters at the police station. At one point, my property was recovered from Ntsieng’s place in Leribe. She was arrested, but ‘Mamotsie pleaded with me to drop the charges, and so she was never prosecuted,” said ‘Makatleho.
She further claims that ‘Mamotsie took two of her vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota VVTI, and only returned them after her lawyers and the police intervened. The Lesotho Times has seen two letters dated 1 December 2022 from her lawyers, Webber Newdigate, demanding the return of the cars and for ‘Mamotsie to cease interfering with her estate.
‘Mamotsie, represented by Motšoari Chambers, denied the harassment claims. In her legal response, she insisted that the Toyota Corolla belonged to one of Mr Motsie’s friends and was used solely to transport the children to school.
The feud has since taken a toll on ‘Makatleho, who said she left Lesotho in fear for her life and her daughter’s safety.
“I would often find them performing rituals at my home. The break-ins and emotional torment became unbearable. I am raising a 14-year-old and I could not continue to expose her to this toxic environment,” ‘Makatleho said.
She also said her efforts to sell the Semphethenyane house have been blocked by ‘Mamotsie, who allegedly threatens estate agents and prospective buyers.
“The lease is in my name and my late husband’s. Legally, it is mine. But since she cannot win the battle in court, she resorts to intimidation. She is doing all she can to stop me from moving on.”
According to ‘Makatleho, her mother-in-law even claimed funds from Loti Brick – a company the couple had been paying for clay bricks – by allegedly forging documents after Mr Motsie’s passing.
But ‘Mamotsie flatly denied this yesterday when speaking to the Lesotho Times.
“Motsie gave me that Loti Brick allocation to renovate my house. I had not used it at the time, but when I needed to pay for Ntsieng’s school fees, I withdrew the funds. That money was rightfully mine.”
An emotional ‘Mamotsie said she had endured ‘Makatleho’s “disrespect” for far too long and could not stand by while she tried to sell what she described as “Motsie’s children’s home”.
“‘Makatleho is the second wife, and that house belongs to the first wife, ‘Mantsieng, who has since passed away. I never tried to evict her from that house. She does not even know anything about its construction, yet she has barred this young girl, Ntsieng, from entering it, accusing her of damaging the house. We have no reason to destroy that house; it belongs to my son.”.
‘Mamotsie also contested the ownership of the vehicles in question, claiming the VVTI was a gift from her son. She said ‘Makatleho had taken advantage of her absence while she was away on diplomatic duties to quietly sell off various family vehicles, including taxis and a bus supposedly leased to Letšeng mine.
“When she arrived here, there were many vehicles – both taxis and private cars. I later had to leave for work, and during my visits, I would ask her about the cars because I no longer saw them at her place. She claimed she had rented them out. What shocked me was that some were registered in South Africa, so I wondered how it was possible to lease them out in Lesotho. Later, the bus was also gone. When I asked, she said it had been leased to Letšeng Mine, but I later found out she had sold it too. I confronted her and told her I knew she had sold it and the amount she got. That is when things started falling apart between us.”
As for the house, ‘Mamotsie remained adamant that it will never be sold.
“She has sold everything else, even the sites. Now she wants to take this last piece of shelter from the children? Where will they go?” she rhetorically asked.
She added: “No one will buy that house. She is trying to sell a house that belongs to Motsie’s children. That infuriates me more than anything. If she wants to find accommodation for her own child, whom she is always moving around with, so be it, but Ntsieng needs that home.
“I have been patient with that girl who shows me no respect. It breaks my heart when she talks about that house.”
