- But Lemphane-Letsie unfazed by move to charge her
- Dismisses it as a political motivated witch-hunt
- Claims she is targeted for exposing graft in M184 million airport project
Mohloai Mpesi
IN a bizarre development ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), who has been leading the charge against corruption, is now facing allegations of graft herself.
She is expected to be hauled to court by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) over graft allegations involving a M26 million tender for the construction of park homes during her tenure as Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2019.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie is alleged to have facilitated dubious payments to controversial businessman Yan Xie, who was involved in the project. She was summoned to the DCEO yesterday when she was supposed to be chairing a PAC meeting. She later joined the meeting after attending to the DCEO. She is expected to be formally charged in court this week.
Ms Lempane-Letsie believes the corruption allegations against her are a hoax and a “politically motivated witch hunt”. She claims she is being targeted over her work in exposing alleged corruption in the M184 million tender for the rehabilitation of the Moshoeshoe I International Airport.
She claims she had wanted to table her committee’s report on the airport corruption for discussion and adoption but she had been facing resistance. Even Prime Minister Sam Matekane had pleaded with her to delay the report saying he wanted to familiarise himself with its contents first.
The report calls for the sacking of Minister of Public Works and Transport, Matjato Moteane, over conflict of interest issues in the award of the architectural portion of the project to his former company. The report also queries how the project costs have escalated from an initial M50 million to M184 million, among other things.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie believes she is now targeted for her role in probing and compiling the report on that controversial project.
She accuses the government of “seemingly working hard to block the report from being tabled in the National Assembly.”
Speaking to the Lesotho Times yesterday, Ms Lemphane-Letsie said she sees the DCEO summons as a “strategic move” to intimidate her and prevent her from carrying out her parliamentary duties in pushing for the tabling of the contentious report.
She describes the timing of the summons by the DCEO, five years after she left the home affairs ministry, as a “convenient ploy” for the government. However, she vows she will not be deterred in her work of seeking to curb real corruption.
“I have always been here and ready to fulfill my responsibilities. The timing of these allegations is suspicious. It seems like a tactic to distract me from my work in Parliament,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said.
No amount of intimidation would prevent her from fulfilling her duties, she vowed.
“They want to silence me, but I will not back down. If anything, this has fuelled my resolve to expose corruption,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said emphatically.
Mokhothu Makhalanyane, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committees, told the Lesotho Times from Switzerland, where he is on official business, that he believed Ms Lemphane-Letsie, was being targeted for her work.
“We knew something like this would happen once we started the investigations into the airport project…,” he said.
“We suspected that some people would try to bring up old cases against individuals in the PAC to deter them from doing their work.”
Mr Makhalanyane condemned the timing of the DCEO’s case at a time Ms Lemphane-Letsie was herself exposing corruption. This inevitably created the impression that the DCEO was trying to frustrate her and the PAC, he said.
He emphasized the actions against Ms Lemphane-Letsie would not stop the tabling of the airport report.
“We will not let this intimidation deter us just because our report implicates a minister. We are not playing, and this report will pass because there are other members on the committee who want to see justice done,” Mr Makhalanyane, a legislator for the ruling RFP, said.
Rethabile Letlailana, from the opposition Democratic Congress (DC), also expressed concerns over the actions against Ms Lemphane-Letsie.
“We are witnessing a blatant attempt to stifle her by pressuring her through the DCEO while she is working on serious corruption allegations. This is not a coincidence but a coordinated effort to silence dissent,” Mr Letlailana argued.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Tṧepang Tṧita-Mosena, acknowledged the concerns of MPs while presiding over the National Assembly yesterday.
“If it is true that Ms Lemphane-Letsie is facing intimidation, it is fundamentally wrong. All members of this House must be free to carry out their duties without fear,” she said.
Speaker of Parliament, Tlohang Sekhamane, has also been accused of being part of efforts to stall the tabling of the report.
Official leader of the position in parliament, Mathibeli Mokhothu, criticized the government’s actions, describing them as part of an alarming trend of “weaponizing” the DCEO for political agendas. “It is unacceptable to use state agencies to intimidate those who are merely doing their jobs. This situation raises serious questions about the independence of the DCEO and its role in our democracy,” Mr Mokhothu said.
Machesetsa Mofomobe, leader of the Basotho National Party (BNP), said: “Reports that expose corruption are often stonewalled by the government, whereas others that pose no threat sail through with ease. This is symptomatic of a government that fears accountability.”
Ms Lemphane-Letsie said she remains resolute. “I will not be intimidated into silence. The truth must come out, regardless of the political games played against me.”
DCEO spokesperson, ‘Matlhokomelo Senoko, declined to comment saying she would only do so after Ms Lemphane-Letsie has appeared in court.
The case against the PAC chair arises from suspected irregularities in the parks home tender. She is accused of graft in the M26 million project. The case was first raised four years ago but there had been no action since then.
That has prompted allegations that the feisty Ms Lemphane-Letsie, who has overseen several investigations into government corruption, and has been hard on civil servants appearing before her committee, is being targeted for her work.
