…demands M5 million for defamation
Hopolang Mokhopi
THE High Court Assistant Registrar, Tebello Mokhoema, has launched a M5 million defamation lawsuit and wants the courts to bar the media from reporting on allegations that she stole court exhibits.
Advocate Mokhoema is suing journalists, Khotsofalang Koloi from The Post and Thabo Lepekola, who runs the Facebook news page Mejametalana Newsroom for defamation.
She has also sued her estranged lover, Tšenoli Thamahane, and her sister, Itumeleng Thahamane Lebakeng, accusing them of publishing and circulating false, malicious and damaging allegations about her on social media.
Thamahane, who works as a driver at the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), is currently facing charges of the attempted murder of Adv Mokhoema and the murder of her sister, Malechakane Mokhoema.
He allegedly shot the two on 8 March 2025 at her home in Berea.
While Adv Mokhoema testified that her estranged lover shot them in cold blood, Thamahane told the court he acted in self-defence, claiming Malechakane was rushing to fetch a .38 Special revolver.
He alleged that the gun had been taken by Adv Mokhoema from the High Court, where it was a marked exhibit in an unspecified case. Justice Palesa Rantara is tomorrow expected to deliver her judgement which will determine whether Thamahane walks free or remains jailed.
And now Adv Mokhoema, through her lawyer Advocate Tiisetso Challa, is demanding M5 million in damages, saying the allegations have gravely harmed her reputation, emotional wellbeing, and professional standing.
She wants the court to order the respondents to publish full retractions and public apologies on the Facebook platforms of the cited journalists — including Mejametalana Newsroom — clearly stating that the allegations were false and defamatory.
The application also seeks a permanent injunction barring the respondents from making any further defamatory statements about her, as well as interest at 18 percent per annum from the date of judgment until full payment, the costs of suit, and any other relief the court may deem appropriate.
Adv Challa argues that the High Court has full jurisdiction to hear the matter.
According to Adv Mokhoema’s affidavit, the defamatory statements were published on 4 November 2025.
She says Koloi and Lepekola disseminated the falsehoods widely on Facebook and other online platforms, reaching audiences within Lesotho and abroad.
Court papers show that the respondents accused her of stealing firearm exhibits from the court and selling them to illegal miners (Makhomosha also known as banna ba likobo).
The statements allegedly portrayed her as a dangerous person who associates with dangerous individuals.
The papers further state that the respondents accused her of engaging in corruption at her workplace, covering up criminal cases involving illegal firearms and ensuring they “never see the light of day” in court because she had allegedly sold the evidence.
According to the affidavit, the allegations were wholly false, malicious, and made with reckless disregard for the truth.
She argues that the statements impugned her character and falsely portrayed her as dishonest, manipulative, and involved in criminal activities, thereby tarnishing her reputation as a court official.
Her papers note that the defamatory statements were understood by readers to mean that she was a corrupt officer engaged in unlawful conduct.
She further alleges that the respondents intended to damage her standing in the community, including her reputation as a member of New Creation Church at M-Motete in Berea.
It is estimated that thousands of people accessed the defamatory posts through the respondents’ online platforms.
Adv Challa emphasises that the allegations are unsubstantiated and have caused substantial harm to Adv Mokhoema’s personal and professional reputation, resulting in emotional distress, public humiliation, and diminished standing in both her workplace and in the community.
