- Accused of treating the church like a personal “fief”
- Accused of leaving “poor Diocese” in M5 million debt
Mohloai Mpesi
A disgruntled priest of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa – Lesotho chapter, Reverend Lebohang Kheekhe, has accused the outgoing Diocesan Bishop of Lesotho, Right Reverend Dr Vincentia Kgabe, of bringing the church into disrepute and allegedly mismanaging the Diocese.
Dr Kgabe was in September appointed the new Bishop of the Diocese of Pretoria in South Africa, with her term in Lesotho ending on 30 November 2025.
Rev Kheekhe, a Butha-Buthe Anglican Church priest, penned two strongly worded letters dated 27 November 2025, addressed to both the congregation and Dr Kgabe.
In the letters, he accuses Dr Kgabe of planning to ordain “two undeserving and ill-prepared candidates” to the Diaconate on Saturday, 6 December 2025.
The letters preceded Dr Kgabe’s own correspondence of 1 December 2025, in which she informed the Diocese about the appointment of Venerable Matsietso J. Duma as Vicar General.
In that letter, she stated that in accordance with Canon 22, Section 1 of the Constitution and Canons of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Metropolitan and Archbishop of Cape Town, The Most Rev Dr Thabo C. Makgoba, is required to appoint a Vicar General to represent him in the Diocese of Lesotho and to fulfil duties outlined in Canon 4.8(c).
“His Grace Thabo Makgopa has appointed the Venerable Matsietso J. Duma as Vicar General and has requested that I license her during the ordination service on Saturday, 6th December 2025,” the letter reads.
Rev Kheekhe’s first letter, titled “Urgent request to you to advise Bishop Kgabe to desist from bringing the Diocese into disrepute…” accuses Dr Kgabe of reneging on her enthronement promises, deserting the poor Diocese for the richer Diocese of Pretoria, and insisting on ordaining people who have not undergone proper preparation.
He argues that candidates for ordination must undergo rigorous testing to confirm their suitability, something he says did not happen with the two individuals.
“Bishop Kgabe will not be honest when presenting the two people as having been prepared (see APB Pg575, N0 7) she merely wants to further her own interests at the expense of the well-being of this poor Diocese (the Diocese she declared insolvent and in debt of M5 million in July 2025 at Lithoteng - Christ the Healer),” the letter reads.
He urges congregants to advise Dr Kgabe to avoid what he calls “drama” that would expose her incompetence as a bishop.
“She should not be allowed to ordain a problem for the coming Bishop and the Diocese. Oho hle ‘M’e, ha a hauhele diocese ena hle rea kopa (please have mercy on our diocese). She will no longer be the bishop of this poor Diocese from the 1st of December 2025.”
The second letter, addressed directly to Dr Kgabe and titled “An urgent appeal to stop any further abuse and harassment of our Diocese…”, accuses her of seeking personal glory and gratification.
“Please Refrain from conducting the uncanonical Ordination of the two underserved and ill-equipped people to the Diaconate on the 6th of December 2025 after your cut-off date (30th November 2025) as the Bishop of this Diocese.
“May I humbly and quietly advise you to refrain from this purported undesirable activity that degrades the ministry of God’s church and brings the church into disrepute.
“This ordination is not for the benefit of the church, not for the good of those who want to be assisted to serve God’s church. It is really a mockery of the ordained ministry. It is merely for your personal glorification.”
It further demands that she hand over all Diocesan assets in her custody, alleging that she has been running the Diocese alone and relying on three “self-made Canons” who should exit the scene once she leaves.
The letter accuses her of being a novice bishop with no vision for the poor Diocese, of autocratic leadership, and of distancing herself from priests except those she favoured.
It criticises her for running the Synod without direction, providing no Bishop’s Charge, disregarding church canons, failing to resolve the dispute over the MU House, and surrounding herself with inexperienced individuals who rendered Diocesan structures dysfunctional.
It further accuses her of using her personal vehicle without proper oversight, acquiring a second vehicle like her predecessors, running church affairs through social media, and treating the Diocese as her own “fief”.
The letter concludes that she escalated the Diocese’s problems and mismanagement, worsened the M5 million historical debt revealed in July 2025, and continued ordaining unsuitable and unqualified people.
It states that by deserting the Diocese and reneging on her enthronement promises to respect and defend its rights, she has shirked her responsibilities.
It says this “marks the end of the bishop’s church and the beginning of the people’s church”, and demands that she hands over all Diocesan assets, including furniture purchased by Diocesan Guilds, to the Dean, Diocesan Chancellor, Diocesan Registrar, Deputy Chairperson of the Trust Board, and the Diocesan Council.
Dr Kgabe responds
Speaking to this publication last night, Dr Kgabe dismissed the allegations as baseless and without merit.
“I am meeting with Revd Kheekhe tomorrow (today) because I answered him and told him that these allegations he is talking about are baseless and have no merit.
“There is only one process of ordaining people in Anglican Church and the eight that I have ordained followed the same procedure.
“I don’t have evidence of fraudulence he is talking about. I told him in a letter that there is nothing like that, we have processes in Anglican Church, and I am not going to allow myself at the last minute to do unlawful activities.”
She also stated that the ordination had been planned long before her appointment to Pretoria and was announced during a Diocesan Council meeting on 21 August 2025.
Regarding the M5 million debt, Dr Kgabe explained that she found the Diocese already indebted when she arrived four years ago.
She said she tasked the leadership to propose strategies to repay the debt but, instead of coming up with solutions, Rev Kheekhe chose to “defame” her with unfounded accusations. She also said she had reported the matter to the Archbishop, who would address it.
