…as crime syndicates tighten grip
Staff Reporter
LESOTHO is facing a severe and escalating internal security crisis driven by organised criminal syndicates, with the state rapidly losing control over public safety.
This according to a comprehensive security report compiled by retired Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Brigadier Ntlele Ntoi.
ln the October 2024 report, Brig Ntoi warned that “the Kingdom of Lesotho is virtually held at ransom by organised criminal syndicates operating with near impunity,” adding that security as a basic public good was “in short supply if not near non-existent”.
The report, produced under MUM-T Risk Assessment Consultancy, documented widespread gang-related killings, armed robberies, drug trafficking, proliferation of illegal firearms, cybercrime, human trafficking and livestock theft, which Brig Ntoi said have overwhelmed law enforcement agencies.
“Different media platforms in Lesotho are inundated with reports of marauding criminal gangs,” Brig Ntoi stated, noting that the scale, coordination and precision of criminal operations have outpaced the capacity of security institutions.
He cautioned that continued failure to confront organised crime decisively could have grave consequences.
“Failure to address these ever-escalating sources of insecurity will likely relegate the country into a gangster state.”
High murder rate, rising fear
The report highlights Lesotho’s alarmingly high murder rate, citing international data showing that the country ranks among those with the highest homicide rates globally, exceeding some conflict-affected states.
“If security means freedom from being killed or violently dispossessed of one’s property, most of the Basotho are not secured,” Brig Ntoi stated, adding that communities feared criminal gangs.
He warned that continued deterioration could push Lesotho towards state failure and deter foreign direct investment.
“If this alarming situation is allowed to continue unabated, the country is likely to descend into the orbit of a failed state.”
Famo gangs central to violence
A significant portion of the report focuses on gang-related violence linked to famo music groups, which Brig Ntoi says evolved from cultural movements into violent criminal organisations.
“Initially, different groupings sprang up… to produce the best music to entertain the Basotho people. However, a decade or so into the new millennia the emerging famo groups morphed into marauding, feuding gangs.
“Acts of mindless thuggery characterised by gang-related reprisal killings became the order of the day, with violence spreading from Mafeteng to other districts.”
Brig Ntoi stated that in 2024 alone, over 300 Basotho died in targeted mass shootings, including 10 members of his own family. He identified Berea, Leribe, Maseru and Mafeteng as the most affected districts.
“More often than not, famo hit squads target and attack innocent people unexpectedly and withdraw too fast for law enforcement agencies to catch them.”
State institutions infiltrated
The report also raised serious concerns about the infiltration of organised crime into state institutions, including the security services.
“A few years ago, a piece of compelling evidence surfaced that suggested the feuding famo–Zama-Zama (illegal miners) gangs have since infiltrated the national security agencies,” Brig Ntoi wrote.
He said weapons have gone missing from police stations in Mafeteng, Maseru and Morija, contributing to the widespread availability of illegal firearms.
“Society is awash with illegal arms to the extent that most trivial communal disputes are being solved through the barrel of a gun.
“This development has made AU’s Silencing the Guns agenda by 2030 an elusive dream in Lesotho,” he said.
Drugs, cybercrime and youth unemployment
Brig Ntoi identified drug trafficking as a major destabilising factor, linking it directly to violent crime, family breakdown and economic decline.
“Drug trafficking is a growing and cross-cutting threat,” Brig Ntoi stated, adding that intelligence reports indicate the presence of “adequately equipped illicit drug processing plants in Lesotho” operated by foreign nationals.
“Crystal methamphetamine is found in almost every nook and cranny of the capital, Maseru, while law enforcement efforts are undermined by corruption.
“Efforts calculated to combat illicit drug production and distribution are frustrated by huge bribes,” the report states.
Brig Ntoi also highlighted cyber threats, citing recent cyber-attacks on the Central Bank of Lesotho which nearly paralysed economic activity, and warns that Lesotho lacks a comprehensive cyber-security strategy.
Youth unemployment is described as a growing security risk.
“The presence of idle and unemployed young people is emerging as a catalyst for internal instability,” he warned, cautioning that ignored grievances could lead to unrest similar to the 1998 riots.
In 1998, Lesotho was plunged into a political and security crisis following the country’s general election, which was won overwhelmingly by the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). Opposition parties rejected the results, alleging fraud, and staged prolonged protests that paralysed Maseru and other parts of the country. Tensions escalated into a mutiny within sections of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), raising fears of a coup and the collapse of constitutional order. In September 1998, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), led by South Africa with support from Botswana, deployed troops to Lesotho to restore stability. The intervention was marked by fierce fighting, widespread looting, and extensive destruction of property, particularly in Maseru’s commercial areas.
Terrorism risk overlooked
The report further warned that Lesotho was unprepared for potential terrorist threats despite having deployed troops to Mozambique under the SADC Mission.
“Terrorism respects no borders,” Brig Ntoi stated, criticising the failure to implement counter-terrorism measures domestically.
He said Lesotho passports were found in the possession of Islamist insurgents killed in Mozambique, a development he said should have triggered urgent security reviews but was instead ignored due to “It Won’t Happen to Me Syndrome”.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) launched the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) on 15 July 2021 to assist the Mozambican government in combating Islamist insurgents in the northern Cabo Delgado province. The mission sought to restore peace and security, conduct joint operations with Rwandan forces, and provide humanitarian assistance to displaced communities. In August 2023, SADC resolved to terminate the mission, with a phased withdrawal that began in December 2023 and concluded on 15 July 2024.
Lesotho sent more than 300 soldiers to SAMIM. An initial contingent of 120 LDF troops was deployed in August 2021 following an Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Maputo in June that year. During the course of the mission, the LDF lost three soldiers—one to malaria, another in a motor vehicle accident and a third in combat.
Call for urgent reforms
Brig Ntoi called for immediate reforms centred on intelligence-led policing, stronger inter-agency coordination and people-centred security strategies.
“Deep knowledge does not fall from the skies. It is a function of intelligence endeavour”.
He stressed that public cooperation is essential.
“Success in combating gangsterism primarily lies on the support of the people. Without the support of the population, it would be impossible to root it out.”
