…prosecutor drops bombshell in court
Moorosi Tsiane
THE trial of nine soldiers accused of murdering former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander Lieutenant-General (Lt-Gen) Maaparankoe Mahao took an explosive turn this week after the prosecutor, Advocate (Adv) Lehlohonolo Phooko, bluntly alleged in court that the accused were rewarded with promotions for carrying out the killing.
Cross-examining Captain Litekanyo Nyakane — the first accused and the first defence witness — Adv Phooko put it to him that he was part of the team that killed Lt-Gen Mahao and that the soldiers were later compensated with promotions by the then army commander, Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli.
Nyakane and Kamoli are standing trial for the 25 June 2015 murder of Lt-Gen Mahao, alongside seven other soldiers who formed part of the team that went to “arrest” him on that fateful day at Ha Lekete, Mokema, on the outskirts of Maseru.
Adv Phooko made the allegations during his cross-examination of Nyakane, insisting that the operation was never intended to be an arrest. He told the court that the team, led by the late Colonel Tefo Hashatsi, was sent on a mission to shoot and kill Lt-Gen Mahao, not to arrest him as the accused claim.
“Mahao’s arrest was different from other arrests of soldiers suspected of mutiny because the arresting team had a motive to shoot and kill him,” Adv Phooko said.
“I also put it to you that it was inappropriate and irregular that the vehicles used during that mission carried blue registration plates instead of the normal green LDF plates.
“That issue was corroborated in court by Lt-Gen Letsoela during his testimony as a Crown witness. You went there to shoot and kill Mahao. You were disguising and concealing your identity so that people would not recognise you as soldiers, hence the change of number plates.”
Nyakane refuted all the allegations.
Adv Phooko then questioned Nyakane about his promotion, asking when he was promoted from second lieutenant to captain. Nyakane said he could not recall the exact date but confirmed that it occurred in 2015.
“That was after the death of General Mahao, correct? You were promoted while Kamoli was the army commander. You cannot deny that most members of the arresting team were promoted after Mahao’s death, including yourself. You also cannot deny that these promotions took place during Kamoli’s tenure,” Adv Phooko said.
He went further, suggesting that the promotions were a reward for the killing.
“I put it to you that you and other members of the arresting team were promoted for a job well done — for killing Mahao. The promotions were meant to compensate you for that act,” he said.
Adv Phooko also challenged Nyakane’s account of the shooting, insisting that Lt-Gen Mahao never posed a threat.
“I put it to you that Mahao never fired at anyone. Secondly, as a member of the LDF general staff with vast experience, he could not have pointed a firearm at anyone, especially while travelling with civilians. Lt-Gen Letsoela attested to this during his testimony in this trial,” Adv Phooko said.
Although Nyakane continued to deny all the allegations, his testimony was marked by contradictions. He initially denied being promoted by Kamoli, only to later concede that he was promoted to the rank of captain during Kamoli’s tenure.
He also appeared evasive when asked whether Lt-Gen Mahao was arrested by his juniors, instead claiming that Lt-Gen Mahao was arrested by Major-General Khoantle Motšomotšo — despite it being common cause that Maj-Gen Motšomotšo was no longer the acting army commander at the time of Mahao’s killing.
Maj-Gen Motšomotšo acted as the LDF commander from 21 November 2014 to 26 May 2015 when Kamoli was sent on forced leave. He later became substantive commander in December 2016 when Kamoli was retired under the pressure from international development partners appalled by his murderous excesses.
Maj-Gen Motšomotšo was killed in his office on 5 September 2017, by Hashatsi and Brigadier Bulane Sechele who were in turn shot and killed by the commander’s bodyguards as they tried to flee.
The trial continues with the second defence witness, Corporal Molise Moramang, expected to take the stand.
