Mohloai Mpesi
THE once-iconic Victoria Hotel in central Maseru is set to be demolished to pave the way for a new government office block, the Lesotho Times can reveal.
The hotel, long mired in controversy, is expected to be torn down in the 2027/2028 financial year after ceasing operations in 2023.
Public Works and Transport Minister, Matjato Moteane, told the Lesotho Times this week that the building should have been demolished long ago due to the presence of asbestos in its roofing.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral once widely used in construction materials such as roofing sheets, floor tiles and automotive components like brake pads because of its resistance to heat and corrosion.
However, the mineral has been linked to lung cancer and other severe health conditions. Reports indicate that about 60 countries have banned asbestos use, while the latest data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that mesothelioma — a cancer associated with asbestos exposure — killed 2236 people in 2022.
Mesothelioma develops in the thin layer of tissue covering many internal organs, most commonly affecting the lining of the lungs and chest wall.
Mr Moteane said besides the health risks posed by the asbestos, the government intended to redevelop the site as part of its Office Park and Residence Maintenance project, which aims to construct new government office facilities.
The Office Park and Residence Maintenance project has been allocated M100 million for the 2026/2027 financial year. However, Mr Moteane said the demolition of Victoria Hotel had not yet been included in the current budget as the design and planning phases had not begun.
He said construction of the new government offices was expected to start in the 2027/2028 financial year.
“There are three places we have identified for the construction of government offices, one of them being the site where Victoria Hotel is situated,” Mr Moteane said.
“According to environmental laws, Victoria Hotel has to be demolished because it contains asbestos components. Ideally, it should already have been demolished.
“Asbestos is dangerous because once its particles enter the lungs they do not come out. Many government buildings constructed in the 1980s were roofed with asbestos, so we must remove it from our properties.”
Mr Moteane said the demolition project still needed to be designed before funds could be allocated in the next financial year.
“Victoria Hotel belongs to the government under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. We also have plans to redevelop the Sanlam Centre opposite the (Maseru District) hospital.
“The demolition has not yet been budgeted for. We first have to prepare the project and design it. If we demolish it ahead of the budget allocation, the site could become an eyesore and a hideout for criminals,” he said.
Background
Victoria Hotel was built in 1973 as an eight-storey, first-class hotel located in the heart of Maseru’s central business district.
The late businessman Thabiso Tlelai, owner of Sobita Investments, had leased the hotel from government since 2002.
In June 2020, former Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) Director General Mahlomola Manyokole challenged the legality of the lease in the High Court. He argued that Sobita Investments had been irregularly awarded the contract during the administration of former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and had also failed to pay the required M60 000 monthly rental since 2002.
On 15 June 2020, Justice Makara Molefi granted Adv Manyokole’s application to place the hotel under curatorship. Adv Manyokole subsequently appointed M Putsoa and Associates, led by Matsobane Putsoa, as curator to manage the property.
However, the matter later took a dramatic turn when the DCEO charged Adv Manyokole, suspended DCEO Chief Asset Recovery Litigation Officer Peter Matekane, former DCEO intern Relebohile Lesholu, Ikhetheleng Matabane (now deceased) and Matsobane Putsoa of M Putsoa and Associates, as well as Mr Matabane’s Mokorotlo Communications, with corruption, money laundering and abuse of office linked to the hotel’s curatorship.
The charges were brought after Adv Manyokole had been suspended by then Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro.
Prosecutors allege that the accused deliberately appointed M Putsoa and Associates despite the firm having been deregistered by the Lesotho Institute of Accountants (LIA) since 2016 for failing to pay membership fees.
According to the charge sheet, the group allegedly devised a scheme to control funds generated by the hotel and divert them to associates, relatives and other accounts to conceal the illicit origin of the money.
Among the allegations is that M11 532.47 from Victoria Hotel was used to settle Putsoa’s outstanding LIA membership fees in order to restore the firm’s status and retrospectively legitimise its appointment as curator.
The prosecution also claims the curator account was used to channel funds to other entities, including Mokorotlo Communications, which allegedly received more than M200 000 for unspecified or fictitious services.
Additional payments included M28 500 deposited into a personal account belonging to another accused between June 2020 and January 2021.
The state argues that these transactions constituted fraud, corruption and money laundering, with officials accused of abusing their positions to manipulate the curatorship process and siphon funds from the hotel.
All the accused were granted M3 000 bail each by the Maseru Magistrates’ Court in May 2021. Their trial is pending before the High Court.
M100m for airport
Meanwhile, the long-running refurbishment of Moshoeshoe I International Airport has been allocated M100 million for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Mr Moteane said the ministry would seek additional funds if the current allocation does not complete the project.
“We have asked for M100 million from April to March next year. Last financial year we were given M100 million and this financial year we have again been allocated M100 million,” he said.
“We will return next year to request additional funds to finish the terminal building. We are allowed a 15 percent variation on the contract. Currently the contract is M187 million, so when you add the 15 percent variation it will reach around M215 million for completion.”
The project had initially been allocated M50 million in the 2024/2025 financial year, followed by M108 million last year and M100 million in the current fiscal year.
Extra costs
Mr Moteane also revealed that additional costs would be incurred to reinforce a concrete slab that was initially intended to support offices for civil aviation staff at the airport.
“Recently we discovered that the slab we intended to repair would not carry the expected weight, even though documentation indicated it had been reinforced. We therefore have to incur additional costs to strengthen it,” he said.
He added that the ministry had also considered installing escalators but was still reviewing the design requirements.
“What we cannot avoid is the extra cost to strengthen the slab. If we do not create adequate space for the new staff that will occupy the building, we will face problems.”
Runway extension
Mr Moteane further revealed that the airport’s runway will be extended from 3.2 kilometres to 4.2 kilometres under the Lesotho Integrated Transport and Logistics Project funded by the World Bank.
“We are going to extend the runway so that it can accommodate bigger aircraft such as Boeing 737 jets,” he said.
The public works ministry’s Director of Build Design Service (BDS), Motheba Letsoela, this week told the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Natural Resources that the project currently stands at 67 percent completion and is expected to be finished by 27 March 2027.
She said construction was briefly disrupted after a storm damaged part of the building in December last year.
“The terminal building has already been roofed, although a storm in December damaged part of the structure. However, repairs are now underway. The lower portion, including the first floor, is now covered with glass,” she said.
Value for money concerns
Member of the Committee, Dr Tšeliso Moroke, criticised the project, saying large sums of money were being spent without corresponding progress.
He questioned why consultants had previously approved the slab if it was now deemed structurally inadequate.
“We paid consultants to analyse the strength of the slab and were told everything was fine. That is why we believed the M187 million contract would complete the project.
“But now we are told the slab could put people’s lives at risk. Someone was paid but did not give government value for its money,” Dr Moroke said.
