Mohloai Mpesi
A diplomat has accused Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) Chief Executive Officer, Thabo Khasipe, of “engineering” his dismissal from his Geneva posting.
Retšelisitsoe Lesane, the Third Secretary at Lesotho’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, accuses Mr Khasipe of “engineering” his ouster after he fell out with the LNDC’s boss’s wife, ‘Matebello Khasipe to whom he reported. Ms Khasipe is the Minister Counsellor at the Geneva mission.
Mr Lesane told the Lesotho Times from Geneva this week that he and Mrs Khasipe, were once “exceptionally close” but that their relationship turned sour around November 2025.
He claims the bitter fallout was subsequently brought into the workplace and ultimately escalated into disciplinary proceedings after they traded allegations of sexual harassment resulting in his eventual dismissal.
Mr Lesane claimed Mr Khasipe had contacted him and told him to “leave my wife alone” . He accuses the LNDC boss of subsequently using his influence to push for his removal from the Geneva mission.
“The dismissal was orchestrated by Khasipe. He called me in January this year saying I should stay away from his wife or else I would lose my job. I believe he engineered my removal as I have learned that this matter was even discussed in one Cabinet meeting and a plot to remove me was established,” Mr Lesane told the Lesotho Times this week.
The allegations have now become intertwined with a rapidly escalating legal battle between Mr Lesane and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, with the government facing a contempt of court application after allegedly proceeding with his dismissal despite an interim Labour Court order halting it.
The government, however, has formally attributed the termination to a decision by the Public Service Commission (PSC), the constitutional body responsible for appointing and disciplining civil servants.
In a letter dated 30 August 2026, Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs Thabang Lekhela informed Mr Lesane that the PSC had resolved to terminate his contract as Third Secretary Grade F at the Geneva mission with effect from July 30, 2026, pursuant to clause 9.1.3 of his employment contract.
The letter said he would receive one month’s salary in lieu of notice and terminal benefits in accordance with his contract and applicable government regulations.
But Mr Lesane insists the formal explanation masks a much deeper personal and political dispute.
He says Ms Khasipe arrived in Geneva on 1 September 2025, after being transferred from Lesotho’s mission in New York, and that the two initially maintained a cordial relationship.
“We worked very closely, even outside work. But we later fell out, even at that social level,” he said.
According to Mr Lesane, relations deteriorated around November and Ms Khasipe subsequently began bringing their personal problems into the workplace.
“She brought those social issues into work, making things difficult for me, after the collapse of our social relationship,” he said.
He said Ms Khasipe, despite being his immediate supervisor, stopped communicating with him directly about work and instead raised issues concerning their respective duties directly with the ambassador, Tšiu Khatibe.
Mr Lesane said he eventually wrote to Mr Lekhela in January 2026 seeking intervention, but received no meaningful response.
It was against this background, he alleges, that Mr Khasipe became directly involved.
Mr Lesane says he received an angry telephone call from Mr Khasipe while he was at the airport returning to Geneva, during which the LNDC chief executive warned him to “leave his wife alone”.
He alleges that the call was followed by pressure at government level to remove him from his diplomatic post.
“Cabinet talked about these issues after I was warned by Mr Khasipe,” he said.
Ms Khasipe could not be reached for comment as both calls and WhatsApp messages to her mobile phone went unanswered.
Sexual harassment allegations
The personal fallout later assumed a more serious dimension when Mr Lesane wrote to Mr Lekhela, in January this year, laying sexual harassment charges against Ms Khasipe.
However, the ruckus escalated when Ms Khasipe also accused him of sexual harassment. He says Ms Khasipe alleged that he had attempted to forcibly kiss her.
Mr Lesane vehemently denies the allegation and says it was “manufactured” as part of a strategy to counter the grievance he had lodged against her in January.
“The charges I was facing included insubordination and sexual harassment. She said I tried to forcibly kiss her last year, but there is nowhere that she reported that at that time, only to mention them after I had reported her to the PS,” he said.
A delegation from Maseru travelled to Geneva in May 2026 and a disciplinary process was initiated against him.
Mr Lesane objects to the process on several grounds, including the appointment of Deputy Principal Secretary, Limpho Masilo Motsamai, as chairperson.
He argues that the DPS had participated in discussions concerning the allegations against him before being appointed to preside over the disciplinary proceedings, creating what he regards as a conflict of interest.
He also says he was denied legal representation despite Ms Khasipe, whom he identifies as the initiator of the charges, being a qualified legal practitioner.
“I was shocked to find that the DPS, who had actively participated in investigating and discussing the facts on 19 May, was appointed to act as the presiding Chairperson,” he said.
Although efforts to get Mr Khasipe for comment failed, the LNDC boss posted on his Facebook on 25 May 2026 defending his wife, saying baseless accusations would not taint her reputation.
“In life, one of the greatest blessings is to truly know the character of the person you love. I know my beloved wife. I know her dignity, her class, her integrity, and the values she carries into every room she enters. She is a strong, respectful and principled woman who has conducted herself with professionalism and grace throughout her career.
“Falsehoods and coordinated social media attacks can trend for a moment, but they can never change the truth about who a person truly is. My love, respect and support for my wife remain absolute and unwavering. I love you Matebello Tsepiso Khasipe,” Mr Khasipe wrote on his Facebook.
Mr Khasipe appeared to have been responding to social media allegations that his wife had been having an affair with Mr Lesane. The Lesotho Times asked Mr Lesane to explain if he had conducted a romantic affair with Mr Khasipe’s wife. He could only say they had once had “a close social relationship”.
Courts
The dispute subsequently escalated from the workplace to the courts.
On 1 July 2026, the Labour Court stayed the disciplinary hearing against Mr Lesane pending final determination of his main case challenging the disciplinary proceedings. That main case is due to be heard on 2 October 2026.
The order interdicted Mr Lekhela and officials under his control from proceeding with the hearing and directed that the disciplinary record and minutes formulating the charges against Mr Lesane be submitted to the court.
Mr Lesane nevertheless says the government continued taking steps against him.
He alleges that shortly after the July order, Mr Lekhela instructed him to report to Maseru. Arrangements were made for him and Ms Khasipe to travel from Geneva to Lesotho on 9 July.
A meeting eventually took place on 23 July in Maseru, where, according to Mr Lesane, he was now facing charges of not reporting for work.
“We were both accused of failing to report for duty in Geneva, and I explained that I had asked the ambassador (Khatibe) to allow me to work from home because I feared Ms Khasipe would make further, more serious allegations against me, possibly resulting in me being jailed. My request was approved, and I provided evidence of this, as the application and its approval were communicated via email,” Mr Lesane said.
The dispute escalated further when Mr Lekhela served Mr Lesane with a dismissal letter on 30 July.
“What surprises me is that the PS charged both of us (with Ms Khasipe) but she remains at work while I have been fired without a hearing, and while my case is still before court.”
Mr Lesane returned to court and, on 7 August, obtained another interim order staying implementation of the dismissal pending determination of his main challenge.
That order required that his status, salary, allowances and diplomatic accreditation be maintained. It also barred the ministry from recalling him from Geneva, evicting his family from their official residence, withholding rent or utility payments, cutting his children’s school fees or appointing a replacement Third Secretary.
Fresh contempt battle
Despite the order, Mr Lesane alleges that the government continued acting as though his dismissal had taken effect.
Through his lawyers, Pilt Legal Chambers, he wrote to Attorney General Advocate Rapelang Motsieloa KC on 26 August warning that he would launch contempt proceedings if the government did not stop implementing the dismissal.
He alleges that the government had told the Swiss authorities to revoke his credentials, issued instructions to the Geneva mission to purchase air tickets for him and his family to return to Lesotho, while his children’s school fees were stopped and his access to the mission’s banking platform was withdrawn.
His lawyers described the conduct as an attempt to render the Labour Court’s order “nugatory” and demanded that the government cancel the repatriation arrangements, settle outstanding school fees and restore his banking authority.
Mr Lesane says he refused to return to Lesotho and has now launched contempt proceedings while remaining in Geneva.
His lawyers have warned that, should Mr Lekhela fail to comply, they will seek criminal contempt proceedings and the personal committal of the PS to prison.
They have also indicated that they will seek punitive costs against the PS personally.
PAC politics
The Geneva saga has also acquired a political dimension.
Mr Lesane is deputy leader of the Machaba Lemphane-Letsie led Hope-Mphatlalatsane party. Apart from the Khasipe element, he also links his dismissal to the work of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has been crusading against government corruption and mismanagement.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie chairs the PAC which has been grilling different government ministries for misappropriation of public funds and corruption.
Mr Lesane alleges that the government views the committee as hostile and that his political association with its chairperson has contributed to the campaign against him.
“When PAC started working under ‘M’e ‘Machabana, they accused Hope of fighting the government and that we were no longer supporting the government, and therefore wanted to get rid of me but did not know how. These issues regarding Ms Khasipe then became their weapon against me.”
The government, however, insists the dismissal is a result of a resolution of the PSC and not based Mr Lesane’s political activities or fallout with Ms Khasipe.
Efforts to get comment from Ms Khasipe also failed as she did not respond to calls and messages sent top her phone.
