…as PAC accuses it of illegally awarding tender to FocalPoint
…after it ‘bought’ WASCO bosses through China trip
Moroke Sekoboto
THE Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) has come under fire from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the controversial award of a smart meters tender to FocalPoint Communications and Business Development, after the company allegedly took WASCO executives to China while it was still bidding for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project.
The Committee questioned whether the procurement process had been properly followed, suggesting that the trip could amount to bribery.
PAC members also raised concerns over WASCO’s decision to award the tender to FocalPoint despite correspondence indicating that Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL), the company’s intended joint-venture partner, had withdrawn from the arrangement.
The revelations emerged in Parliament yesterday when WASCO appeared before the PAC to respond to queries raised by Auditor-General ’Mathabo Makenete.
The procurement process dates back to 2021, when a request for proposals was issued before being cancelled and subsequently reintroduced over the years.
FocalPoint was eventually awarded the tender on 2 March 2026, although the contract was only terminated on 18 September 2026.
PAC chairperson, Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, questioned why WASCO’s chief executives travelled to China for what was described as factory acceptance testing (FAT), when the company had already received a March 2026 letter from ETL indicating that it was withdrawing from the intended joint venture with FocalPoint.
She said the trip was particularly questionable because the WASCO officials who travelled were not technical officers who would ordinarily be expected to assess the technology.
Among those who travelled were WASCO board chairperson Thabo Stephen Monyamane, Chief Executive Lebohang Ncheke Makara and General Manager Finance Leboela Lebete.
“We learnt that WASCO CEO, Board Chairperson and General Manager Finance had taken a trip to China in April which was paid for by their supplier and the procurement WASCO made is questionable because you went to China after you received a letter from ETL which explains that it has withdrawn from the intended Joint Venture with FocalPoint Communications and Business Development,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said.
She said ETL had also written to WASCO’s procurement unit stating that it had never applied for the Advanced Metered Infrastructure project.
“What was also questionable is that ETL wrote to WASCO Procurement where it has never applied for Advanced Metered Infrastructure and WASCO received that letter. What is surprising is when an intended contract is terminated on the basis of a letter, which the managers took a trip despite receiving it,” she said.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie questioned why WASCO officials proceeded with the China trip if the company already knew that FocalPoint’s intended joint-venture partner had pulled out.
“When you return from China you are stating that you terminated the contract because ETL has withdrawn. You went to China for your own interest because you knew ETL withdrew yet you went and signed what you (Chairperson Monyamane) called a ceremonial non-binding MOU between WASCO, FocalPoint and their manufacturing (Liason Technology) exploring collaborations beyond just smart prepaid,” she said.
The PAC also questioned the propriety of FocalPoint paying for the trip while its tender was still part of the procurement process.
FocalPoint managing director, Teboho Nthejane admitted that his company covered the WASCO delegation’s transport costs to China.
“I paid for our trip to China,” Mr Nthejane said.
He told the Committee that FocalPoint had received its letter of award from WASCO on 2 March 2026.
“We received a letter of award from WASCO on 2nd March 2026 congratulating us for submitting our proposal for the tender. We are pleased to inform you that following the evaluation of all interested bids, FocalPoint has been selected as the strategic project. Your company is hereby awarded the tender subject to finalisation of signing the contract, the anticipated commencement date of the assignment is 18 March 2026,” he said.
Mr Makara acknowledged that by then the procurement process had effectively been completed, with only the signing of the contract outstanding.
Mr Nthajane said FocalPoint had partnered with Chinese company Liason Technology because the tender specifications required technology capable of adapting to Lesotho’s climatic conditions.
He said the China visit was intended to allow WASCO officials to verify that the technology being proposed met the specifications.
“There is a Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), we then invited WASCO to visit Liason Technologies in China to ensure that the specifications are met,” Mr Nthajane said.
He said FocalPoint paid for the officials’ transport, while Liason Technology covered accommodation and meals.
“It wasn’t the first trip because we had taken a study tour to Zimbabwe during the technical evaluation as specified to show WASCO that we are capable. We had also taken the WASCO technical team to Botswana just like the other two bidders who were shortlisted to technical and financial evaluation,” he said.
The explanation, however, failed to satisfy the Committee, which questioned why bidders were financing trips for officials involved in evaluating a tender before the procurement process had been fully concluded.
The PAC subsequently asked WASCO to identify other bidders or companies that had also paid for officials’ study tours.
WASCO senior procurement officer, Motlatsi Mohobela, told the Committee that Vodacom Lesotho and Yours Tech had covered expenses for WASCO officials during trips to various destinations in South Africa.
However, Mr Mohobela failed to point the Committee to a specific procurement provision authorising bidders to pay the expenses of officials during tender evaluation.
The issue was compounded by conflicting evidence over when WASCO’s engagement with FocalPoint had actually ended.
PAC member, Dr Tšeliso Moroke, accused Mr Lebete of misleading the Committee after he told MPs that WASCO had ended the process with FocalPoint on 16 January 2026.
Dr Moroke pointed out that this was impossible because Mr Nthajane had produced a letter showing that FocalPoint was awarded the tender on 2 March 2026.
“You twisted the truth because of misprocurement,” Dr Moroke said, adding that the Committee intended to correct the alleged irregularities at WASCO.
Mr Lebete subsequently apologised to Parliament for misleading the Committee.
The PAC’s questioning has now placed the procurement of WASCO’s smart meters under renewed scrutiny, particularly the circumstances surrounding the award, the China trip funded by the prospective supplier, the withdrawal of ETL and the subsequent termination of the contract.
The Committee is expected to use the evidence gathered from WASCO and FocalPoint in determining whether procurement procedures were breached and whether further action is required. The sitting continues today.
