…over M1 500 allowance U-turn
…as LEPOSA members accuse government of breaking its promise
Moorosi Tsiane
A go-slow is imminent within the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) as disgruntled police officers turn up the heat over the government’s decision to backtrack on an agreement to increase their risk allowance from M100 to M1500.
The Police Act does not allow the police officers to go on strike. However, anger has mounted among members of the police force, who say they are preparing for industrial action after the government apparently reneged on an agreement that would have seen the allowance introduced in three phases, beginning this month.
The planned go-slow follows a 2 October 2026 meeting between the Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA) negotiating team and the Minister of Home Affairs and Police, Voeswa Tsheka, during which the association was reportedly informed that the allowance would not be implemented as previously agreed.
This has left police officers furious, with some members of LEPOSA saying they are now preparing to scale down their operations until their grievances are addressed.
The dispute centres on an agreement reached between LEPOSA and the minister at a meeting on 29 June 2026. According to a LEPOSA memorandum dated 10 September 2026, the parties had agreed to a M1500 police allowance, to be implemented in three phases.
Under the agreement, officers were to receive M500 from October 2026, a further M500 from April 2027 and the final M500 from April 2028.
But LEPOSA says the government has now effectively put the agreement on hold.
In its memorandum to members, the association said its negotiating team had met Ms Tsheka on 2 October to obtain a final position on whether the allowance would be included in police salaries.
“To our disappointment and serious concern, the Honourable Minister informed the negotiating team that LEPOSA should go back and submit its concerns in writing for her attention,” the association said.
LEPOSA described the position as unacceptable, saying it contradicted commitments made during an earlier meeting with the minister.
The association also took issue with the minister’s alleged questioning of whether LEPOSA had the right to engage with the minister or Chief of Police, insisting that it was the recognised voice of police officers.
“LEPOSA is the recognised voice of police officers, and our responsibility is to represent the interests, welfare and working conditions of our members. We will not apologise for standing up for police officers,” the association said.
The association further rejected the argument that the allowance should be put aside while the issue of police officers being retained on duty pending retirement was addressed.
According to LEPOSA, the two matters were separate and should be dealt with simultaneously rather than using one as a reason to delay the other.
Police officers had expected to start receiving the first M500 this month, and the reversal has reportedly fuelled frustration inside the service.
The current risk allowance is only M100, an amount LEPOSA says has remained unchanged since 1994. The association’s September memorandum said this was equivalent to approximately M3 a day.
It argued that if the allowance had been adjusted by 10 percent annually since 1994, it would now stand at M2 011.38.
LEPOSA says the proposed M1500 allowance was itself a compromise reached during negotiations.
A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said the allowance was intended to consolidate several existing payments, including overtime and danger-related allowances, while recognising that officers are frequently deployed across units to compensate for shortages.
“This police allowance is a consolidation of some allowances. It also includes overtime, danger allowance and the fact that our duties overlap and often officers are drawn from various units to complement other departments that lack strength,” the officer said.
The source said police officers were now angry over the government’s position and that a go-slow was imminent.
“We are not only disappointed but also angry with this decision because it looks like the minister does not care about the wellbeing of the police. Our lives are really being taken for granted and the minister is throwing us from pillar to post now,” the source said.
“This decision was taken and agreed on in the 27 July meeting, so now why are they somersaulting and trying to use the police being retained as an excuse? These are two different issues and we do not understand why the minister wants to mix them. We are not happy and we are even planning on engaging in a go-slow until our grievances have been dealt with.”
The source said the M100 risk allowance had become particularly difficult to justify given the risks associated with police work.
“Our lives are really being taken for granted and most of the members feel like the government is not really valuing their lives and appreciating their efforts if they insist on giving them M100 as allowances which they have been getting since 1994,” the officer said.
Regional disparity
LEPOSA’s concerns are also framed against what it says are significantly higher police allowances in neighbouring countries.
A comparison table contained in the association’s memorandum shows that while Lesotho’s risk allowance is M100, eSwatini and Botswana pay risk allowances equivalent to 20 percent of a police officer’s basic salary per month.
The comparison also shows significant differences in other allowances. In eSwatini, the table lists a detective allowance of E2 170, a plain-clothes allowance of E300 and a housing allowance of E3 000, while Botswana’s plain-clothes allowance is listed at M2 341.85.
The association has nevertheless urged members to remain disciplined and continue performing their duties while it engages the authorities.
It said it would pursue the matter through the appropriate channels and would not allow the minister issue to disappear from the negotiating table.
“Your leadership is not sleeping. Your leadership is not surrendering. Your leadership is not backing down. We will continue fighting, negotiating and demanding that the commitments made to police officers are honoured. A promise made to police officers must be a promise kept,” LEPOSA said in a circular.
Contacted for comment, LEPOSA Deputy President, Senior Inspector Haleeo Leluma, confirmed that the allowance had been put on hold, but stopped short of confirming the timing or form of the planned industrial action.
“We were informed on 2 October about the sudden change, however we will continue engaging with those in charge to get to the bottom of the matter because at the end it is us as LEPOSA who has to ensure the wellbeing of our members. For now, I cannot really comment much on the issue because we are yet to plan on the way forward as the association,” Snr Insp Leluma said.
Efforts to get a comment from Ms Tsheka were fruitless as her mobile phone rang unanswered.
