- promise that more supporters set to dump AD for the RFP
- while founding leader Moleleki will now “vote with the gvt”
Mohloai Mpesi
ALLIANCE of Democrats (AD) bigwigs aligned to the party’s founding leader, Monyane Moleleki, have jumped ship and joined the ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP).
Former High Commissioner of Lesotho to the United Kingdom, Rethabile Marumo-Mokaeane and her colleague, former Permanent Representative of Lesotho to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Refiloe Litjobo, were formally introduced at the RFP’s 2nd anniversary shindig at the Maseru Racecourse at the weekend as new eminent members of the party.
The duo formally dumped the AD last week.
They issued a brief joint statement in which they asserted that while they were instrumental in forming the party, it no longer served the purpose for which it was intended.
“To all diehard AD supporters, we hereby inform you that after much reflection and deep thought on the life of Lesotho’s politics, and our vision for our country, we have resolved to leave the AD,” Mr Litjobo and Ms Marumo-Mokaeane said.
“AD is a political party that we formed when we were DC (main opposition Democratic Congress) legislators (in November 2016). We loved the party passionately and worked for it with devotion. However, we do not believe that the vision for which the party was founded is still the same.”
The duo also said AD leader Ntoi Rapapa, had been made aware of their departure and that “he has wished us well” and “released us peacefully and happily”.
Coincidentally, AD is one of the partners in Premier Sam Matekane’s seven-party coalition government, with Prof Rapapa being Minister of Education and Training.
Mr Litjobo and Ms Marumo-Mokaeane were introduced together with five other AD members who left their party to join RFP.
Two All Basotho Convention (ABC) members – Majoro Mohapi from Rothe constituency and Khemane Shokopa who did not mention his constituency, were also welcomed into the RFP.
The other five defecting AD members are Marooe Rabatloung (AD), who was also a secretary of the party’s Thaba-Bosiu number 42 constituency, ‘Makabelo Mokone from Likotsi constituency, Mantsatsi Moleleki from Matala constituency, Makoae Seboholi from Thabana-Morena constituency and Sajene Buthelezi Mekaling from number 62 constituency.
Mr Litjobo and Ms Mokaeane were known as being pro-Moleleki and were regarded as part of his ‘fighting squad’ or “elite squad” dating back to his Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and DC days.
They both served in different LCD structures, with Ms Marumo-Mokaeane at some point becoming the first LCD youth league female president.
Mr Litjobo also served the LCD youth structures, proceeding to serve in the DC executive committee, as deputy secretary-general when the party broke away from the LCD in 2012.
When Mr Moleleki fell out with former founding DC leader, Pakalitha Mosisili, in November 2016, the “squad” would follow him (Moleleki) into forming the AD. They would later secure themselves cushy posts under former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s 2017-2020 coalition government in which Mr Moleleki was deputy prime minister.
They are said to be part of the group that struggled to accept Prof Rapapa as the new AD leader after he pummelled Mr Moleleki at the AD’s elective conference in 2023. To demonstrate their resistance to Prof Rapapa’s leadership, they would snub his rallies, instead choosing to throw braai parties for Mr Moleleki. The former AD leader would also ignore Prof Rapapa’s rallies and instead spend time with his ‘elite squad’.
Meanwhile, during a side interview with the Lesotho Times at the RFP event on Saturday, Mr Litjobo said that their once beloved AD was no longer “habitable”.
He said, “a fish cannot live in a sceptic tank forever, it will migrate and seek fresh water.”
“A political party must feel like home: habitable, warm, and making everyone to feel welcome. In politics some people move in, and others move out depending on how the temperatures change. So, one will have to decide if the home is still habitable, or not,” Mr Litjobo said.
“So, when you see people leaving this party in high numbers, it is because the temperatures are cold, or perhaps too hot. It is no longer habitable for them to stay.
“I don’t want to say much about where I come from because I tried to solve the problems in there but to no avail, so, I have left them.”
Mr Litjobo was elected chairperson of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2019–2020. He chaired the Investment, Enterprise, and Development Commission of the ILO.
Mr Litjobo was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lesotho to the United Nations from April 2018 until 2022 when he returned home. He served as a member of parliament from 2015 to 2017 on a DC ticket.
Mr Litjobo said there were more people preparing to join the RFP hence “the AD should expect to lose more soon”.
“I am here to open the doors for them. I am just pulling a lot of people behind me who are yet to come. AD is going to lose more people in the near future,” Mr Litjobo said.
He also claimed that Mr Moleleki would from now onwards be voting with the government in the parliament “should there be any motion that need to be voted for”.
Mr Moleleki who is a legislator on an AD ticket, was part of the 61 opposition lawmakers who supported a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Sam Matekane in October last year. He appended his signature on a petition to Speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane, seeking Mr Matekane’s ouster on the 16th of October 2023.
“More people are coming to join RFP. AD should expect to lose more soon. I just came here to open the doors for them. I am pulling a lot of people behind me who are yet to come.
“People who know how conducive and accommodative a political party is supposed to be cannot stay in the AD. People who know the vision of AD and where we wanted it to go are going to leave the AD.
“Mr Moleleki and MPs who support him are going to vote with the government. They should expect that. Should there be any motion that need support, Mr Moleleki is going to vote with the government.”
But Mr Moleleki could neither confirm nor refute Mr Litjobo’s claims when contacted for comment this week. The founding AD leader’s only comment was, “please allow me to reserve my comment on this matter at this time.”
Contacted for comment this week on why she left the AD, Ms Marumo-Mokaeane who is a former Senator and ex-Deputy Minister of Gender and Youth, Sports, and Recreation told the Lesotho Times that she had joined the RFP, primarily because of its strong policies. She would use the RFP to advance good AD policies which her former party had abandoned.
“AD is a political party that I supported for many years. I became a founding member of that party when I was still a DC MP. That means I have worked for that party with all determination until this far,” Ms Marumo-Mokaeane said.
“I join RFP because I am interested in their manifesto. Not that AD does not have a manifesto. But I realised that since we don’t have many followers, we are unable to reach some of our good manifesto policies. I like the RFP’s manifesto on economic development.
“So, if we can come to this side (RFP side) and join forces, we will perhaps breath some influence into ensuring that these good manifestos are implemented. That is the biggest reason why we joined RFP.”
Asked whether internal AD conflicts had contributed to her decision to quit, Ms Marumo-Mokaeane downplayed that as a reason, unlike Mr Litjobo who was blunt that the conflicts had played a part in his decision to dump the party.
“There are conflicts and misunderstandings in any organisation. I don’t believe that when we have a good implementation of manifestos, the conflict issue can cause us to desert the party because even in the RFP there are still conflicts and infighting,” Ms Marumo-Mokaeane said.
“What I am aiming at, as a person who has worked in parliament and government, is to see delivery and implementation of good policies. The internal conflicts are neither here nor there…..I can’t leave a political party due to factionalism.
“To me factionalism is nothing. What is more important is implementation of manifestos to better Basotho’s lives.”
