…labels RFP-led govt the most corrupt administration
Moroke Sekoboto
THE Basotho Action Party (BAP) has accused the government of neglecting Basotho living in South Africa, many of whom face harassment, detention, and inhumane deportation.
Speaking at a press conference held at Mafube House this week, BAP leader, Professor Nqosa Mahao, blamed the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP)-led government for failing to develop a clear strategy to combat youth unemployment, despite its campaign promise to eliminate Lesotho’s joblessness and employ nearly all Basotho currently working in South Africa.
Prof Mahao also criticised the government for failing to provide essential documents such as passports, which leaves many Basotho vulnerable in South Africa.
He demanded that the government clearly articulates what remedial measures it has implemented to address the dire conditions under which countless Basotho citizens live and work across the border.
“It has come to our attention as BAP that citizens of this country are experiencing extremely difficult economic times caused by acute unemployment, exacerbated by rampant corruption in almost all government ministries and parastatals, such as the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC). The RFP-led government has failed to create sustainable, living-wage jobs for the population,” Prof Mahao said.
He said rising unemployment has forced many young Basotho to seek menial jobs in South Africa as domestic workers, factory hands, farm labourers, and construction workers.
“The worst part of all this is that Basotho are often employed illegally and exploited as cheap labour by South African employers. These employers then report them to the police, who arrest and confiscate their meagre belongings before deporting them to Lesotho, often in an unceremonious and inhumane manner, largely due to lack of valid passports or work permits.”
He said BAP had expected Parliament and the government to show concern about these intolerable conditions which have become a daily reality for many Basotho working in South Africa.
He said, upon learning of the government’s indifference, BAP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) resolved that its Parliamentary Caucus should urgently table the issue in Parliament.
“Our caucus submitted a notice to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane, seeking leave to adjourn the House’s business to address the suffering of Basotho in South Africa. Unfortunately, Mr Sekhamane rejected the motion, which was tabled under Standing Order 29, on the grounds that it lacked substantiation.”
He acknowledged that Lesotho has a long-standing problem of youth unemployment, which worsened around the year 2000 when South African mining companies began retrenching workers due to mechanisation.
“In fact, the RFP was elected in 2022 specifically on its promise to eliminate unemployment and to employ almost all Basotho currently working in South Africa. Yet, three years later, nearly 20,000 garment factory workers have lost their jobs.”
Prof Mahao added that with the recent imposition of a 15% tariff by the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), even more manufacturing jobs are at risk.
“BAP is appalled by this government’s weak response to the serious issue of youth unemployment. Instead of introducing a well-funded, actionable plan through the national budget, they resorted to declaring a fictitious ‘state of disaster’,” he said.
Prof Mahao further addressed the issue of corruption, revealing that on 17 November 2024, the BAP CEC resolved to withdraw from the coalition government after a difficult 12 months.
“The reason was corruption. I highlighted that it was thriving in the Ministry of Energy, which I was responsible for, and had also spilled over into LEC operations. Prime Minister Sam Matekane was fully briefed and was requested to act by removing the Ministry’s Principal Secretary, who was at the centre of it all.”
He claimed that recent revelations from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have vindicated BAP’s decision to withdraw from the coalition.
BAP anxiously awaits the tabling of the PAC report on this and other corruption-infested ministries, he added.
“They include, but are not limited to: the Ministry of Public Works regarding the Moshoeshoe I International Airport Refurbishment Project; the Ministry of Public Works regarding the Royal Palace Reconstruction Project; the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for inadequate, often late, supplies of seeds and fertilisers; the Ministry of Health for inadequate supplies of medicine in government hospitals and clinics, as well as inadequate money transfers and/or unilateral government decisions to procure medicines for CHAL hospitals and clinics; the Ministry of Trade and Industry for avoidable haemorrhage in job losses at AGOA-inspired garment industries; government-owned companies such as Lesotho Flour Mills, where there have never been any dividends paid into government coffers; and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports for the reconstruction of Setsoto and Leribe Stadiums, among others,” Prof Mahao said.
Meanwhile, Government Spokesperson, Thabo Sekonyela, dismissed Prof Mahao’s allegations, saying he is part of the people who caused the current situation of unemployment.
Mr Sekonyela said Prof Mahao, as a former Minister of Energy, failed to uproot corruption at Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC). He further described him as a politician who does not see the bigger picture when blaming the government for high unemployment.
“Prof Mahao has been a minister before, even though he has never won a constituency. He was Minister of Energy where corruption happened under his nose. Now that he has left, a can of worms has been opened. One can see what is happening in the PAC.
“Youth unemployment started before the RFP came into power. During their government, students had to be killed before they could get their NMDS allowances. Now that it is a thing of the past, they blame the current government for failing to fight unemployment.
“The government inherited a high unemployment rate and is trying to curb it. No Prime Minister has ever spent an entire day with the youth, engaging them and listening to their grievances and proposed solutions — but Prime Minister Sam Matekane did,” Mr Sekonyela said.
