Like him or loathe him, you can always count on Machesetsa (aka Mofomobe) to toss a cat among the pigeons. And what a cat he has thrown this time! His claim that Lesotho’s top brass — Prime Minister Ntate Sam, his deputy, his finance minister, half his cabinet, and assorted MPs — are in fact proud South African citizens is nothing short of a political earthquake. The tremors are still rattling State House, with feathers flying everywhere.
Yes, dear reader, think about it. If Machesetsa’s contention is true – and he insists it is – then we are literally being ruled by foreigners. Basotho are subjects in their own country, while ministers with shiny South African IDs strut around pretending to defend “sovereignty.” It’s the biggest joke since the donkey taxi.
Yet, in the same breath, our Senate — that elite chamber of supposedly wise elders — was happily endorsing a xenophobic citizenship bill to bar naturalised Basotho from ever becoming MPs or ministers. The hypocrisy is so pungent you can smell it from here to Ficksburg.
When Hypocrisy Wears a Suit
The bill against naturalised Basotho, pushed by none other than Lebohang Hlaele, is one of the stupidest pieces of legislation ever tabled in the august House. And remember, this is a House that has previously debated witchcraft with a straight face.
So here’s the contradiction: Elon Musk, if he wanted to, could naturalise in the United States and go on to sit in Congress or the Senate. The same Musk who now builds rockets to Mars and sells electric cars by the million. But if Musk were foolish enough to migrate to Lesotho, naturalise, and try to help us out of poverty by becoming an MP, in addition to setting up Tesla Lesotho in Ha-Mabote, power our villages with Starlink satellites, and make Maseru the Silicon Valley of Africa , Hlaele’s law would slam the door in his face: “Sorry, you’re not Basotho enough because you were not born in Thaba Tseka…”
Meanwhile, a man who dashed across the Mohokare for a South African ID is apparently Basotho enough to become Prime Minister, minister or MP. Honestly, you could not script comedy sharper than this.
Thanks to Hlaele’s stupidity, Musk will be told “Sorry, you are not Mosotho enough to be an MP. You can save our economy, but you can’t sit in Parliament.”
America Builds, Lesotho Blocks
America grew great because it opened its doors to talent. Andrew Carnegie came from Scotland and built steel. Albert Einstein fled Germany and gave America nuclear physics. Sergey Brin left Russia and co-founded Google. And of course, Elon Musk left Pretoria and built Tesla and SpaceX. Immigrants made America.
Lesotho, on the other hand, has Hlaele. And Hlaele thinks we must ban immigrants from power because… what? They might bring new ideas? They might actually fix Lesotho out of poverty? They might teach our leaders that a capital city should have no pit latrines?
Scrutator says: if Hlaele’s bill becomes law, Lesotho will remain exactly what it is today — a slum country with the deepest Blair ablutions in Southern Africa.
Basotho Running From, Not To
Hlaele must imagine there are hordes of desperate foreigners camping at Maseru Bridge, begging to become Basotho. The truth? The only traffic jam there is Basotho running away, not people trying to come in.
Who, in their right mind, is dying to become a Mosotho in 2025? A country where the economy is flatter than a mokorotlo hat, jobs are as scarce as a working escalator in any government building, and ministers collect IDs from across the border like fashion accessories?
Double Standards as National Policy
And here’s the kicker. In South Africa, these same Basotho/South Africans can serve in Parliament, become ministers, even deputy president. Only the presidency is off-limits. South Africa trusts them enough to run departments with billion-rand budgets.
But here in Lesotho? Naturalised Basotho — even if they’ve lived here for decades, paid taxes, raised children, and invested millions — can’t even sniff the Speaker’s chair. It’s double standards raised to the power of stupidity.
Machesetsa claims more than 40 MPs hold South African IDs. If that’s true, then before 2018, when dual citizenship became legal, most of these people were technically foreigners. Meaning foreigners have been running ministries, passing budgets, and lecturing us about sovereignty in complete violation of the Constitution.
But instead of correcting that historical farce, our Senate is doubling down by banning naturalised citizens. Talk about selective application of the law. It’s like closing the door after the cows have already escaped, then blaming the chickens.
Hlaele’s Stupid Law
Let’s call it what it is: Hlaele’s bill is stupid. It is stupid in conception, stupid in drafting, and stupid in purpose. It’s the political equivalent of refusing to marry a doctor because he was born in another village, while proudly marrying a herd boy or drunkard because he was born next door.
Ntate Hlaele, no one is queuing to naturalise as a Mosotho. If anything, Basotho are queuing to get out. And while we are exporting our own skills to Johannesburg and London, you are busy banning skilled foreigners from helping us. Congratulations, sir, you have just enshrined poverty into law.
So, here we are. A country ruled by foreigners, legislated by hypocrites, and entertained by fools. America opens its doors to immigrants and lands on the moon. Lesotho bars immigrants and celebrates opening a dirt road to Mafeteng.
Scrutator says: If Elon Musk wants to build rockets, he goes to America. If he wants to herd donkeys, he comes to Lesotho. And thanks to Hlaele, that’s the only contribution he’ll be allowed to make.
Basotho don’t need protection from foreigners. They need protection from their own politicians.
Scrutator will continue to watch this circus, pen in hand, laughing and crying at the same time. Because really — who needs Netflix when you’ve got Lesotho politics?
Let’s get it straight
Ntate Hlaele, This is not Silicon Valley, it’s Thibella bus stop. We need intelligent foreigners to rescue Lesotho out of the poverty rut.
Scrutator will say it plainly: yours is a law designed to keep Lesotho permanently locked in mediocrity. Instead of attracting skilled people who could transform the country, we are busy slamming the door in their faces. Meanwhile, our leaders are living double lives as South Africans, reaping benefits on both sides of the Mohokare. The irony burns hotter than a Quthing chili.
For our own good, we need the Elon Musks of this world to sprinkle Starlink satellites over the mountains. We need foreigners with the brains of the CEOs of Nvidia, Apple or BYD, among others.
We don’t need anti-foreigner or anti-naturalisation laws while at the same time Ntate Sam and his merry men can waltz into the corridors of power with their shiny South African IDs?
Second class humans
And the double standards don’t end there. As already stated above, in South Africa, these same Basotho/South Africans could become MPs, ministers, even deputy president — only the presidency is off limits. But here, naturalised Basotho are treated like second-class humans.
So, Mr Hlaele, here’s a challenge: before you ban naturalised citizens from becoming MPs, tell us what you plan to do about your political colleagues in Parliament and cabinet who are full-blown South African citizens. Will you table a bill to kick them out too, or will you, as usual, only apply the law selectively?
Until then, Basotho can only watch in disbelief as our political circus continues — run by foreigners, legislated by hypocrites, and cheered on by fools.
Machesetsa’s Lion Roar
Readers of this column will know that there has never been any love lost between yours truly and Macheseta. But as said on top, one cannot help but admire Machesetsa’s grit and ability to strike a raw nerve. If his claims are true – and he insists they are – then more than 40 MPs are guilty of violating the Constitution before 2018, when dual citizenship was still illegal.
That means Lesotho has been ruled for years by people who technically forfeited their Mosotho citizenship the moment they accepted a South African ID. In other words, foreigners have been making laws, passing budgets, and running ministries in blatant violation of the Constitution.
And yet, these same politicians are now rushing to pass Hlaele’s law banning naturalised Basotho from public office. The hypocrisy is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife.
Machesetsa truly has a knack for tossing cats among pigeons. And when the feathers fly, the rest of us can only watch in awe. This time, his cat is no ordinary feline — it’s a full-grown lion. His revelation that we are being ruled by South Africans is nothing short of political dynamite. A revelation so explosive it makes the famous Molimo-Nthuse dynamite blasts look like Christmas crackers.A Monty Python skit could not script such absurdity better.
What Next?
So, what should Basotho make of this circus? For Scrutator, the answer is simple. Either apply the law equally or scrap this xenophobic nonsense altogether. If naturalised Basotho can’t serve in Parliament, then South African Basotho — including Ntate Sam Maand his merry men — should also be barred. If the law is stupid for Musk, then it’s stupid for Matekane.
Until then, Lesotho will remain a slum of contradictions. A country where foreigners rule, locals flee, and innovation is banned. A place where hypocrisy is dressed in the robes of Parliament and stupidity is enshrined in law.
This is the difference between countries that grow into global powers and countries that remain poor, aid-dependent, and irrelevant. America welcomes brains. Lesotho bans them. America says: “Bring your skills, help us grow, join our Congress.” Lesotho says: “Bring your skills, but stay outside the gates of power because you are not born in Qacha.”
Lesotho doesn’t need protection from foreigners. It needs protection from its own politicians.
And until that happens, Scrutator will, as said above, keep writing, laughing, and crying all at once — because, really, who knew comedy and tragedy could live so comfortably under one thatched roof?
Ache!!!
