THERE is every reason to believe that with the fledgling diamond mining operations, Lesotho could be on the verge of considerable economic growth. For that to happen all the stakeholders – from government, mining companies to the affected communities must play their part. Hardly a month now passes without reports of huge diamond finds around […]
THE old adage that justice delayed is justice denied certainly rings true in the case of Lesotho where the failure to prosecute criminals appears to have emboldened others to follow the same path to notoriety. Ours has become a nation of murderers. We have people who murder defenceless children and women within an impunity that […]
THE Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) and indeed all other government and quasi-government entities must always bear in mind the importance of always ensuring the environment is conducive to business operations. Year in, year out we yearn for more business and if reports from the British parliament are to be believed our beloved Mountain Kingdom only […]
The physical quality and appearance of water can affect its acceptability to consumers and plunge communities into crisis. Because safe water plays a pivotal role in ensuring human health and wellbeing, its accessibility, sustainability of supplies and quality is of paramount importance. There are a number of things that consumers quickly notice when they fetch […]
Editoial THE Christmas and New Year mood has kicked-in and many people are in a celebratory mood. A lot of people are looking forward to spending more time with their loved ones and of course, to spoil them as they kiss 2017 goodbye. Most roads are already busy than normal and are expected to become […]
THE cases of Chief Justice, Nthomeng Majara and Justice Kananelo Mosito perfectly illustrate some of the issues that are wrong with our country and they make compelling reasons why reforms are urgently required. As we report elsewhere, Justice Majara has been told by government to either resign or face an impeachment tribunal for alleged over […]
THERE is an old adage about the long arm of the law eventually and always catching up with offenders and violators of legal rules. The events in this Kingdom this week fully vindicates this adage. So to all the uncouth criminals and scum who had made this country a hell-hole, with open approval of their […]
WHATEVER one’s political proclivities, there can be no denying that deposed Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been ubiquitous in both the southern Africa region in particular and the African continent in general. In his early years, Mr Mugabe was renowned as a principled anti-colonialism stalwart and an eloquent spokesperson for the ideals of colonialism. It […]
IN this edition, we interview Home Affairs Minister Tsukutlane Au, who outlines his plans to revamp the ministry which has been bedevilled by corruption and poor service delivery over the years. Among the minister’s goals is the publishing of operational standards for all the services offered by the ministry and an electronic queue management system […]
WE could not agree more with SADC facilitator and South African Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa on the importance of sincerity and political players on the part of government and the opposition to enable Lesotho to resolve its long-standing security, rule of law and governance challenges. He was speaking at the launch of a dialogue which […]
JUST when it appeared that SADC was finally shedding its unflattering tag of being toothless in the face of regional crises by acting to help restore stability to Lesotho, reports suggest that the regional bloc could be returning to its old ways of procrastination. As we report elsewhere, the government of Lesotho is demanding answers […]
COMMEMORATIONS of Lesotho’s 51st anniversary of independence are continuing in various parts of the country and we feel that the celebrations should also be an opportunity for introspection into our sad and unfortunate culture of attaching little if any regard to the sanctity of human life. Ours seems to be a never-ending tale of violence […]
The evolving security crisis in Lesotho reflects a deeply-rooted conflict requiring a robust mix of political, civilian, security and intelligence interventions. In the recent months, the new coalition government has activated crisis management instruments to work through polarised institutions while simultaneously moving cautiously to manage a complex state of affairs that could easily degenerate into […]
LESOTHO has made progress in its efforts towards ending the AIDS epidemic as reflected in the preliminary results of the Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA). The results announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, Monyane Moleleki on Tuesday, show that Lesotho is currently on track to achieving the 90-90-90 targets by the Joint United Nations Programme […]
WE are heartened by the conciliatory approach by various speakers at the memorial service for the late Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander, Lieutenant-General Khoantle Motšomotšo, suggesting the army is ready to turn a new leaf in terms of its image and role in national affairs. As we report elsewhere in this edition, various speakers including […]
Editorial OUR body politic is characterised by perennial squabbles over so many issues but one thing that is sure to unite Basotho across the partisan divide is the decision by the government to write off M43.54 million members of the Ninth Parliament owed when their term of office prematurely ended in June this year. The […]
HEADS much wiser than our own have wondered at the propensity of human beings to fear so many things including goblins and supernatural creatures whose existence has never been proven. We fear such while embracing more realistic things that we ought to fear like drugs, unprotected sex and debt. Other wiser heads spoke of […]
ANOTHER Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) summit beckons next week, with Lesotho once again expected to hog the limelight. Hearteningly, it is not for delinquency that the Mountain Kingdom will find itself on top the regional bloc’s agenda list, but for holding relatively free, fair and transparent elections. Even though some opposition parties have […]
IT can never be over-emphasised that any government must do everything in its power to engender public confidence and it would appear that the four party coalition is going out of its way to do just that. The new government came to power in the aftermath of the 3 June 2017 snap elections. The […]
THE use of surveillance equipment to spy on any individual, more so the prime minister of a country is bound to suggest sinister motives. As we report elsewhere in this edition, hidden electronic surveillance equipment was discovered in Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s office this week. Some of the devices had been planted under his […]
LAST Friday, King Letsie III called for the speedy implementation of all the Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommendations and the depoliticisation of security institutions to ensure stability in the country. In His Majesty’s Speech from the Throne in the National Assembly, the King also said: “I would like to see my government working on […]
THE pledge by the newly-elected Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) executive committee to work with government on developmental issues is commendable given the long history of self-inflicted penury brought on by the perennial self-serving squabbling among the country’s politicians. As we report elsewhere in this edition, the MFP made the pledge in a press conference […]
THERE is certainly no honeymoon period for the new Thomas Thabane-led four parties’ coalition government in the aftermath of his inauguration as Prime Minister last Friday. Dr Thabane must feel like the fabled Atlas of Greek mythology carrying the weight of the entire nation’s expectations on his shoulders. Youths want jobs; women’s empowerment must be […]
ALL Basotho Convention (ABC) leader, Thomas Thabane’s inauguration as prime minister at Setsoto Stadium tomorrow will certainly be accompanied by the pomp and fanfare but beyond that, the veteran politician has the perfect opportunity to make and cement his legacy in the pantheon of the greatest leaders this country has ever had. What he […]
THE war of words which erupted this week between Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and his Labour Minister, Advocate Thulo Mahlakeng would have been comical had they not been tragic, given the seriousness of the issues of workers’ livelihoods that were involved. As we report elsewhere in this edition, Dr Mosisili started the war of […]
EUROPEAN Union Ambassador Michael Doyle’s remarks on the urgent need to implement the reforms agenda only serves to show that there will be no hiding place for whichever government will be installed in the aftermath of Lesotho’s snap elections next month. Lesotho will hold elections on 3 June and as we report elsewhere in […]
WE could not agree more with local analysts who have underscored the need for the country to enact laws to establish oversight and vetting processes in the hiring of public servants to stem the politicisation of recruitments. As we report elsewhere in this edition, the different analysts made the call in the aftermath of […]
IT would be easy to dismiss Alliance of Democrats (AD) leader and former ruling Democratic Congress (DC) deputy leader, Monyane Moleleki’s allegations of rampant corruption in the current seven parties’ coalition government as the sour grapes of a man who is no longer dining at the best tables on the gravy train. But there […]
ELSEWHERE in this edition, the four-party opposition alliance has undertaken to block the government from accessing public funds to bankroll the snap general elections scheduled for later this year. In their statement outlining their intentions, the All Basotho Convention (ABC), Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) […]
All hands on the deck for SADC
WE have no doubt that it will come as sweet music to the ears of peace-loving Basotho that the police have started receiving training in forensics from the Southern Africa Development Community Prevention Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL). As we report elsewhere in this edition, officers of the Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS) have begun a […]