MASERU — Youths from opposition political parties in Lesotho have accused a United States agency for poverty reduction of setting the controversial Land Bill 2009 as a prerequisite for aid. The youths accused the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of masterminding the proposed law and dangling it as a carrot for a US$362.5 million (about M2.6 […]
MASERU — High Court Judge Ts´eliso Monaphathi on Tuesday dismissed an application for a stay of execution by money lenders in yet another blow for the troubled money lenders. In their application the money lenders wanted the court to set aside its earlier judgment delivered last month until the Court of Appeal had dealt with […]
THABA-TSEKA — Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili on Sunday defended his government’s record in steering development in rural districts. Mosisili was addressing about 2 000 ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party supporters in Thaba-Tseka, about 190km north of Maseru. Mosisili expressed disgust at charges by critics that his government was lazy. “It is tiring to […]
MASERU — Several members of the Senate on Tuesday objected to a section of the Education Bill which seeks to abolish corporal punishment in schools. The new Education Bill, which is before the upper house of parliament, seeks to abolish corporal punishment and discourage the ill-treatment of students in schools. Senators lambasted the proposed education […]
MASERU — The Ombudsman, Sekara Mafisa, has lashed out at the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) for being callous and insensitive after it refused to compensate a Leribe man whose land was affected by the highlands water project. Mahlomola Ramothello’s residential site was affected by the construction of a road leading to Tséhlanyane Tunnel in […]
MASERU — A Ha-Mabote man is claiming M216 000 from the commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) for damages and emotional shock he claims to have suffered after soldiers shot at him while he was driving past the Mejametalana Air squadron near Moshoeshoe II. Motlatsi Magaga was driving past the airbase on June 23 […]
MASERU — Over 150 illegal immigrants from Lesotho were deported from South Africa on Sunday. The Maseru District Administration (DA)’s office said this is the largest group of deportees they have received from South Africa in recent years. Most of those deported were arrested in Cape Town where they were working as labourers at 2010 […]
MASERU — Former health minister, Tefo Mabote (pictured below), was sworn in as a Member of Parliament on Monday after eight years in the political wilderness. Mabote is a member of the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party. He replaces the National Independent Party (NIP)’s ’Mats’otetsi Mpesi who died two weeks ago. The NIP […]
MASERU — The liquidator of a textile factory whose bankrupt Chinese owner fled the country three years ago, leaving 700 workers jobless, has come under pressure from creditors to pay up or face the music. C-River textile factory went bust in September 2007 and its director, Weng Chun-Hsuan, skipped the country leaving a trail of […]
MASERU — A lawyer representing former police officer Bokang Letele has asked the High Court to grant his client M3.6 million in damages after he was allegedly tortured by fellow officers. Letele claims he was unlawfully arrested and brutally tortured by his fellow police officers eight years ago. He said he suffered pain during the […]
MASERU — The Ombudsman has recommended that a Teyateyaneng man whose land was taken by the government 27 years ago for a national project should be compensated, in a case that is likely to open floodgates for other land related cases. The Ombudsman is an official appointed by the government to investigate individuals’ complaints against […]
MASERU — A lawyer representing a police officer told the High Court on Tuesday that his client shot and killed an armed robbery suspect in self-defence. Advocate Mosoeunyane Masiphole told the court that his client, Mothobi Moholi, shot and killed Thabiso Shao in self-defence. Shao was arrested by the police at Crocodile Inn in Butha-Buthe […]
MASERU — Three money lending institutions on Monday urged the High Court to allow them to continue deducting money from civil servants until the Appeal Court has ruled on the matter. The High Court last month ordered Select Management Services, Afrisure (EEZY Management Services) and B-Blue Financial Services to stop deducting money from civil servants. […]
MASERU — Opposition leaders have reacted angrily to Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s attack, in which he called on opposition leaders to retire. Mosisili said he was surprised that certain opposition leaders wanted him to step down, when they were much older than him. All Basotho Convention (ABC) party leader, Thomas Thabane, labelled Mosisili’s speech “scandalous”. “Mosisili’s […]
MOHALE’S HOEK — Main opposition leader Thomas Thabane says selling land to foreigners would be tantamount to prostitution. Thabane said the Land Bill (2009) which is currently before parliament will have serious negative implications for Basotho. Thabane made the remarks as he addressed about 700 All Basotho Convention (ABC) party supporters in Mohale’s Hoek last […]
MASERU — Six taxi associations want the secretary-general of the Maseru Region Taxi Operators (MRTO) Bokang ‘Musa to step down. The associations — Maseru Stars, Maseru Urban, Sakeng, City Centre, Maqalika and Mabalane — argue that ‘Musa is not a taxi operator and therefore does not qualify to hold such a senior position in the […]
MASERU — Some clinics in Lesotho have run of DPT, a crucial vaccine used to protect young children against Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus (DPT) diseases, the Lesotho Times can reveal. DPT is a vaccine that is given children six weeks after birth. It is mandatory that a child is given the vaccine to protect them […]
MASERU — A police officer who is suspected to have a mental illness went on a shooting spree along Kingsway Street near Queen Elizabeth II Hospital on Monday. The shooting left a soldier seriously injured, shop windows shattered and passersby shocked. A vehicle parked nearby had its rear window smashed by a bullet. Eyewitnesses said […]
MASERU — The All Basotho Convention (ABC) youth league says the government must take responsibility for the chaos that ensured at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) last week and left a student dead and 14 others injured. They said the death of the student during the strike was an indication that the Lesotho Congress […]
MASERU — The Minister of Education and Training, Dr ‘Mamphono Khaketla has told parliament that there is a third force behind the recent strikes by college and university students over delayed allowances by the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS). In a statement to brief parliament on the events which led to the violence that culminated […]
MASERU — The Basotho National Party (BNP) this week abandoned plans to celebrate the party’s 50th anniversary because the party’s coffers are dry, the Lesotho Times can reveal. The commemorations were due to start tomorrow and continue into Saturday. Although the official line is that the national executive committee was trying to avoid confrontation between […]
MASERU — When Thabiso Mothobi escaped the gallows last Friday he thought his troubles were finally over. The Court of Appeal upheld his appeal and set aside the death sentence that had been imposed by the High Court three years ago. Mothobi and two others had in 2006 been convicted for the brutal murder of […]
MASERU — The Lesotho Electricity Corporation (LEC) has lost an appeal against paying damages to a student who was electrocuted by a cable in Mazenod in 1997. Thabo Ramokhosi claimed damages against the LEC amounting to M241 181 as a result of the severe injuries that he suffered. He claimed that the electricity corporation had […]
MASERU — The president of the Lesotho Court of Appeal last Friday attacked High Court judges for failing to deliver written reasons for their judgments. Justice Michael Ramodibedi was speaking at the close of the session of the Court of Appeal in Maseru. He said the Court of Appeal had on numerous occasions deplored the […]
in Qacha’s Nek OPPOSITION parties that are pushing for the reallocation of proportional representation seats in parliament “should get lost” because the government’s position will never change, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has said. Speaking at a rally in Qacha’s Nek on Sunday, Mosisili said by continuing to squabble over the issue the opposition parties were […]
MASERU — The National University of Lesotho (NUL) has been paying thousands of maloti for the enormous phone bill that its vice-chancellor Adelani Ogunrinade has incurred while on suspension, the Lesotho Times can exclusively reveal. Ogunrinade was suspended in August this year following allegations that he had inappropriately benefited from grant funds that had been […]
MASERU — High Court Judge Tséliso Monaphathi yesterday ruled that interest charged by money lenders was excessive and irregular. The judgment sparked wild scenes of celebration by civil servants who had taken money lenders to court over high interest rates. About 300 civil servants had lodged a lawsuit against three prominent money lending institutions for […]
MASERU — The High Court on Monday nullified an order granted by the magistrate’s court allowing the police to seize official documents from People’s Choice (PC FM) radio station. The police last month approached the magistrate’s court seeking an order to compel PC FM bosses to hand over documents to the law enforcement agency. The […]
MASERU – A 38-year-old man from Ha-Malelu in Rothe allegedly told his 17-year-old daughter that they should be “lovers as women were giving him problems”, the magistrate’s court heard on Tuesday. The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the minor, allegedly raped the daughter over a period of three months. The […]
MASERU — Bishop Philip Mokuku, the mediator appointed by the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) to help resolve Lesotho’s political dispute over proportional representation seats, has approached the Attorney General Ts’okolo Makhethe for legal advice, the Lesotho Times can reveal. Sources told this paper this week that Mokuku tried to hire Makhethe together with one […]
