MASERU — The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will meet tomorrow to discuss the implications of Sir Ketumile Masire’s report on the allocation of proportional representation seats in parliament. The meeting will discuss other matters but sources say the main agenda will be the issue of the disputed allocation of seats. The IEC is under immense […]
MASERU — The director of the beleaguered MKM, Simon Thebe ea Khale, is in trouble again. This time it’s not about his alleged failure to pay depositors or operating banking and insurance business. He is facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to report an accident at his company. Thebe ea Khale appeared in the Maseru […]
MASERU – The national executive of the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party and youth league are at odds over a letter written by some party youths calling for the dismissal of cabinet ministers. The letter was written to Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. The executive committee says it does not believe that the letter […]
MASERU –– A letter purportedly written by the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) youth league asking Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili to fire some ministers has caused consternation. The youth leader, Mosala Mojakisane, has disowned the letter but admits the letter was handed to him by a youth league member. He, in turn, handed the letter […]
THE opposition is livid about the allocation of seats. Their anger has heightened following the announcement that the Southern African development Community appointed moderator, Ketumile Masire, was abandoning his mission. The government is adamant that it did not do anything wrong. As part of our search for answers this week we run a lightly edited […]
MASERU –– Disgruntled members of the Lesotho Public Service Staff Association (LEPSSA) have lost their court battle to dissolve the association’s executive committee. The LEPSSA members formed an interim committee in May to replace the incumbent committee which they accused of abusing property and misappropriating funds. They wanted the executive committee to be disbanded so […]
LERIBE –– A police officer accused of soliciting a bribe was sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of M10 000 after the Leribe Magistrate’s Court found him guilty as charged. The officer, Trooper Thabo Shale, 30, was working in the Child and Gender Protection Unit in Leribe. According to evidence presented in […]
MASERU – Judgment in a child mutilation case against Chief Masupha Posholi of Ha Ralimpe in Semonkong and 10 other people has been postponed to August 3. The ruling had to be postponed after Justice ‘Maseshope Hlajoane fell ill and could not make it to court to read the judgment. Chief Posholi together with his […]
QACHA’S NEK –– A 29-year-old man from Ha Moleleki in Qacha’s Nek could not object after being charged with dealing in dagga without a prescription and admitted the drug was his. Moora Makoa was sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of M1 000 by the Qacha’s Nek Magistrate Court for contravening provisions […]
MASERU — A meeting called by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to deal with electoral issues collapsed yesterday after opposition parties insisted they wanted the dispute over parliamentary seats resolved first. The meeting, which was held at Victoria Hotel and attended by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, had to be adjourned after opposition parties said they […]
MASERU — The government has withdrawn a gazette dealing with ministers and legislators’ pensions because of errors. The gazette, issued on May 22, was dealing with pensions and benefits for MPs, the prime minister and ministers. The Public Service principal secretary, Tsukutlane Au, said the gazette had to be withdrawn because it had serious errors. […]
MASERU — The government remains adamant that it did not sabotage the dialogue process with opposition on the dispute over proportional representation seats as Ketumile Masire said in his statement last week. The government has been on the defensive since last week insisting that they did nothing wrong. The opposition has been on the offensive […]
MASERU — Prince Harry says the people of Lesotho will be decimated by Aids if action to fight the disease is not intensified, British tabloid the Daily Express has reported. Harry was speaking an event to celebrate the third anniversary of Sentebale, his charity foundation in Lesotho. “Lesotho is such a wonderful country and is […]
MASERU — A 22-year-old man from Roma was beaten to death by angry villagers who accused him of raping a dog and assaulting two people on Monday last week. Eyewitnesses said Retsélisitsoe Ntlhanngoe from Ha-Mafefooane in Roma was beaten with sticks and stones by the angry mob made up of villagers from Chief ‘Mamohale Maama’s […]
MASERU — The government this week failed to launch an application in a South African court to extradite Makotoko Lerotholi to face charges of armed robbery, abduction and murder. Lerotholi, popularly known as Mashai, appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He was arrested on May 8 and released on June 23 on R2 […]
MASERU — Africa Media Holdings (AMH), publishers of the Lesotho Times, have announced the launch of a new weekly paper to be published every Sunday. The Sunday Express, the country’s first Sunday newspaper, is set to hit the newsstands on August 16 2009. It comes 16 months after the launch of the Lesotho Times. Speaking at a ceremony […]
MASERU – Former president of Botswana Sir Ketumile Masire arrived in Lesotho yesterday to resume talks between the government and opposition parties over the 2007 election dispute. Masire will this morning pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and His Majesty King Letsie III at the Royal Palace. Masire will meet representatives of […]
MASERU — A police officer is suing the commissioner of police and the attorney general for M3.6 million as compensation for the alleged assault that he suffered at the hands of fellow policemen eight years ago. Bokang Letele claims that he was arrested by the police from the now defunct Counter Crime Unit (CCU) on […]
MOKHOTLONG — Two brothers were last Friday jailed for 10 years each without an option of a fine for raping their 12-year-old niece. The minor fell pregnant and dropped out of school earlier this year after her teachers suspected that she was pregnant. She later confessed to the school authorities that she had been raped […]
MASERU — The Minister of Finance, Timothy Thahane, has blamed the teething problems of the government’s new financial management system on the people whom he says are still to fully understand how it works. Thahane said the problem was not with the system but with some civil servants who were operating it. Suppliers and contractors […]
MASERU — The Thaba-Tseka business community is up in arms against the district administrator over allocation of contracts to traders from other districts. The business people marched to the DA’s office last month wanting him to call for a meeting between them and the district government department heads to explain why they were not getting […]
ROTHE – All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane has accused the government of using the military to “intimidate people”. Speaking at a rally in Rothe on Sunday, Thabane accused Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili of not respecting the autonomy of the military. He said Mosisili was using law enforcement agencies for his benefit. “Mosisili unashamedly […]
MASERU — The Lesotho government is being sued for a staggering M3 billion by a South African businessman for revoking leases of his five diamond mines when it implemented the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) about a decade ago. The mines’ boss, Josias van Zyl, has dragged the Lesotho government to the Southern African Development […]
MASERU — Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili last weekend publicly thanked members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) for saving his life during attacks at his State House residence on April 22. Mosisili was speaking at the Army Day celebrations held on Saturday at the Lesotho Defence Force Air Wing in the capital Maseru. He said […]
MASERU — High Court judge Tséliso Monaphathi is today expected to pass final judgment in a case in which a former accountant with the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) is facing fraud charges. The former accountant, Peggy Thakeli, is facing M2.8 million fraud charges. Reading a lengthy judgment on Tuesday, Justice Monaphathi said state witnesses […]
MASERU — The director of Poverty Reduction Programme (Prep) Topollo Lephatsóe this week said the government is deeply touched by the death of over 50 Basotho men in the illegal mine disaster in South Africa last month. “We all know that many Basotho died in the mines recently. The government is not happy with that,” […]
MASERU — The fight for the control of PC FM has intensified. Last week the Lesotho Times (LT) revealed that Mohau Thakaso who claims to be the major shareholder of the station had written to the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) requesting that they cancel the licence until he had regained control of the radio station. […]
WELKOM — Local non-governmental organisations have appealed to the government of South Africa to declare an amnesty for hundreds of miners still trapped at Eland Shaft in Welkom. The Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations said they want an amnesty deal to allow the illegal miners to get back to their families. The call comes hard […]
MASERU — The entertainment industry was this week plunged into mourning following the sudden death of DJ Kennysto, above, one of the country’s finest jockeys. DJ Kennysto, who was turning 30 on August 23, was pronounced dead on arrival at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital on Tuesday morning. He complained of running short of breath and […]
MASERU — The battle for the control of People’s Choice FM (PC FM) reached new heights this week with revelations that the executive chairman, Mohau Thakaso, has now requested the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) to suspend the radio station’s licence. Thakaso alleges in his letter to the LCA that the licence’s condition had been flouted […]
