- wows party is stable despite CEC resignations
- accuses the press of misinforming the public
Moroke Sekoboto
BASOTHO Action Party (BAP)’s central executive committee (CEC) members, who have quit the party’s highest decision making body, were just rabblerousers whose plot to oust leader, Professor Nqosa Mahao, from the Ministry of Energy, failed.
Embarrassed by their actions and unable to look the BAP leader in the eyes anymore, they are one by one, deciding to quit the CEC.
Unfortunately, media reports by “foreign owned” local newspapers, the Lesotho Times, Sunday Express and the The Post, have sought to portray Prof Mahao as an incompetent leader due to these departures, “proof” that these papers have been “roped” into a plot by these senior BAP officials to destroy his “good image”.
This was all said by members of the BAP youth league (BAPYL) national committee, at a recent press briefing convened to attack the three papers and the former BAP CEC officials.
According to the BAPYL, nine party officials had tried to secure tenders from the Ministry of Energy, overseen by Prof Mahao.
But when the BAP leader rejected them, in retaliation, they connived to have him removed from the ministry.
This, they did, through clandestinely meeting with Prime Minister Sam Matekane, at the MGC park, to plot Prof Mahao’s ouster.
Ashamed and embarrassed, having failed to convince Premier Matekane to expel Prof Mahao, their last resort was to quit the CEC.
Adding to the BAP wounds, they youth league said, were media reports crafted in a manner that created the impression that the party was imploding. They took particular interest in reporters of the Lesotho Times, Sunday Express, and The Post newspapers, describing them as ‘embedded journalists’ intent on damaging the good image of the BAP leader.
The BAPYL press conference came two weeks after the most recent dramatic CEC resignation, of former treasurer, ‘Mamoipone Senauoane’s.
According to BAP secretary-general Lepolesa Makutoane, in a previous interview with Lesotho Times sister paper, the Sunday Express, Ms Senauoane had dropped her resignation letter in the CEC Whatsapp group, then abruptly exited the platform.
Ms Senauoane, a BAP proportional representation (PR) legislator in parliament, is the third CEC member to resign from the committee this year alone.
Other BAP lawmakers who dumped the CEC this year are former chairperson, Tello Kibane and deputy secretary-general Hilda Van Rooyen, in March and May respectively.
Another CEC member who resigned in March this year due to prolonged BAP squabbles is Chabeli Mojapela. He represented the youth in the executive committee. Former secretary-general, Lebohang Thotanyane, left the BAP in late 2023.
BAP has six proportional representation lawmakers in parliament namely Prof Mahao, his deputy-leader Motlatsi Maqelepo, Ms Senauoane, Ms Van Rooyen, Mr Kibane and one Nyaneso Taole. Ms Van Rooyen, Ms Senauoane and Mr Kibane are said to not get along with Prof Mahao in the legislature, despite being there on his party’s ticket.
In his attack, BAPYL Secretary Borane Manyeli also claimed that the Sunday Express, Lesotho Times, and The Post, had been misleading the public by reporting that BAP was imploding.
“We are aware of the Lesotho Times article which intended to mislead the public about Prof Mahao’s allegedly being a bad leader. We have seen squabbles in different parties, such as the floor-crossing in parliament, of two RFP legislators to the DC. We didn’t see foreign publications (The Post and Lesotho Times) writing about those things,” Mr Manyeli said.
BAP is a partner in Prime Minister Matekane’s seven-party Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) led coalition government.
Prof Mahao joined Mr Matekane’s coalition government in November 2023, when the latter was forced to expand his cabinet for political expediency.
Mr Matekane, whose government initially comprised just three parties namely his RFP, Movement for Economic Change (MEC) and the Alliance of Democrats (AD), was forced to invite several more parties including BAP, to avert an opposition no-confidence motion, which was ironically, supported by some RFP legislators.
Mr Manyeli related how on 30 January 2024 nine BAP CEC members held a clandestine meeting with Mr Matekane at the MGC Park to plot Prof Mahao’s ouster, after failing to “corruptly” secure themselves tenders.
“On 30 January 2024 nine BAP working committee members, had a secret meeting with the Prime Minister at MGC Park and conspired to remove Prof Mahao from the Ministry of Energy. The masterminds of this plot, intended to give themselves inflated tenders at the ministry, deliberately ignoring that BAP strives for good governance and rule of law,” Mr Manyeli said.
For his part, BAPYL president, Bokang Seakhoa, said when the plot was eventually exposed, BAP constituency committees petitioned the CEC, calling for a special conference.
Mr Seakoa added that some of these betrayers started resigning because they were aware that the leader “knew about their betrayal”.
“The Post was first to report about it with the heading ‘BAP implodes’ as they knew about that plot because some of those sellouts were leaking information to them,” Mr Seakhoa said.
“Masterminds of this failed plot were embarrassed hence they resigned from CEC and CWC. BAP CEC has had closed meetings in Leribe, Mafeteng, Berea, Butha- Buthe, Maseru and Quthing. Ms Senauoane who led the rebellion, did not attend these CEC meetings.”
He said that after snubbing those meetings in succession “it was only a matter of time before she handed in her resignation”.
“Her resignation letter which she called ‘breakfast’ was on social media even before the party received it. BAP has not officially received her resignation but these newspapers, have created for the public, the perception that BAP is in danger. Maybe as ‘embedded journalists’, they know something. Only time will tell,” Mr Seakhoa said.
Neither RFP spokesperson, Mokhethi Shelile, CEO Tšeliso Lesenya nor secretary general, Nthati Moorosi, could be reached for comment last night, as their mobile numbers rang unanswered.
However, Mr Shelile has previously rejected allegations of RFP and Mr Matekane interfering in BAP issues.
