…bemoans being “persecuted” by the police
Mohloai Mpesi
A Berea businessman and owner of Molisa-ea-Molemo FM, Obed Makhatseane, who has been listed by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) as a wanted suspect, has expressed shock at being labelled a fugitive.
Mr Makhatseane is wanted together with Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM) members Kenneth Matee, Mpiti Thamae, and Mosiuoa Matsora, over a plethora of charges, including treason. Also ensnared in the matter is the party’s leader and sole Member of Parliament (MP) under the Proportional Representation (PR) system, Reverend Dr Tŝepo Lipholo, who remains in detention at Maseru Central Correctional Institution.
The LMPS last week posted a notice on its Facebook page urging the public to report sightings of Mr Makhatseane and three others.
“This person(s) is wanted for the case of treason, if seen please inform the nearest police station or call the following numbers…” the post read.
Dr Lipholo was arrested at his Qoaling home on 2 July 2025 and is awaiting a High Court ruling on his bail application. Justice Fumane Khabo is expected to deliver the bail judgment today.
He faces charges of treason, sedition, insulting the Royal Family, and human trafficking in relation to his campaign to reclaim territories he claims were stolen from Lesotho by South Africa.
According to the indictment, Dr Lipholo and his alleged accomplices also plotted to overthrow the government, mobilised support in Mohale’s Hoek and Taung, and recruited young men for military training with the aim of forcibly reclaiming land. The state further alleges that he sought military assistance from foreign leaders, including the Presidents of the United States and Israel.
BCM has consistently dismissed the charges as baseless and denied reports of any military training.
Earlier this month, reports suggested that Mr Makhatseane’s farm in Fouriesburg, Free State, South Africa, was used as a recruitment site for the alleged insurgents. He admitted that police had visited the property and questioned his wife about his whereabouts.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times yesterday, Mr Makhatseane said he was baffled to learn that he had been linked to the treason charges.
“We are surprised. You can remember the day we were talking about my farm, I told you they can go and check whether there is any training of insurgents,” Mr Makhatseane said.
“They did not do that. Instead, we heard that we have been included in Dr Lipholo’s treason charges. While still surprised about that, we then saw a report saying we had fled and should be reported to police wherever we are seen.”
He also said he and his colleagues had not been served with any summons, either directly or through their lawyers.
“When you have been charged, you must be summoned to court. We have never been told to report to the police, yet they say we are on the run. What does that even mean? I think going to the police is not necessary. We should just go to court because the charges are before court. Unless there is a court order against us, why should the police be looking for us?”
He said as a pastor, he was incapable of orchestrating an armed insurrection.
“As a pastor, my duty is to lead people to heaven through prayers. Overthrowing a government requires force or violence. It’s the very antithesis of what a pastor does. I am not capable of doing that.”
He questioned the recent decision by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to remove Lesotho from the agenda of its Organ Troika because of “progress” achieved in the implementation of political and security reforms.
He said no progress had been recorded and as such Lesotho should have remained on the agenda.
Meanwhile, the BCM has written to Prime Minister Sam Matekane requesting permission to stage a peaceful demonstration for Dr Lipholo’s release. The letter is authored by BCM deputy leader, Moshoeshoe Hetsa.
“We hereby greet you in the great name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. As BCM – Malata-Naha, we earnestly seek your approval to hold a peaceful, well-orchestrated demonstration whose aim is to present a petition for your most urgent intervention to unconditionally and immediately release our unlawfully detained leader, Dr Lipholo, who is a bona fide member of the eleventh parliament and a reverend by profession.”
However, Mr Matekane has not responded to the BCM letter.
