Staff Reporters
THE government has intervened to halt the redeployment of 16 officers at the National Security Service (NSS) as it seemingly moves to try and resolve the paralysis at the spy agency.
Authoritative sources said Minister in the Prime Minister’s office, Limpho Tau, had convened a meeting with senior officers at the NSS, to discuss problems at the ineffective spy agency.
Minister Tau, on behalf of the PM, who is in charge of the NSS, had then halted the redeployment of the 16.
The redeployment was aimed at entrenching Acting Director General, Lebohang Mafisa’s, power by putting his allies in strategic positions while sidelining officers he saw as having been close to his predecessor, Pheello Ralenkoane.
The re-deployment of the 16 would have been the second tranche of high level staff movements at the NSS since Mr Mafisa was appointed Acting DG in April 2024, initially for three months. His contract has since been extended by another three months until October.
Upon his appointment in April, he wasted no time in reshuffling some of the key echelons of the NSS to promote his allies while sidelining others not seen as loyal enough as detailed in previous Lesotho Times reports.
The Lesotho Times has reported on the crisis at the NSS, with our authoritative sources complaining that since his acting appointment, after Mr Ralenkoane’s contract ended, Mr Mafisa had effectively run the NSS into the ground.
He was more focused on consolidating his power – in anticipation that he will be confirmed as DG – by surrounding himself with sycophants at the expense of ensuring the effectiveness of the NSS.
As a result, the NSS has largely been a bystander as crime has taken root in the country. The spy agency has failed to infiltrate and help stop rampaging famo gangs responsible for violent murders.
Mr Mafisa’s decision to re-arrange a further 16 expert officers, some to positions which are not core to their expertise, was seen as part of his grand strategy to consolidate his power.
As a result, morale had been drastically diminished in the spy agency with officers reporting for work to twiddle their fingers while the country burns from crime.
The Lesotho Times asked Prime Minister Matekane, at a press conference this week, to explain what was happening at the NSS and why the organisation was comatose and unable to penetrate crime syndicates. This newspaper also sought to know whether Mr Matekane would confirm Mr Mafisa as substantive DG or appoint another candidate and what he was doing to stabilise the NSS.
Mr Matekane could only say he was still waiting for a report on the situation at the spy agency before considering any intervention, if any was needed. Presently, he said he was not up to speed with any developments at the NSS.
“There are issues which are still being considered. So, since they (NSS) have people who deal with them, I will wait for them to report to me,” the PM said.
“I have been away…. Some of these issues I am not up to speed with because I have not received their report. But I will get that report and after getting that brief …. I can then have a position,” Mr Matekane said.
But in the meantime, our sources tell us the NSS remains in paralysis despite the decision to halt the transfers of the 16. Mr Mafisa is said to be busy lobbying people close to Mr Matekane to get confirmed as DG.
One such person lobbied is Thabo Bosiu legislator, Isaac Malebaleba, who is said to be close to Mr Matekane.
Officers also remain uncomfortable with Mr Mafisa’s close proximity to former NSS boss, Tumo Lekhooa, a criminal who is on the run to evade prosecution over a litany of misdeeds.
Lekhooa and former police commissioner, Molahlehi Letsoepa, fled to South Africa after the June 2017 general elections as the net closed in on former security officials behind atrocities. Their ally, Tlali Kamoli, has languished in prison since then.
From exile, Lekhooa and Letsoepa have been running a social media page called Liotloana, which they use to spew bile against their critics.
Noticeably, the page has been less active since Mr Mafisa took over, possibly to avoid spoiling his chances of getting confirmed.
