—While in the US, Lipholo “lobbied” the UN to help Lesotho reclaim land “stolen” by SA
Mohloai Mpesi
AS legislator, Tṧepo Lipholo, continues to lead his one man crusade to reclaim land he claims was stolen from Basotho by South Africa, an official who enabled him to travel to the United States to push his campaign has been suspended.
Japan Mntambo, the Director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, issued a “Note Verbal” that enabled Dr Lipholo to access a US visa to travel to the UN.
But Mr Mntambo now stands accused of issuing the “Note Verbal” illegally because Dr Lipholo’s trip had not been authorised by Parliament.
Dr Lipholo is the sole proportional representation MP for his Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM) in the current Parliament.
In the US, Dr Lipholo claimed he had lobbied the offices of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Trump administration for help in reclaiming Lesotho’s “stolen” land.
In 2023 and 2024, he introduced motions in parliament calling for the return of the land including the whole of the Free State province.
Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s coalition, fearing it could unnecessarily antagonise Lesotho’s giant neighbour that wholly surround the Kingdom, has never spoken in favour of Dr Lipholo’s manoeuvres.
Shortly after Dr Lipholo left for the US a week back, Thabang Lekhela, the foreign affairs principal secretary, suspended Mr Mntambo, for his role in assisting Dr Lipholo’s access the visa.
Foreign affairs minister, Lejone Mpotjoana, has also weighed in on Mr Mntambo’s suspension telling the Lesotho Times yesterday that the latter had acted improperly by “aiding” in the processing of the visa without parliamentary approval.
“The Ministry is deeply concerned that you facilitated the visa approval process for Hon Dr Tṧepo Lipholo, a member of Parliament, for his personal trip to the United States of America,” Mr Lekhela wrote.
“It is well known that the Ministry does not engage in facilitating private international travel for citizens. Your actions in this matter represent a significant violation of protocol and necessitate further investigation.”
The PS informed Mr Mntambo that he would be suspended pending a probe into his conduct.
The move could possibly mean the government is embarrassed by Dr Lipholo’s actions and is a way of communicating to South Africa that it does not support his moves.
Minister Mpotjoana said Mr Mntambo’s suspension was not an attack on Dr Lipholo but was only meant to ensure civil servants acted within their mandates.
“Any individual receiving a Note Verbal must be officially designated by the institution they represent. I cannot undertake any travel without prior approval from the Cabinet. Before a Note Verbal is issued to facilitate my visa application, I must first secure Cabinet approval.
“As a Member of Parliament, Dr Lipholo should have approached the Ministry with a letter from Parliament. Therefore, Mr Mntambo issued a Note Verbal for Dr Lipholo without the necessary letter of authority from Parliament…,” the minister said.
Our efforts to contact Mr Mntambo drew a blank as all his mobile numbers were unreachable.
