Moorosi Tsiane
FORMER Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) chief executive officer, Mamarame Matela, has denied “stealing” the Authority’s gadgets, but instead accused her successor, Nizam Goolam, and Chief Regulatory Officer, Thato Ponya, of framing her for the theft.
Ms Matela said this through her lawyer, Advocate (Adv) Manthatisi Khesuoe, in a case in which the LCA is seeking an order compelling her to return the Authority’s assets (iPad, laptop and voice recorders) which she has allegedly held on to despite leaving the Authority at the expiry of her contract on 31 March 2022.
This case proceeded before Justice Tṧeliso Mokoko in the High Court from Monday until yesterday.
Ms Matela left office on 3 June 2021 after being suspended by then Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Keketso Sello.
Mr Sello suspended her in June 2021 on allegations of corruptly influencing the awarding of a M531 million tender to Global Voices Group South Africa (GVG) for the supply of a Compliance Monitoring and Revenue Assurance system.
Ms Matela subsequently denied the corruption allegations and filed an application for reinstatement. She alleges she was being victimised for refusing to solicit a M3 million bribe from GVG on behalf of Mr Sello to approve the tender. She further accused Mr Sello of punishing her for refusing to give in to his “sexual advances”. She also accused then Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro of shielding Mr Sello and penned several explosive emails to the former premier to that effect.
After her suspension, a tribunal was set up to probe her fitness to remain in office. However, the tribunal was revoked by Mr Sello’s successor, Sam Rapapa, who in January 2022, decided that she should go on leave pending the 31 March 2022 expiry of her contract.
Since the expiry of her contract, the LCA sued Ms Matela to return the iPad, laptop and voice recorder which they claimed she took with her when she left office.
Mr Ponya told the court, when led in evidence in chief by LCA lawyer, Attorney Qhalehang Letsika, that when Ms Matela left her office upon her suspension, she took with her the said laptop, iPad and voice recorder.
However, Adv Khesuoe put it to Mr Ponya during cross examination that it was impossible for Ms Matela to have taken the said gadgets when she left her then office as she had done so under the escort of security officers.
“My client received her dismissal letter the same day she was told to vacate her office immediately with an escort of two security officers. She did not even have time to pack her own things.
“She has always been denying having taken those gadgets and informed the Authority that the only thing that was in her possession was the motor vehicle which she said she kept because LCA had still not paid her dues. My client says you and Goolam are framing her of taking those gadgets,” said Adv Khesuoe.
Meanwhile, another LCA witness, Keneuoe Mohale, who is the LCA board member, reiterated that those gadgets were with Ms Matela.
“The iPad and the laptop are part of the benefits she was getting as the LCA chief executive officer, but she knew that when her tenure ended, she would have to return them to the Authority. The voice recorder was used by the board secretary but since the board secretary’s resignation the voice recorder had been with her until her suspension.
“She never returned any of those things. The voice recorder was used to record the proceedings of the board meetings and it included the meeting in which she was suspended after the then Minister of Communications (Sello) informed the board that there were some irregularities in the awarding of tender to GVG. Minister Sello ordered that we look into the matter and the board did,” said Ms Mohale.
