Moorosi Tsiane
FORMER army commander, Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, has admitted to ordering his troops to raid the police stations in Maseru on the night of 29 August and the wee hours of 30 August 2014.
Kamoli’s lawyer, Advocate Letuka Molati, told Sergeant Kamoho Mahanetsa, who has been called as the ninth Crown witness in the ongoing treason trial before Justice Maliepollo Makhetha, that Kamoli only instructed the soldiers to disarm police officers, not to kill anyone.
In this case, politicians Mothetjoa Metsing and Selibe Mochoboroane, as well as Kamoli, are charged alongside soldiers Captain Litekanyo Nyakane, Corporals Motloheloa Ntsane and Leutsoa Motsieloa with treason relating to the attempted coup against then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s government, and the murder of Police Sub-Inspector Mokheseng Ramahloko.
Adv Molati told the court that his client never intended to overthrow the Thabane administration but merely gave orders for the disarming of the police.
“Sgt Mahanetsa, later in this trial, my client will tell the court that there was an illegal organisation called Under the Tree Army, composed of All Basotho Convention supporters. This group was allegedly preparing to attack others over differing views on national matters,” said Adv Molati.
“The orders given to members of the Lesotho Defence Force that night were that they should go to the police stations and do their utmost to avoid harming anyone. They were to use live ammunition only if absolutely necessary, and the goal was strictly to disarm the police.”
He further told Sgt Mahanetsa that Kamoli had instructed his troops to allow cooperative police officers to leave unharmed.
“In cases of resistance, they were to surround the area and call for backup. The key objective was to ensure that no one left the premises with a weapon. Those willing to surrender their firearms and leave peacefully were to be let go,” Adv Molati added.
However, Sgt Mahanetsa responded that he was unaware of those specific orders, as he had not been present when they were issued.
Sgt Mahanetsa had been called to testify about the events of the early morning of 30 August 2014, when Sub-Insp Ramahloko was shot dead at Police Headquarters by soldiers.
He told the court that he was sitting in his work vehicle at Police Headquarters, where he served as a traffic officer, when members of the Lesotho Defence Force arrived.
“They knocked on my car window, and I unlocked the door. They dragged me out and began assaulting me, instructing me to go to the guard house near the gate. But another soldier intervened and ordered that I take them to the radio room instead.
“I hesitated because I knew that female officers sometimes worked in the radio room, and I feared for what the soldiers might do to them. As I was still trying to make sense of the situation, one of the soldiers told me they were not there to kill me, unless I gave them a reason to. I had no choice but to comply.”
Sgt Mahanetsa said he initially led the soldiers to the wrong floor, only realizing his mistake when a soldier asked if the radio room was in sight. He then redirected them to the correct floor.
“As we neared the room, I shouted ‘ko ko’ (knock knock). Because we were walking quickly, we reached the door as it opened from the inside. Sub-Inspector Ramahloko appeared. Then I heard a noise behind me. There were about five soldiers behind me, and I saw two gun muzzles over my shoulders. A shot rang out. Sub-Inspector Ramahloko collapsed, with his upper body outside the room and lower body still inside.”
“A voice behind us shouted an order to stop firing, and the shooting ceased.”
Sgt Mahanetsa said two soldiers then searched Ramahloko and took his firearm before dragging his body by the feet.
“They told me to carry him, but I said I couldn’t due to injuries from the assault. They dragged him face-up down the stairs to the main entrance. There, they instructed me to join other police officers standing outside the guardroom,” he added.
The trial continues today.
