…as QMMH bosses demand her recusal
…labels her “corrupt and unfit” to lead PAC
Mohloai Mpesi
A parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry into the administration of Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) took a dramatic turn this week, with PAC chairperson ’Machabana Lemphane-Letsie being asked to recuse herself from her position as chairperson because she herself is “corrupt” and thus “unfit” to lead a body tasked with probing graft.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie is accused of ridiculing senior government officials who appear before the Committee despite her being subject to corruption charges filed by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) in the Maseru Magistrates Court.
This is according to QMMH Managing Director Dr ‘Makhoase Ranyali and the hospital’s Deputy Managing Director for Human Capital, Planning and Contracts, Thenjiwe Dlangamandla, who have petitioned the Constitutional Court to nullify Ms Lemphane-Letsie’s role as PAC chairperson.
They further argue that the PAC acted outside its mandate when it labelled them incompetent during the Monday and Tuesday morning proceedings.
“I maintain their unprofessional conduct prevented a fair trial of the issues and amounted to a gross irregularity and a negation of our constitutional rights to dignity. They were scandalising us,” Dr Ranyali states in her founding affidavit filed at the Constitutional Court in which she seeks an order to have Ms Lemphane-Letsie removed as PAC Chairperson.
“It is this latter aspect, which is potentially prejudicial to our careers as professionals, being told we are incompetent by the person who is by right supposed to be in prison. She contends herself with the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
“As it happened, Hon. Machabana Letsie-Lemphane interprets the law to say she is the only one who must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and does not care about the potential damage to the reputation of people she interrogates at PAC. I do not agree with her approach of self-importance.
“Be that as it may, PAC is not a proper forum to conduct an inquiry into allegations of misconduct or incompetence against me. It is not my employer, and it cannot abuse standing orders to undermine the integrity of PS-Health (‘Maneo Ntene).
“The implications of appointing Hon. Machabana Letsie-Lemphane as Chairperson of PAC are very serious. She is the principal agent of John Xie, who directly controlled this country in previous governments. As will be noted, she facilitated payments of hefty public money into the bank account of John Xie for reasons known to DCEO.”
Ms Lemphane-Letsie was in May 2024 charged by the DCEO for allegedly abusing her powers while serving as Principal Secretary in 2018/19, defrauding the state of about M5,6 million in relation to a tender for the supply of Resource Centre Park homes for the livestock registration department. The case is still pending.
Appearance before PAC
Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla failed to appear before PAC on Tuesday this week, reportedly due to fears of continued “demeaning” treatment by Ms Lemphane-Letsie and her team.
This prompted the PAC to involve the police and issue warrants of arrest to compel their attendance.
However, their lawyers, Hudssons Chambers, wrote to Ms Lemphane-Letsie the same day requesting her recusal. The letter was copied to Attorney General, Advocate Rapelang Motsieloa KC and DCEO Director-General, Advocate Brigadier-General Sello Manšo.
The lawyers raised concerns about Ms Lemphane-Letsie’s conduct, citing an incident where she allegedly spoke harshly to Ms Ntene. They argued that to prevent further humiliation, the PAC chair should step aside and that the Committee should, instead, furnish questions in writing for formal responses.
The legal team further alleged that Ms Lemphane-Letsie harassed Ms Ntene by saying she (Ntene) appeared to be playful before the PAC.
Efforts to reach Ms Lemphane-Letsie for comment were unsuccessful, while Dr Ranyali also declined to comment.
Warrant of arrest
Shortly after receiving the recusal request on Tuesday afternoon, the PAC issued arrest warrants for Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla for boycotting the Committee sitting.
The hospital management had been summoned to address issues relating to operations, finances, employment policies and allegations of politically influenced appointments. Among the allegations was that Deputy Managing Director Moleboheng Tau increased her own salary by more than 100 percent.
Chairperson Ms Lemphane-Letsie stated: “QMMH management has disappeared while under summons. When this happens, the next step is issuing a warrant of arrest to bring them to Parliament. We have no choice.”
Chair of Chairs, Mokhothu Makhalanyane, added: “The PAC will not stop doing its job, and we will uproot corruption. If you feel you are being treated unfairly, raise the issue in the proper forum. Avoid actions that put you in trouble. You will go to police custody if necessary. We will not tolerate corruption, regardless of who feels hurt.”
Fraud allegations
The PAC had probed an incident in which Ms Tau allegedly increased her own salary and those of her department staff, reportedly confirmed by a letter written by Ms Dlangamandla.
“When she was acting, Ms Tau increased her own salary and that (sic) of her department staff. Fellow executive members tried to correct this behaviour but failed due to her response. Payroll Manager Patlo Khoalenyane confirmed that only he and the Managing Director could access the payroll.
“The normalisation exercise set Deputy Directors’ salaries at M42,171, but Ms Tau altered her own to M48,000 and other deputies to M44,000. The basic salary was meant to be M42,171 for all managers, yet she (Tau) changed it,” Mr Khoalenyane said.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie called the act fraudulent.
“This is not a simple salary increase — it is fraud. If a Payroll Manager sets the salaries and you override them, you create unauthorised amounts. Ms Tau made herself a ghost employee. She deleted the correct figures and inserted her own.”
Police fraud officer Retšelisitsoe Chobokoane agreed, saying the conduct constituted fraud because the approved payroll structure was altered without authority.
But Ms Tau denied wrongdoing, saying everything she did was legitimate while acting in the role of Managing Director.
Political employment
Another PAC member, Dr Tšeliso Moroke, had during the PAC proceedings said many QMMH employees were politically appointed, especially under former Health Minister, Semano Sekatle.
“Many people were transported in trucks and buses to Tšepong for employment. Even before addressing promotions or policy, we must acknowledge that most employees were not hired procedurally. This explains the ongoing challenges Ms Dlangamandla faces with employment policies at QMMH.”
The accusations and the Committee’s conduct from Monday and Tuesday proceedings, which the officials deemed disrespectful, had prompted Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla to seek legal recourse, escalating the issue to the Constitutional Court yesterday.
“As it turned out, we were embarrassed before our junior staff and the public who watched the shameful manner in which proceedings were conducted by Hon. Machabana Letsie-Lemphane and her colleagues. They have already pronounced that we are guilty, as they have done on the live and central facts in issue that PS-Health acted unlawfully in placing me at Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital.
“We were painted as dishonest people, and the PAC members’ suggestion that staff recruitment at QMMH was corrupt and unprofessional. The words connoted strong condemnation of the decision to appoint me as Managing Director. In my view, it would be invidious to ask the PS to explain what she thought in facilitating my appointment to the substantive position. There is nothing in the auditor’s report suggesting my appointment is questionable.
“The PAC is not my employer and I find it surprising that they are recklessly attacking the integrity of PS-Health. This is not what their mandate requires, even if they harbour political discontent with the interview outcomes. I emphasise that what transpired before the PAC on 8 and 9 December 2025 was intended to bring our reputation into disrepute,” Dr Ranyali states in her court papers.
Relief sought
The duo wants the court to order the Clerk of the National Assembly, Adv Fine Maema, to dispatch to the court, the Hansard and/or records of parliamentary deliberations concerning Ms Lemphane-Letsie’s appointment as PAC chairperson.
They request an order staying the execution of the warrants of arrest, as well as halting any reconvened proceedings meant to conduct an inquiry into them, pending the outcome of their case.
The applicants also want the appointment of Ms Lemphane-Letsie as PAC Chairperson reviewed and set aside as unlawful and irregular.
They further ask the court to declare that the PAC acted outside the scope of its mandate and the summons it had issued to them.
They seek a declaration that the PAC violated their right to privacy as protected under section 11(1) of the Constitution.
The applicants want an order declaring Ms Lemphane-Letsie personally liable for statements she made about them on matters falling outside the PAC’s mandate.
In addition, they want the statement labelling them as “incompetent” declared invalid, as it undermines the presumption of innocence until incompetence is established by their employer.
Finally, they ask the court to declare that the current composition of the PAC has no lawful basis to investigate human resource issues at the QMMH, and to confirm that the National Assembly is obligated to take reasonable steps to replace the current PAC members.
Adv Maema, PAC, Adv Sello, Ministry of Health, Auditor General Mathabo Makenete and Attorney General Rapelang Motsieloa are first to sixth respondents, respectively, in the application.
