…two senior managers suspended
Mohloai Mpesi
THE Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) has suspended two senior managers over allegations of misconduct involving procurement irregularities and unauthorised loading of electricity units to sales agents.
This development surfaced during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) session this week when the company was summoned to respond to queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report.
LEC’s Finance Manager Sello Mothae, and the Procurement Manager Peo Mputsoe have been suspended in relation to separate incidents of financial and procedural misconduct.
Mr Mothae, who was absent during the PAC proceedings, is accused of unlawfully loading electricity units worth M300 000 to Bafokeng Filling Station on 14 July 2025, without the company having received payment.
He did this despite previous restrictions barring him from accessing the sales system.
According to the Internal Audit report for the year ending 2023, released in March this year by Head Internal Auditor Thato Matsoso, electricity worth M1.8 million had been duplicated and loaded without proof of payment from the sales agents.
PAC, chaired by ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, discovered that Mr Mothae had again loaded units worth M300 000 to Bafokeng Filling Station without payment, despite being barred from accessing the system.
When Ms Lemphane-Letsie asked LEC Managing Director Nathaniel Maphathe whether Mr Mothae had resumed the unauthorised loading of electricity units, he said that was not the case.
“To my knowledge, there were reversals made, and he was also denied the rights to access the system. He was not allowed to handle issues relating to customer experience, and was confined only to his accounting duties.
“His supervisor issued him with a letter to show cause, which he responded to. His supervisor has taken a decision to…” Mr Maphathe said, trailing off before completing the sentence.
LEC Head of Finance, Lintle Thamae, who is Mr Mothae’s immediate supervisor, told the committee that Mr Mothae’s authority to access the system had indeed been revoked.
“We addressed the matter involving Mr Mothae. Necessary investigations were conducted, and we are currently proceeding with his disciplinary process. Regarding his suspension, we realised that his current responsibilities do not impact sales agents, since his work is strictly financial.
“He was stripped of all rights relating to sales agents. He is now only performing duties related to finance,” Ms Thamae said.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie asked, “What would you say if we told you he did the same thing again while you were attending these proceedings? When are you going to take disciplinary action?”
Ms Thamae replied that a date had already been set for disciplinary proceedings.
“We are at the stage where we’ve agreed on the date. As for the claim that he did it again, I don’t know. I only know that we agreed he no longer has access to the system,” she said.
However, Ms Lemphane-Letsie then turned her attention to acting Head of Customer Experience, Tšepo Mololo, demanding clarity on who had loaded the electricity units.
“Please tell us who loaded electricity worth M300 000 on the 14th of this month,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie charged.
But Mr Mololo replied, “I am not aware because I have not checked the report”.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie then directed Mr Mololo to immediately return to LEC office to verify the transaction and report back to the committee with the person responsible for the loading.
“I am releasing you now to go to LEC and check the 14th of July, under Bafokeng Filling Station. You will find that on that day, electricity amounting to M300 000 was loaded without payment.
“It may have been reversed later, but the question remains: how does this duplication issue persist when we’ve been trying to curb it? Maybe the reversal doesn’t even reflect in LEC’s books.
“Bring us the person who loaded the electricity, and the one who reversed it. This continues to happen. Electricity is being loaded for people who are not paying.
“In the case of Bafokeng Filling Station, because of the trust we have in the owner, we called him once as the Committee and he said he didn’t know who was loading electricity on his behalf.
“Yet barely a week later, he was loaded with electricity worth M300 000 on the 14th of July,” she said.
Procurement irregularities
Mr Mputsoe was also grilled extensively over his alleged violation of the Procurement Act by opening bids without the presence of bidders.
The Matala constituency legislator, Tšeliso Moroke, asked why Mr Mputsoe proceeded with opening bid boxes despite being previously warned for not following procurement procedures.
“We received reports last week that you were opening new bid boxes submitted by applicants. When we left Parliament, we had already reprimanded you for ignoring procurement regulations.
“It shocked the committee to learn that you went ahead and continued with the same practices. Why is it so easy for you to ignore these rules?” Dr Moroke asked.
Mr Mputsoe explained that he was authorised to handle tenders valued below M15 000, and that all his actions were known to his superiors.
“I cannot act on anything without my supervisors’ knowledge. I report to the Head of Finance who, in turn, reports to the Managing Director. For anything below M15 000, both are aware,” he said.
However, Ms Lemphane-Letsie pointed out that the bidders were not present when their bids were opened, raising transparency concerns.
“You see, MD (Maphathe), when people complain about manipulation of their bids, it is because they were opened in their absence.
“After reviewing one bid, someone might go and tell the other bidder to reduce theirs by M10. That’s how manipulation happens. I appreciate that Mr Mputsoe admits to opening them,” she said.
Mr Mputsoe denied doing it alone, stating, “I did not open them alone, but with the procurement team”.
He went on to argue that procurement regulations allowed certain bids to be opened in the bidders’ absence.
“There are procedures that allow limited competitive tendering, where bidders need not be present,” he added.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie demanded that he quotes the exact section that permits this.
Reading from the regulations, Mr Mputsoe said, “A procurement entity may use limited competitive tendering instead of open competitive tendering where goods, works or services are only available from a limited number of suppliers. This must be approved by the procurement committee, and the procedure for open competitive tendering shall apply except for the advertisement and prequalification”.
But Ms Lemphane-Letsie warned him that the owners of the bids could take legal action.
“The owners of those bids are going to sue you. When you opened them, names appeared that shouldn’t have been there, and those are people who didn’t tender.
“MD, every move made at LEC ends up in Parliament. Victims come to us. You created an ‘emergency’ just to buy cables from a catering company. You continue with the same habits,” she charged.
She asked if Mr Mputsoe had been served with a suspension letter like Mr Mothae.
“We’re telling you that what you’re doing is unlawful. MD, I’m disappointed. We have warned Mr Mputsoe before but he still went ahead and opened tenders unlawfully. Bidders approached Parliament and confirmed that he resumed those actions. Has he been served with a disciplinary letter?” she asked.
“MD, where is Mr Mputsoe’s show cause letter? He’s breaching the law, and it seems deliberate,” she pressed.
Dr Moroke also chastised Mr Maphathe, saying all the procurement breaches were happening under his nose.
“We sat here and exposed the procurement irregularities at LEC. A month has passed since you committed to fixing the issues.
“We can’t sit here and listen to Mr Mputsoe claiming Ms Thamae directed him, while Ms Thamae says she was directed by you. What’s preventing the Procurement Act from working at LEC?” he asked.
Mr Maphathe responded, “These misprocurement issues continue despite our discussions. I instructed Ms Thamae and Mr Mputsoe to act within the law.
“On disciplinary matters, the Head of Finance issued a show cause letter to Mr Mputsoe, who responded. Preparations for disciplinary proceedings are under way,” he said.
But Ms Lemphane-Letsie pressed further, asking why suspension hadn’t followed.
Ms Thamae responded, “The suspension letter is already prepared and will be finalised today (Tuesday).”
Still unsatisfied, Ms Lemphane-Letsie asked: “How long does it take to write a suspension letter?”
