…PAC orders their return
Mohloai Mpesi
THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) to return meters worth M6 million, which are said to be incompatible with the company’s systems.
The development surfaced during an intense interrogation conducted by PAC yesterday at the National Assembly.
LEC was summoned to respond to issues raised in the Auditor General’s Reports and was grilled extensively for procuring stock material without following proper procurement procedures.
PAC is led by HOPE-Mphatlalatsane leader ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, along with Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) legislator for the Matala constituency, Tšeliso Moroke; All Basotho Convention (ABC), Montoeli Masoetsa; and Democratic Congress (DC) legislators for Mekaling and Malimong, Thabiso Lekitla and Lephoi Makara, among others.
PAC members also visited LEC’s storage facilities, where they discovered the incompatible meters, transformers delivered without purchase orders, and four-core cables purchased from HDM Catering and Projects — a company alleged to be non-existent.
Meters
Dr Moroke asked LEC acting Head of Finance, Lintle Thamae, whether she knew anything about the meters that were purchased from Landis and Gyr.
Ms Thamae denied detailed knowledge of the purchase, saying she “only remember that there was such an order going to Landis and Gyr to purchase meters.”
Mr Makara strongly rebuked her.
“Ms Lintle, there is no way you can say you don’t know about the meters worth M6 million from Landis and Gyr. I put it to you that you purchased meters worth M6 million which are not compatible and are not being used by LEC right now.”
Dr Moroke then asked LEC acting Managing Director, Nathaniel Maphathe, if he was aware of the purchase, noting that it is often said the MD approves procurement of such material.
Mr Maphathe responded that the procurement process begins at the User Department, then proceeds through the procurement team and the adjudication committee, before finally getting to the procurement committee.
“But on the meters that are not compatible with our standard, I really don’t know about those ones,” Mr Maphathe said.
Dr Moroke criticised him sharply.
“But you appear not to know anything. Would you say I am wrong if I say this mess we see at LEC is birthed by poor administration?
There is equipment worth M6 million, and yet here you are — you know nothing! There is something wrong here,” Dr Moroke said.
Mr Maphathe clarified that while he knew about the purchase of the meters and transformers, he was not aware that they were incompatible or lacked purchase orders.
“I know that those meters and transformers have been bought, but on the issue of transformers that do not have purchase orders, that’s where I don’t understand what happened. I know that we bought meters, but I do not know that they are not compatible. Nobody told me that the meters are not compatible or that the transformers don’t have purchase orders,” Mr Maphathe said.
Dr Moroke accused the MD of dodging accountability.
“The way in which you approach issues — by trying to protect yourself even when you are wrong — don’t you think you need to take responsibility? You are the MD.
“You are running away from responsibility. It is wrong to sit in here and listen to you when you run away from your responsibility.
It is easy for you to suspend and dismiss people, but when you have to answer about the mismanagement of funds, it becomes a problem for you.”
A visibly angry Ms Lemphane-Letsie added that many Basotho who had paid for electricity connections remain unconnected.
“There are people who paid LEC money to be connected with electricity. For nine months they have not been connected. You could be dealing with a situation where equipment gets into LEC and is then sold to other people, and LEC would buy it again. LEC has a problem which you have failed to solve. Your strategy of removing the chair (Mr Maphathe) from the board to the Managing Director’s position has not solved anything,” Ms Lemphane-Letsie said.
At LEC’s premises, Ms Lemphane-Letsie asked acting Head of Customer Experience, Tṧepo Mololo, why the meters and cables were still stored at LEC while people continued to await connections.
Mr Mololo responded that the items in question were smart meters:
“Those are smart meters, ’M’e Machabana,” Mr Mololo said.
However, he was harshly reprimanded by Mr Lekitla for the manner of address.
“Stop saying the honourable is your mother. She is not your mother. You left your mother at home — stop saying she is your mother,” Mr Lekitla said.
Mr Mololo explained that some of the smart meters had been installed in households in Ha Thetsane and required customers to be in clusters.
“They are connected by data concentrators, which is an advanced technology. They have already been installed at Ha Thetsane. The advice we received is that they should be given to a number of customers who are located in one area. We are still trying to figure out how we are going to approach the situation when they are scattered,” he said.
Transformers
PAC further raised concerns about transformers that were purchased without purchase orders and failed to meet LEC’s technical specifications.
LEC had ordered transformers rated 11 to 400 volts, but the supplier — whose name was not disclosed — delivered units rated 11 to 420 volts. The technical team warned that the 20-volt excess could cause operational challenges.
PAC questioned why the transformers had not yet been returned, noting they had been sitting at LEC premises since 25 May 2025.
Mr Mputsoe said experts were called to assess the equipment after its arrival.
“Before the equipment can be received, we have to call experts to come and verify the status of the equipment. The supplier did not deliver what we ordered. So, the supplier has to come and pick it up.”
But Ms Lemphane-Letsie questioned why LEC had waited a full month without taking action.
“You are saying the equipment does not meet specifications. Why is it still here? Because you’re saying that your communication with the supplier confirms the material does not meet specifications. Why is it still here?
“This equipment has been here since the 25th of May, it is now the 25th of June, and these transformers are still here despite being out of spec. Why are they still here? They are going to end up rotting here.
“That is how LEC procurement works — you purchase equipment and store it until it becomes useless, like those meters,” she said.
PAC has now given LEC until 10 July to return the transformers.
