…praises Molibeli, senior officials for restoring his confidence
…as Mofomobe questions new police vehicles’ procurement process
Mohloai Mpesi and Hopolang Mokhopi
THE Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, Lebona Lephema, has heaped praises on the Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS) for its dedication to uprooting crimes despite scant resources at its disposal.
Mr Lephema said despite chronic challenges hampering the police service from efficiently executing its law enforcement duties, the police still went beyond the call of duty to deliver on its mandate.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony of the 51 out of 75 vehicles yet to be given to the police service held recently at the Police Training College (PTC) in Maseru. Mr Lephema said Lesotho police had the competence to execute their bestowed mandate despite lacking. adequate resources to “carry out such tasks as fighting crime and maintaining safety and public order in the country”.
“I am always speechless when I recognize the hard work of the Lesotho Mounted Police Services. I am convinced that indeed the LMPS is competent and has intentions to fight crimes and keeping peace, stability, and the security of the nation,” Mr Lephema said.
“To the Right Honourable the Prime Minister, I am confidently saying this because you gave me the mandate as the minister responsible for police. I therefore took it upon myself to tour all the police stations and posts across the country thoroughly, to see for myself conditions under which our police personnel are forced to operate in.”
Mr Lephema added that he had held several meetings with Commissioner of Police Holomo Molibeli and his senior officials after which he felt confident that “the men and women in blue uniform are capable of ensuring that there is peace, safety and stability in the country”.
“We fully appreciate and take to heart your problems and challenges. The first to address these challenges is the purchase of these vehicles which we present to you and the Basotho nation today for the benefit and betterment of Basotho Nation,” Mr Lephema said.
“I have a strong feeling that this time around you will be able to respond and attend to your calls on time, thus addressing the clarion call for the help that this nation has been making for years.
The LMPS’s biggest task, he said, was to prevent criminal activities from happening and ensuring that the Basotho nation lived peacefully all the time. The police will be able to implement all these when they “have resources like these vehicles.”
“We have made giant strides by installing trackers in all these vehicles, and there will be a control room office to serve the purpose of regulating their movement. This is done to avoid police officers going to taverns and bars instead of doing their work,” Mr Lephema said.
“We can shut down the vehicle’s ignition at any given time. That will compel police officers to explain why the cars were not on their assigned duty.”
Due to the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the LMPS, Mr Lephema said, the government was more than keen to furnish the police “with all the necessary resources to execute your duties efficiently”.
At the ceremony, Prime Minister Sam Matekane unveiled 51 vehicles last week comprising 25 Mahindra vans and 26 Honda Fit models. Meanwhile, the paperwork was still in process for the remaining 24 vehicles.
“This (purchase of vehicles) comes from the budget speech projections of 2023-2024 that was presented in the National Assembly earlier this year and this is the results. It is the government’s interest to add more vehicles for the police next year,” Mr Lephema said.
Since the vehicles could not get around hard-to-reach places due to Lesotho’s mountainous terrain and in rural areas where roads were almost non-existent, he said “we will make a request to buy horses in a bid to ease their work”.
“The problems that you have been encountering is a history of yesterday.”
The minister said the government would soon introduce a new uniform for the police, to replace the old, faded, and worn-out uniform most police officers are seen donning while executing their various duties.
Government would also work tooth and nail to ensure that police officers would be enrolled for refresher trainings courses and regular driver training, the minister said.
However, Basotho National Party (BNP) Machesetsa Mofomobe, who is seemingly not taken by government’s gesture, has requested Mr Lephema to shed light into the purchase of the vehicles including the tender issued for their procurement.
Mr Lephema is expected to issue a response to Mr Mofomobe’s question this afternoon (today Thursday 2nd November), during the National Assembly mandatory weekly Question and Answer session where ministers answer questions from legislators.
Today’s Order Paper reads… “Honourable Mofomobe to ask the Minister of Local of Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, to shed some light to this honourable House on the following regarding the purchase of vehicles for Lesotho Mounted Police Service: whether public tender documents were issued for the purchase of Mahindra vans and Honda Fit cars.”
