Limpho Sello
THE Lesotho Nurses Association (LNA) has not paid its staffers for the last six months from March 2021 due to alleged embezzlement of funds from an international donor (name withheld).
A source this week told the Lesotho Times that the LNA hired a guard, a psychologist, an executive secretary and two other staffers last December after receiving M363 168 from an international donor.
The money was meant to fund several activities that include staff recruitment and procurement of accounting software among others. The activities were meant to be undertaken in the first quarter of 2021 and the donor had promised to release more funds.
However, that failed after the LNA allegedly failed to account for the initial donation earlier this year
“The money failed to cover March and that affected our salaries,” a source at the LNA said this week adding: “We have not been paid since March”.
“The LNA executive then requested more funds from the donor but the donor refused because they had failed to account for the initial funds that they received.
“The executive was asked to return the money to the donor so that a fresh donation could be disbursed but that failed. That is when our struggle for salaries started and we have not been paid for six months.
“It is unfortunate that we are being treated this way by a union which has been in the forefront of fighting for the wellbeing of workers.”
The source said although it was unclear how the money was spent, the executive was in the practice of hiring expensive hotels for executive meetings.
Contacted for comment, LNA treasurer, Vuyani Dlakavu, told this publication that he would not comment on allegations raised by a third party. He said if the LNA staff had any problems, it must approach the executive instead of going to the media.
He added that the LNA staff’s salaries are supposed to be paid by donor funds.
