- accuses Chinese businessman Yan Xie of capturing the state
- criticises court judgement barring govt from evicting Xie from state abattoir.
Pascalinah Kabi
AFTER a long lull, Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Tefo Mapesela, is back and spitting his usual fire and brimstone.
Between 2017 and 2020, Mr Mapesela, who served in different portfolios in the previous Thomas Thabane administration, built a reputation for outspokenness as he clashed with fellow ministers, the army commander and heads of other security agencies over various issues.
Ever since his May 2020 appointment to his current portfolio in the current government, he had largely laid low.
But he is back and this time the object of his wrath is controversial Chinese businessman, Yan Xie, who he accuses of “conquering” and monopolising the most lucrative government tenders at the expense of indigenous business people.
Mr Mapesela alleges that Mr Xie, popularly known as John, should not be allowed to continue to make a living through state properties like the national abattoir in Khubetsoana. He says Mr Xie must be kicked out to give deserving local business people an opportunity to run the facility.
Mr Mapesela’s remarks, in an interview with the Lesotho Times, follow a High Court ruling barring the government from evicting Meraka Lesotho and its parent company, Kerchin Meat Industry Lesotho, from the national abattoir in Khubetsoana.
Meraka Lesotho is said to be owned by Mr Xie. In 2018, the company was given a tender to operate the state-owned abattoir in Khubetsoana on behalf of the government which was then headed by Thomas Thabane. Mr Thabane was forced to step down in May 2020 and made way for current Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro.
The contract gave Mr Xie an unfettered business monopoly as sole importer of red meat into the country after the Thabane government’s controversial 2018 decision to ban the importation of red meat into Lesotho. The contract was awarded shortly after Mr Thabane had appointed Mr Xie as his head of special projects, special envoy and trade advisor on the China-Asia Trade Network in August 2018.
Meraka was subsequently awarded two big tenders by the Thabane coalition to supply the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) and Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) with red meat.
That same year Mr Xie told this reporter that he had orchestrated the deal, which placed the only national abattoir in his hands, because his ultimate aim was to see Lesotho exporting red meat to China “in a US$1, 4 billion deal without any interference”. He said the deal would ultimately benefit Lesotho’s economy.
Mr Xie, popularly known as John, is said to have fled the country early last year to avoid possible prosecution for corruption in connection with various tenders he was awarded by previous governments especially the Thabane administration which lasted from June 2017 until 20 May 2020.
Among others, he has been accused by the Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing ministry of defrauding the government of M27 million through a shady business deal packaged as a public-private sector-partnership (PPP).
In this particular case, the small business ministry’s principal secretary, Tankiso Phapano, alleges that Mr Xie facilitated the awarding of three tenders worth M27 million to three companies which are closely linked to him. The tenders were awarded in April 2018. The ministry’s case is pending in the High Court.
As reported by the Lesotho Times last week, the Majoro administration is understood to have begun scrutinising all tenders awarded to the businessman with the aim of terminating every deal which was improperly awarded without following due process. It remains to be seen whether this will actually happen or whether Mr Xie will snook the process through payoffs to officials as he has done with previous administrations.
So far in line with the objective of reining in Mr Xie, various ministries including the small business ministry have begun moves to nullify the tenders awarded to his companies.
Mr Mapesela has also attempted to evict Meraka Lesotho and retender the contract to run the national abattoir.
Despite an interim order barring him from retendering the contract, Mr Mapesela allegedly sent soldiers to evict Meraka Lesotho from the abattoir last month.
This prompted Meraka Lesotho to approach the High Court resulting in the granting of an order barring the minister from evicting the company and interfering with its business operations (See story on Page 4).
The awarding of the order has provoked a furious response from Mr Mapesela who slammed Mr Xie for monopolising government tenders at the expense of locals.
“Who gave the order? Is it an interim or final order,” Mr Mapesela asked when this reporter asked him about Justice Mokhesi’s judgement. He added, “this is my first time hearing about this judgement”.
“That is the state property. I don’t understand why the government is barred from the state property because that property does not belong to John but to the state. That person (Xie) must build his own property and vacate state property.”
Although he claimed not to have seen the judgement, Mr Mapesela still criticised Justice Mokhesi for the judgement which tied the government’s hands and protected Mr Xie from eviction.
“He (Xie) is occupying that place illegally. Is the judge saying the presence of that person there is legal? Which contract has the judge quoted? Do you think that judgment makes logic when it has not indicated that according to a certain clause of a contract between Meraka and Lesotho government, you are interfering with that person?
“The written judgement will give us all the details indicating why the judgement has been delivered so that we can challenge it.
“It is not only John who has a right to make a living in Lesotho. At some point, the ministry of small business restricted the import of red meat, forcing people to buy meat from John. It forced butcheries to close shop. John is not the only one who has a right to make a living in Lesotho, especially with Basotho assets.
“So, John cannot leave China and come here to conquer the nation.
“Judges must also be aware of this if they are the true patriots of this nation. They must take note when the country is being taken for a ride and not only interpret laws as they are when delivering judgements. I repeat, John cannot come all the way from China to conquer everything here in Lesotho by bribing everyone, judges and all other people.
“Those people are illegally occupying that place because that contract was not in order. It was not in order because it was not even approved by the cabinet. The contract which placed them there expired in 2018 and there has never been a renewal after that.”
Although Meraka was awarded the tender during Mr Thabane’s tenure, Mr Mapesela said the contract had its origins in the Pakalitha Mosisili-led administration which preceded it. He alleged that Ms ‘Mapalesa Mothokho, who served as agriculture minister in the Mosisili government, went to China and negotiated to bring in a company called Kerchin in a joint venture with Meraka Lesotho to run the national abattoir.
He however, could not explain how the said joint venture was then allowed by the Thabane government to operate the national abattoir.
He also could not explain why Meraka Lesotho had not been evicted if its contract was illegal as he claimed.
“I don’t know why they were not expelled. Don’t ask me things that I know nothing about.
“I was appointed agriculture minister last year and started processes to evict them and then they went to court,” said the outspoken Mr Mapesela who served in the Trade and Industry; Defence and National Security as well as the Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation ministries during the Thabane era from June 2017 to May 2020.
He denied allegations that he had sent soldiers to evict Meraka from the national abattoir.
“Soldiers never attempted to evict those people. The soldiers are ploughing state farms there (at the site of abattoir) and the fields are not included in the contract they (Meraka Lesotho) entered into with (former Minister) Mothokho. They were only allocated the Selakhapane site, not the surrounding state fields which the Khubetsoana people were already ploughing for their own benefit. This is why I said soldiers must go and plough those fields.”
Mr Mapesela said he had wanted to get rid of Meraka Lesotho because it had failed to operate the national abattoir and were instead running the place like a butchery. He said the company should give way to others who would properly run the abattoir.
Speaking from his base in Australia, Mr Xie yesterday denied the “state capture” allegations. He said he had long stopped bidding for any tenders. He said if at all he had done anything fraudulent it was up to the minister to report him to the police for investigations.
