Ntsebeng Motsoeli
DEMOCRATIC Congress (DC) leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, has criticised the Thomas Thabane administration for worsening the country’s debt burden to fund vanity projects.
Mr Mokhothu gave the example of the M2, 4 billion loan which the government recently contracted for the construction of a sports facilities for the Africa Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games to be hosted by Lesotho next year.
The government, which is struggling to pay a M1 billion debt to service providers, and to award salary increments to restive civil servants, turned to a South African company, Property 2000, for the M2, 4 billion loan to finance the construction of the sports facilities.
Addressing a party rally in Moyeni, Quthing over the weekend, Mr Mokhothu urged his supporters to recruit more people to vote for the DC in the event of snap elections being held. Elections are officially due in 2022 but infighting in the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) and the consequent no confidence motion against Prime Minister Thabane have made early polls highly likely.
Mr Mokhothu urged the Moyeni people to vote the DC to save them from the governing coalition which had allegedly worsened their suffering by looting public funds and contracting huge debts.
“They (governing parties) said that they would end hunger if you elected them into power,” Mr Mokhothu said, adding, “But there is more poverty now than ever before and the looting of public funds has increased”.
“Now the ministers are fighting over tenders. They are looking to enrich themselves and have forgotten about the people. They want to acquire M2, 4 billion from a loan shark.
“They are determined to go on with the processes despite the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s counsel that Lesotho’s finances are in bad shape and the country cannot afford any more debts,” Mr Mokhothu said.
Mr Mokhothu said government had failed to empower local businesses and instead given all the major tenders to Chinese-owned business.
“This government is at war with the people. They stole the wool and mohair business from 300 000 Basotho and gave to a Chinese man (Stone Shi) who has now disappeared without paying the farmers.”
Mr Mokhothu also promised that a DC government will lower the “prohibitive” medical cannabis licence fees to enable more locals to participate in the lucrative industry.
According to the cannabis regulations issued by the government in 2018, M540 000 is required for a one year licence to cultivate medical cannabis for export. The renewal fee is pegged at M350 000 per annum.
The government has expressed the need to hike the fee to M5 million per year to discourage speculation and corruption in the transfer of cannabis licences to third parties. This is also to ensure that only those who have the huge capital outlay to begin production apply for licences.
But Mr Mokhothu sang a different tune and blamed the “prohibitive” licence fees for most Basotho’s failure to enter the lucrative global medical cannabis industry which is projected by forbes.com to grow from US$7, 7 billion in 2017 to $31, 4 billion in 2021.
“Locals cannot afford half a million to get licences to produce cannabis. That law should be amended. When we get into power, we will amend that clause without asking,” Mr Mokhothu said.
