- says mediating to try and break impasse
- urges AD not to repeat similar feuds
Pascalinah Kabi
DEPUTY Prime Minister and Alliance of Democrats (AD) leader, Monyane Moleleki, has finally broken his silence over the infighting in the All Basotho Convention (ABC) of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, saying he is doing all he can to save the lead party in the coalition from imploding.
Mr Moleleki, had never publicly commented on the long-running power struggle, pitting Dr Thabane and his elected deputy, Professor Nqosa Mahao. He said he was involved in behind-the-scenes mediation efforts to unite the warring factions and save the coalition government from collapse.
He pleaded for unity within the AD, saying his party should “learn from our (ABC) brothers’ mistakes. Those mistakes that we are trying to solve day and night for the stability of government of Lesotho”. The DPM said this while addressing the AD’s leadership conference in Mokhotlong over the weekend.
AD spokesperson, Thuso Litjobo, said in a separate interview the AD and other coalition partners were working tirelessly to unite the two ABC factions. The governing coalition comprises of the ABC, Communications Minister Thesele Maseribane’s Basotho National Party (BNP), Labour Minister Keketso Rantšo’s Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) and Mr Moleleki’s AD.
Mr Litjobo however, said it would not be wise for him to elaborate on their mediation efforts as this would only further divide the ABC.
“I am not in a position to go into details of what has been happening but people need to know that the coalition partners and the AD are not just watching in silence. We are working hard, day and night to unite the ABC. We are not interested in any faction but a united ABC.
“However, we don’t want to discuss what is happening behind closed doors because that might just fuel divisions within the ABC. Please respect the process and allow us to do everything in our power to unite the ABC because our primary objective is to unite the ABC.”
All the four parties in the coalition have been riven by serious internal feuds, a trait that has severely hampered efficient government and service delivery.
The ABC is riven by the most serious infighting ever since Dr Thabane and some senior party officials rejected Prof Mahao’s February 2019 election as deputy leader, accusing the latter of being a relative newcomer who should not have landed the second most powerful party post ahead of more seasoned stalwarts.
The impasse over Prof Mahao’s election led to the 17 June 2019 “expulsions” of Prof Mahao and his allies by Dr Thabane and also sparked a lot of litigation between the factions.
The Mahao faction responded by suspending Dr Thabane and deputy secretary general, Nkaku Kabi, for six years. So vicious is the ABC power struggle that the Mahao faction has since tabled a no confidence motion against Dr Thabane in parliament. This could lead to the collapse of the governing coalition.
The Mahao faction is on record saying it approached the ABC’s coalition partners and the churches to mediate in its dispute with Dr Thabane and his acolytes.
However, talks between the two factions have failed to yield positive results as the factions remain far apart and continue trashing each other in the courts.
Over the weekend the ABC infighting was uppermost in Mr Moleleki’s mind when he addressed his own party’s leadership conference and pleaded for unity within his party.
He said the upcoming AD youth league conference filled him with trepidation and begged AD members to go for its January 2020 elective conference with only one slate of candidates for the various posts. He said having one slate of candidates would help the AD to avoid the pitfalls of multiple candidates which has been the bane of the ABC.
“If you come to me in December and say, ‘leader we have agreed to have one slate’, I would have the best Christmas ever. But if you come up with two or three slates, please bear in mind that our brethren in the ABC, who we love so much, are going through what they are going through today because of (going into their elective conference with) many slates.
“You have every right to have 20 slates or 15, 10 or even two but…if we come up with one slate, we will emerge (from the elective conference) as one happy family. “May we learn from our (ABC) brothers’ mistakes; those mistakes that we are trying to solve day and night for the stability of government of Lesotho.
“I don’t enjoy seeing an ABC member weep. I don’t enjoy seeing a BNP member weep and I don’t enjoy seeing RCL weep. How then would I enjoy seeing an AD member weep,” he said to wild applause from the AD faithful.
It remains to be seen if the youth league will heed Mr Moleleki’s advice.
Last year, Mr Moleleki issued similar advice to senior AD officials, Mahali Phamotse, Mokhele Moletsane and Thuso Litjobo to withdraw from the contest for the party secretary general’s post.
He said while all three were suitable for the post, their election would however cause divisions among their supporters which could weaken the party. Hence they should all withdraw from the contest.
He however, said they could be elected to other positions within the national executive committee.
Only Mr Litjobo heeded Mr Moleleki’s call and withdrew his candidature, leaving Ms Phamotse to slug it out with Mr Moletsane. Dr Phamotse eventually won the election while Mr Litjobo was subsequently elected party spokesperson.
A cold war appears to have developed afterwards between Mr Litjobo and Dr Phamotse. And in April 2019, Mr Litjobo threw all caution to the wind and publicly lambasted Dr Phamotse, accusing her of sabotaging the AD and the governing coalition.
It is such ugly public spats that Mr Moleleki wants to nip in the bud hence his weekend call for AD members to be tolerant of each other.
“Now I am begging and pleading with you…Let us stop thinking that we can win everything. Even I have my own shortcomings but we need to be more tolerant of each other.
“You cannot unite the Basotho nation while you are failing to unite the AD. Let us be the servants of unity and oneness because you can only give one another what you have.”
He likened the conflicts within the AD to unseemly lumps within a porridge meal. He said he did not take sides in the party conflicts, adding he was ready to use a stirring stick to dissolve the ‘lumps’ of conflicts within the party.
“I am publicly washing my hands in front of everyone to show that I am not part of any lumps (conflicts) in the party. I did not contribute to creating those lumps. I would rather take a stirring stick and dissolve all of those lumps within the party,” he said.
