…as DC launches poll campaign
Billy Ntaote
Democratic Congress (DC) leader Pakalitha Mosisili says Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is not fit to hold office and should never be voted into power again.
Addressing scores of party supporters at a star-rally held in Ha Foso on Sunday, Dr Mosisili accused the premier of forcing the poll on an unwilling nation due to his failure to properly manage the coalition government. The poor leadership, he further alleged, had led to the collapse of the tripartite government midway into its five-year term.
Dr Mosisili, who was prime minister from 1998 until he was succeeded by Dr Thabane in June 2012, further accused the All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader of hypocrisy in his fight against corruption.
The ABC, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and Basotho National Party (BNP) led by Mothetjoa Metsing and Thesele ‘Maseribane, formed a coalition government after the 26 May 2012 election had failed to produce an outright majority winner, but the alliance has since collapsed due to differences over the premier’s alleged dictatorial tendencies.
“Thabane failed as a prime minister because of his dishonesty and selfishness. He showed how self-centred he is to Deputy Prime Minister Metsing and his party, the LCD.
“Thabane became a prime minister and Thesele the sports minister simply because Metsing became their stepping-stone. But the two later turned against people who had handed them power and by so doing, showed their dictatorial tendencies, and how dishonest they are,” Dr Mosisili said.
“We are launching our election manifesto and campaign today under the theme, restore Basotho’s good governance, restore the rule of law, and restore Lesotho’s sovereignty because under Thabane’s government, these were all destroyed yet they are what define us as a people.”
The DC leader also accused his successor of promoting conflict among Basotho, poor leadership and failing to adhere to his anti-corruption principles.
“When this man came into office, he promised that he would fight corruption—only to make a U-turn and start to encourage corruption left, right and centre in his administration”.
Dr Mosisili said Lehlohonolo Scott’s escape from Maseru Central Prison in 2012 was an example of how corrupt the coalition government was. Scott, who was awaiting trial for the suspected ritual murder of two Koalabata residents in 2012, escape from the high-security prison under unclear circumstances and was only arrested in Durban, South Africa, in April this year. He is being detained in Durban North Correctional Service, while his extradition hearing continues in the Durban North Magistrate’s Court.
Dr Mosisili sensationally claimed the coalition government had released M500 000 to Lesotho’s Durban Consulate for Scott’s legal fees.
“After his unlawful release from prison, which we were told was a mysterious petroleum jelly escape, Scott was caught in South Africa. Then we heard the government saying it is still seeking Scott’s return to stand trial here in Lesotho. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, we have since been informed that this very same government has released funds to the tune of M500 000 to Lerato Tšosane, our Consul General in Durban, to pay for Scott’s legal fees.
“This is clear case of running with the hare and chasing with the hounds. The government is pretending to be seeking Scott’s extradition, while paying for his lawyers at the same time so that he cannot be extradited. This is corruption at its worst.
“If anybody in government accuses me of lying, then that person should disclose why more than M500 000 from the government of Lesotho was deposited into Lerato Tsosane’s bank account.”
Dr Mosisili also said another indicator of bad governance by Dr Thabane was his decision to issue diplomatic passports to two members of the Gupta family early this year. The super-rich Guptas, who are of Indian origin, have made unsavoury headlines of late in South Africa, where they operate mining, information technology and media businesses.
“How did non-Basotho Indian Guptas get hold of our diplomatic passports? Basotho don’t have diplomatic passports, but the Guptas have the passports and that is corruption.
“We have also recently heard that even Thabane’s son has a diplomatic passport. Being a prime minister’s son doesn’t give you a right to hold a diplomatic passport of Lesotho, even ‘Me’ Liabiloe Ramoholi, the prime minister’s partner, doesn’t have the right to a diplomatic passport because she is not Ntate Thabane’s spouse. She can be his friend or partner, not his wife. I am saying this because Thabane and ‘Me’ Lipolelo’s marriage is still legal. However, I don’t have a problem with Ntate Thabane’s relationship with ‘Me’ Liabiloe, but I do have a problem when a man who said he was going to fight corruption commits acts of corruption with impunity.”
The DC leader also accused Dr Thabane of bringing chaos to Lesotho’s security agencies, namely the Lesotho Mounted Police Service and Lesotho Defence Force (LDF).
“Some of us were once imprisoned by the army when we were ministers, and we worked hard to depoliticise the LDF. But just see how Thabane has recklessly brought a crisis into the same LDF in just two years as prime minister.
“And he has also done the same to the police. It’s shocking that in the two years he has been in power, the man has had three police commissioners. In fact, Ntate Masupha Masupha (Acting Commissioner of Police) is the fourth commissioner of police in two years.”
Dr Mosisili also took a swipe at the Principal Chief of Thaba-Bosiu, Khoabane Theko, accusing him of “overstepping his bounds” and “exposing the monarch and chieftainship to political conflicts and criticism”.
“We worked hard together while I was in government to ensure chiefs are not political actors so that the monarch is protected from political conflicts. But under Thabane’s government, we see principal chiefs going out with politicians and holding public gatherings to fight political battles,” he said.
“Chief Theko, who is also chairman of the College of Chiefs, openly told a crowd attending the 1982 Maseru Massacre commemoration at Pitso Ground that principal chiefs would be supporting the ABC and BNP and persuading people to vote for the two parties in the upcoming elections.
“I condemn such involvement of principal chiefs in politics. This is a sign of poor governance and decay in our politics and clearly shows we need to return to office to rebuild our nation.
“If Chief Theko and his colleagues want to fight political wars, they should vacate their positions so we can meet on the political battlefield.”
Repeated efforts to get a response from Dr Thabane regarding Dr Mosisili’s accusations were unsuccessful.
