Principal Chief of Thaba-Bosiu Chief Khoabane Theko
Keiso Mohloboli
Maseru Principal Chief Khoabane Theko has accused the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) of “stalking” him for two consecutive days.
Chief Theko said he was “followed around” by uniformed soldiers in two LDF vehicles as he left and returned home on Sunday and Monday.
The outspoken Principal Chief could not speculate on whether the move had anything to do with his attack of the army, government and Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili during Saturday’s burial of former LDF Commander Maaparankoe Mahao in Mokema.
Addressing thousands of mourners who had come to bid farewell to Brigadier Mahao—shot dead by LDF members on 25 June allegedly as he resisted arrest—Chief Theko said government’s decision to reinstate Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli as army commander had not only “created problems” for Lesotho, but also embarrassed His Majesty King Letsie III. His Majesty endorsed the decision by then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to remove Lt Gen Kamoli from the helm of the LDF in August 2014 for alleged insubordination, and replaced him with Lt Gen Mahao. However, Dr Mosisili reversed these decisions in May this year two months after being sworn-in as premier, arguing they had been made illegally.
Chief Theko further told the mourners that it was also shocking to hear the LDF openly admit its members had killed Brigadier Mahao just outside his farm in Mokema.
“It was shocking and painful to hear the LDF admit that it carried out an operation to kill an asset of this country for nothing,” he told the mourners.
In an interview with the Lesotho Times on Tuesday this week, Chief Theko said: “I usually come to town from my home in Thaba-Bosiu on Sundays to buy local and foreign newspapers.
“This Sunday, as I left home for town and got to Lithabaneng Ha Motšoeneng, I realised that I was being followed by two government vehicles. I didn’t take their registration numbers; I only realised they were ‘X’ registered, so I didn’t think much of them.
“I went to one of the shopping malls in the city and realised that the vehicles were still following me. After buying my newspapers, I left for home and decided to go via the bypass road to Masianokeng to see if the cars were really following me as I had become suspicious. The vehicles continued to follow me.
“The same thing happened on Monday; same routine, same cars. They followed me into town and also as I went about my chieftainship responsibilities around the city. They followed me again in the afternoon when I went back home.”
Chief Theko also said his housekeeper found a can of ‘Fanta orange’ full of blood when she was cleaning the yard on Tuesday.
“Our helper called me in the morning just before I left the house today and showed me the can of ‘Fanta orange’ full of blood. We both didn’t know if it was human or animal blood so I reported the matter to the village chief, who is also my brother, so he could attend to the matter,” Chief Theko said.
Contacted for an update on the issue yesterday, Chief Theko said he had decided not to report the matter to the police after “a certain security institution” volunteered to help him establish the identity of the people tailing him.
“I didn’t see any need to report the matter to the police because a certain security institution contacted me after hearing that I was being followed. They offered me surveillance services to establish if my life was in danger or not and also find out the identity of the people following me,” Chief Theko said.
The LDF has since refused to talk to reporters from the Lesotho Times, hence the publication could not verify Chief Theko’s allegations.
