MASERU — The Court of Appeal last Friday postponed a case between civil servants and money lending firms to October to allow the two parties a chance to argue on the correct interpretation of Lesotho’s money lending laws. “Parties should make a case ready for proper interpretation of the law. It is for the interest […]
MASERU — In 2006, 44-year-old Lekhokoho Kokome was on the verge of despair. Two years earlier Kokome had been diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes Aids. His health was fast deteriorating. But just when he was losing all hope, an international medical and humanitarian agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), arrived. MSF set base in […]
IN an article in the April 15 — 21 issue of the Lesotho Times, Ntsebeng Motsoeli shed important light on the subject of music piracy. She relates a series of interviews with various street vendors that confirmed that the illegal sale of music is a very profitable business with little or no risks involved. This […]
CRUTATOR is told that if you throw a stone into a crowd in South Africa you are likely to hit a car thief. If you throw a stone in Botswana chances are you will hit a drunkard. In Nigeria you are likely to hit a conman. In Zimbabwe you are likely to hit a vagrant. […]
MASERU — The head of internal affairs at the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA), Moneuoa Kopo, on Friday said the public must report all cases of corruption to the relevant authorities to help stop leakages in tax collection. Kopo was addressing guests at a forum organised by the LRA for tax agents in Maseru, accounting professionals […]
MASERU — The vice-president of the Lesotho Textiles Exporters Association, Nkopane Monyane, on Monday said the replacement of the Duty Credit Certificates Scheme (DCCS) will help improve the competitiveness of the textile sector. The scheme was first implemented in 1993 with the view to influence and encourage textile and clothing manufacturers within the Southern African […]
MASERU — Lesotho are almost assured of meeting South Africa in the next stage of the CAF Under-20 Youth Championship qualifiers after vanquishing Mozambique 6-1 in a preliminary round match on Sunday. Looking at the way Mozambique capitulated at Setsoto Stadium it’s unimaginable that they will turn the tables on Lesotho in the return leg […]
MASERU — Lesotho’s Under-17 national team, Bahlabani, left the country yesterday for Maputo to face Mozambique in the return leg of a CAF Under-17 Youth Championship qualifier on Sunday. Bahlabani won the first leg 3-1 at Setsoto Stadium a fortnight ago. If they win, Lesotho will face Cameroon in the next qualifying stage. Bahlabani team […]
MASERU — This time last week Tsebang Lebata was like any other young player struggling to make an impression in football. But on Sunday, at Lesotho’s theatre of dreams, the 18-year-old from Qacha’s Nek thrust himself into the limelight with a stunning hat-trick that has put Lesotho in the driver’s seat in their CAF Under-20 […]
MASERU — Professional golfer Motlalentoa Moloi fears the gulf in class between Lesotho and regional rivals could widen unless remedial measures are taken urgently. Moloi could only watch helplessly as the Mountain Kingdom finished second from bottom at last week’s Zone VI International Amateur Golf Team Games in Botswana. He was the coach of […]
MASERU — Long-distance runner Nkhabutlane Motlokoa has blamed muscle cramps for scuttling his chance of winning Botswana’s First Takalane Gaborone Marathon on Sunday. Motlokoa, who last week had vowed to win the 42.2km marathon, could only finish third behind fellow Mosotho Tiisetso Ramokheseng. The race was won by Kenyan Simon Njoroge in 2:15:49s. Ramokheseng was […]
MASERU — Controversial cameraman Habofanoe Ntsie (pictured), who is already facing two murder charges, is in trouble again after he appeared in court on Tuesday charged with reckless and negligent driving. The court heard that on February 15 Ntsie hit a car belonging to National Security Services (NSS) agent Sekake Mohale. The state claims that […]
MASERU — When Macaefa Billy walks into the dock next Friday his fate will not be in his hands. Neither will it be in the hands of his lawyer Haae Phofoolo. The secretary-general of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party will face three prominent Appeal Court judges. Justices I G Farlan, C T Howie and […]
MASERU — The chief economic planner for the Ministry of Agriculture came under attack from members of the community parliament over the government’s failure to deliver agricultural services. The community parliament is an informal grouping of rural people organised by the Development for Peace Education (DPE), a civic group based in Maseru. It seeks to […]
BATTLE lines are drawn in the impoverished rural constituency of Hololo, about 130km north of the capital Maseru. The nine candidates — four independents and the rest from Lesotho’s major political parties — have promised each other a fight to the finish. The by-election has been set for May 22. The seat fell vacant last […]
BUTHA-BUTHE — Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) women’s league boss, ‘Mathabiso Lepono, last Sunday launched a scathing attack on opposition leader Thomas Thabane describing him as a “deceitful leader” bent on causing confusion in Lesotho. Thabane is a former government minister who quit the ruling party to form the opposition All Basotho Convention (ABC) party […]
MASERU — A Maseru lawyer, Advocate Nketsi Makhera, who is facing a M500 000 theft charge for illegally selling a textile firm, was freed on M500 bail on Monday. Makhera, 32, who was the company’s provisional liquidator, is alleged to have sold C-River textile firm to a Chinese national Xie en Ming for M500 000. […]
MASERU — Prosperity Insurance Brokers wants the Central Bank of Lesotho (CBL) to reverse its decision to revoke its operating licence which was cancelled last October. Last week the troubled insurance broker lodged an urgent application in the High Court challenging the CBL’s decision. The company also wants High Court judge ’Maseshophe Hlajoane to order […]
MASERU — Two women from Ha-Ts’iu appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with abducting an infant in January. ‘Mathuso Ntiese, 58, and ‘Maselebalo Ntaolane, 51, are alleged to have abducted a week-old baby on January 30. It is alleged that Ntaolane stole the baby from a block of flats where its mother Mahali […]
MASERU — A South African pilot working in Lesotho will rue the day he asked a stranger to help him withdraw money from an ATM in the Maseru industrial area two weeks ago. This after the seemingly friendly stranger fled with his bank card and used it to withdraw M7 230 from his account. According […]
MASERU — Deafening music pumps from two powerful speakers in a makeshift stall along Kingsway Street in Maseru. On the stall is a huge assortment of music compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs). But most of these do not look genuine at all. Rather the CDs and DVDs appear pirated. There clearly appears […]
TWO days from today, the Lesotho Times will quietly celebrate its second anniversary. And what an exciting time it has been for all of us who make up the Lesotho Times family! Over a relatively short period of 24 months, we have seen the newspaper grow into arguably one of the biggest brands in the […]
THE following is a statement by the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) responding to statements made members of parliament and political youth leagues calling on the government to stop funding the association: The Lesotho Football Association is greatly stunned and aptly startled by the comments made by the Honourable Members of Parliament Sello Maphalla and […]
MASERU — South Africa last week handed over a cheque for M40 million to the government of Lesotho to fund the upgrading of the 47.4 kilometre Sani Top to Mokhotlong road project. The project seeks to improve the development of eco-tourism in the Maloti Drakensberg trans-frontier conservation and development area that lies on the Lesotho […]
MASERU — The Central Bank of Lesotho says Lesotho’s annual inflation rate which stood at 4.3 percent in February is the lowest in the common monetary area. The common monetary area includes Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. “Latest figures show that Lesotho’s inflation rate is the lowest in the Common Monetary Area,” said the […]
MASERU — The eagerly awaited clash pitting title favourites Matlama against defending champions Lioli has been put on hold. The Premier League had last week insisted the match would go ahead this weekend even though it did not appear on the April fixtures schedule because the league had suspended Lioli’s home games on March […]
MASERU — Mozambique coach Torsten Spittler has expressed doubt about the age of some of Lesotho’s Under-17 players after watching his charges go down 3-1 to Bahlabani in a CAF Youth Championship qualifier on Sunday. Bahlabani, as Lesotho’s national Under-17 side are popularly known, won the duel at Setsoto Stadium thanks to goals from Motlalepula […]
MASERU — The first division’s spokesperson has threatened to resign over what he says is the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa)’s failure to quickly resolve disputes in the league. Northern Stream side Maduma have appealed to the football mother body against the A-Division’s decision to dock them points and in the process deny them automatic promotion […]
MASERU — Lesotho’s top long-distance runner, Nkhabutlane Motlokoa, is confident of winning the First Takalane Gaborone Marathon on Sunday. The winner of the marathon will get a diamond and a cash prize of P20 000 (M22 000). Motlokoa, Lesotho’s national record holder on 2:14:11 seconds in the 42.2km marathon, left for Botswana yesterday. He told […]
Charity begins at home
THIS newspaper has on numerous times raised concerns over the state of our judiciary system. We have not hesitated to pinpoint areas we felt needed urgent attention. In fact we have highlighted problems that threaten to compromise the dispensing of justice in the country. We have done so at the risk of courting trouble for […]