MASERU — A troika of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has called for the adoption of a roadmap that will see Lesotho amend the constitution and electoral law to end the country’s bitter electoral disputes. The troika, made up of Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, Swaziland’s King Mswati III and Zambia’s Defence Minister Dr Kalombo […]
MASERU — Trooper Mothobi Moholi’s 17-year career as a police officer came to a screeching halt on Monday. Moholi was in court to answer a charge of murder after he shot and killed a 19-year-old man, Thabiso Shao, on July 1 1995. Moholi had argued during trial that he shot Shao, who was wanted in […]
MASERU — A measles outbreak has killed seven children in Quthing district over the past month, the Ministry of Health said this week. There were 76 suspected cases of the disease in the same district and 15 confirmed cases, according to the health ministry. A total of 303 suspected cases have been reported in nine […]
On February 12, 2010, Minister of Finance and Development Planning Honourable Timothy Thahane delivered his annual National Budget to Parliament. One of the most contentious issues to have emerged from that moribund speech is the posit uttered by Honourable Thahane that the government’s poverty reduction strategy had achieved most of its objectives. If my memory […]
THIS letter is in response to an article which appeared on the Intelserv website written by Thulo Hoeane and Ntebaleng Matsie which was titled “Lawyer blasts Chief Justice”. I herein humbly make the following clarifications: First, that His Lordship the Honourable Mr Justice M L Lehohla, in his speech delivered on the 1st of February […]
FOR months now Scrutator has been complaining bitterly about people who masquerade as journalists. I have shouted my voice hoarse as these gatecrashers — because of their lack of skill — have resorted to peeing on basic journalism ethics. We have become a profession that unquestioningly takes on board rejects from other lines of work. […]
MASERU — The principal secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Co-operatives and Marketing, Teleko Ramotšoari, has said a dynamic private sector holds the key to Lesotho’s economic growth. Ramotšoari made the remarks at a press conference held last Friday to brief the media on progress in implementing the private sector competitiveness and economic […]
MASERU — The Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) and the Ministry of Education and Training will hold a school debating competition as part of an information dissemination campaign on tax issues. The competition, which is open to 140 schools, is also aimed at cultivating a culture of tax compliance around the country. The competition will run […]
MASERU — The Premier League has all but banned Matlama from using Pitso Ground as their home for high-profile matches following last month’s violence at the bare-bone stadium. Matlama’s home fixture against Bantu on March 13 will have to be played at a neutral venue. Both teams, chasing the premiership title, command large followings. Premier […]
MASERU — Lehlomela Ramabele, first division side Mabeoana’s top marksman, has been snapped up by Botswana Premier League team Botswana Defence Force XI on a two-year contract. The 20-year-old striker, who had scored 18 of Mabeaoana’s 32 league goals this season, becomes the second local player to move to Botswana’s top-flight division this season. Lesotho […]
MAFETENG — With the top fives sides separated by just six points, even a sangoma would have trouble predicting the destination of the M100 000 jackpot that will come with winning the Vodacom Premier League championship. Indeed, if things keep going this way, the top-flight league will have a logistics dilemma come the final day […]
MASERU – The popular Top Mount Inter-District Competition has been shelved after district football associations failed to submit their financial reports for last year’s tournament on time. Bam Consultancy has been forced to pull the plug on its sponsorship of the tournament this year over the embarrassing delays. The Top Mount Inter-District Competition is contested […]
MASERU — The High Court on Monday awarded M110 010 in damages to a Maseru woman who was tortured by the police while in detention in 2004. Justice Gabriel Mofolo ruled that the office of the commissioner of police and that of the attorney general should compensate Neo Masupha for unlawful detention, torture, shock, medical […]
MASERU — The Ministry of Education and Training has failed to supply stationery to government-owned primary schools. Most of the schools have not received books, pens, pencils and chalk from the ministry’s primary school supply unit since the beginning of the first term. Primary school teachers interviewed by the Lesotho Times said they have had […]
MASERU — Former employees of C-River, a Taiwanese owned textile firm that went bust three years ago, are up in arms against the liquidator of the company whom they accuse of delaying their severance packages. The 700 workers last Friday appealed to the Master of the High Court, Nos’bongile Vilakazi, to order the liquidator, Advocate […]
MASERU — Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Metsing Lekhanya says his party will challenge a clause of the constitution of Lesotho allowing Seabata Thabisi to retain his seat in parliament despite his expulsion from the party. The constitution allows an individual to retain his seat in parliament if he ceases to be a member of […]
MASERU — Youth leagues of the country’s opposition parties say they are not happy that the budget presented last Friday failed to address serious problems affecting youths. Their major gripe with Finance Minister Timothy Thahane’s budget is that it does not spell out how the government plans to create jobs for the youths and provide […]
MASERU — The proposed National Youth Council (NYC) will be made up of three youths from leading political parties, two of whom shall be nominated by the ruling party, a senior government official has said. The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation, Makalo Theko, said this on Monday while […]
MASERU — A former acting school principal at Sekonyela High School in Mokhotlong who was accused but acquitted of embezzling funds is now demanding M100 100 from the school board. Mampine Lengoasa was in 2005 accused of embezzling M20 000 donated by a well-wisher to the school. But a school committee set up to probe […]
MASERU — An army captain with the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), Lehloa Ramot’so, was last Wednesday court-martialled for violating the Lesotho Defence Force Act, 1996. Ramot’so was court-martialled at Makoanyane Barracks for “conduct prejudicial to military discipline” relating to the political disturbances that rocked Lesotho in June 2007 that saw government ministers attacked by unknown […]
MASERU — When ‘Malerato Masupha graduated with a diploma in education in 1980, she thought she had finally kissed poverty goodbye. Back then in the 80s, a teaching diploma opened the doors to prosperity and endless opportunities. Masupha, 53, says with her diploma in hand, her salary jumped from a modest M450 a month to […]
THE spectre of violence returned to haunt local football yet again last Sunday in a Vodacom Premier League match between Roma Rovers and Matlama Football Club. If we needed any sign that Lesotho’s football is in deep crisis, this was it. The violence in Roma comes hardly a month after similar scenes of violence were […]
Since time immemorial there has always been a clear distinction between conduct that is deemed morally correct and that which is morally repugnant. However, this clear line of demarcation seems to have disappeared today. The issue of whether homosexuality should be accepted has been a hot topic for quite some time in most Western countries. […]
THE Pragmatic Lesotho Public Employees Association (PALPE) is appalled by the government’s persistent disregard of the role played by civil servants. The decision by the government to award civil servants a 3.5 percent salary increase beginning in April came as a total surprise to us. This is because there continues to be a widening of […]
SO, the chickens have come home to roost. Even before the ink had dried on this writer’s correspondence regarding the Matlama-Lioli debacle, the bully boys of football are at it again. After Matlama equalised to make the score one-all, Rovers fans went on the rampage and again the match had to be abandoned. I have […]
THE role of fiscal and monetary policies during recessions has been explored over the years. These policies are used to counter the effects of shrinking output during recessions, credit contractions and asset price declines. In Lesotho, where monetary policy is not autonomous, fiscal policy appears to be more effective in shortening the duration of recessions […]
Remember the bit about sources from the cyber mill? I mean when the online newsletter published a scoop based on “impeccable” sources revealing what had supposedly happened at a very public rally? They were at it again, I’m afraid. This time round I’m sure even the author of the piece about the education minister “allegedly” […]
MASERU — The consumption of alcohol at all Vodacom Premier League matches has been banned with immediate effect following the violent conduct that has marred the game in the past month. Beer bottles and cans were used as missiles during the violence that broke out between rival supporters in the high-profile match pitting Matlama against […]
MASERU — A lightning bolt on Monday forced the abandonment of a practice match between Lesotho and South Africa’s development side at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. The bolt struck three players — Lesotho’s Tšeliso Sejake and South Africa’s Michael Nkambule and Sandile Gumede — but they were only left in shock. The three players quickly […]
This is sabotage
IN this issue we carry a story about 100 block farmers who have failed to repay their government-guaranteed loans to a local commercial bank. The block farming scheme, which began in the 2006/2007 season, was to provide capital to farmers to increase the country’s food security. The project, it was hoped, would revamp Lesotho’s agriculture […]