MASERU — Lesotho’s match officials have been ordered to shape up or ship out. Starting next season the country’s referees will be graded according to their performance. This was revealed by Baba Malephane, chairman of the Referees Executive Committee, on Monday. The resolution was taken at a comprehensive referees’ summit held at Bambatha on Sunday. […]
MASERU — Despite being born in Botswana, it was always written in Leribe’s blue stars that Kabelo Mosothoane would one day don Linare’s famous green and white jersey. It wasn’t just because his father (Pitso Mosothoane) had starred in the club’s championship winning sides of the late 70’s, or because of the goals Mosothoane amassed […]
State says bandits shot and killed their colleagues MASERU – Suspects in the April 22 attack on the State House and an attempt on Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s life , have been slapped with murder charges in a surprise twist to the case. The charges against the suspects have also ballooned to 31 up from […]
MASERU — A 22-year-old man from Roma was beaten to death by angry villagers who accused him of raping a dog and assaulting two people on Monday last week. Eyewitnesses said Retsélisitsoe Ntlhanngoe from Ha-Mafefooane in Roma was beaten with sticks and stones by the angry mob made up of villagers from Chief ‘Mamohale Maama’s […]
MASERU — The government this week failed to launch an application in a South African court to extradite Makotoko Lerotholi to face charges of armed robbery, abduction and murder. Lerotholi, popularly known as Mashai, appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He was arrested on May 8 and released on June 23 on R2 […]
MASERU — Africa Media Holdings (AMH), publishers of the Lesotho Times, have announced the launch of a new weekly paper to be published every Sunday. The Sunday Express, the country’s first Sunday newspaper, is set to hit the newsstands on August 16 2009. It comes 16 months after the launch of the Lesotho Times. Speaking at a ceremony […]
MASERU – Former president of Botswana Sir Ketumile Masire arrived in Lesotho yesterday to resume talks between the government and opposition parties over the 2007 election dispute. Masire will this morning pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and His Majesty King Letsie III at the Royal Palace. Masire will meet representatives of […]
MASERU — A police officer is suing the commissioner of police and the attorney general for M3.6 million as compensation for the alleged assault that he suffered at the hands of fellow policemen eight years ago. Bokang Letele claims that he was arrested by the police from the now defunct Counter Crime Unit (CCU) on […]
MOKHOTLONG — Two brothers were last Friday jailed for 10 years each without an option of a fine for raping their 12-year-old niece. The minor fell pregnant and dropped out of school earlier this year after her teachers suspected that she was pregnant. She later confessed to the school authorities that she had been raped […]
MASERU — The Minister of Finance, Timothy Thahane, has blamed the teething problems of the government’s new financial management system on the people whom he says are still to fully understand how it works. Thahane said the problem was not with the system but with some civil servants who were operating it. Suppliers and contractors […]
MASERU — The Thaba-Tseka business community is up in arms against the district administrator over allocation of contracts to traders from other districts. The business people marched to the DA’s office last month wanting him to call for a meeting between them and the district government department heads to explain why they were not getting […]
ROTHE – All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane has accused the government of using the military to “intimidate people”. Speaking at a rally in Rothe on Sunday, Thabane accused Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili of not respecting the autonomy of the military. He said Mosisili was using law enforcement agencies for his benefit. “Mosisili unashamedly […]
AS I SEE IT POOR service delivery has always been an issue that has haunted the government of Lesotho for years. Suppliers have complained bitterly that they are paid late. Some say they only received payment for their services after six months creating problems for their businesses. It’s a nightmare trying to run a […]
Scrutator FOR some time Scrutator has been looking for that fly-by-night prophet, Thomas Ramaloko, who claimed to have found a bizarrely garlanded snake at Kou Flats in Ha-Tsósane. I mean that prophet who insisted his dummy of a snake was alive when it was clear that it had no sign of life. Yet, no […]
Steaming It Off A FRIEND of mine recently read to me one of her latest beautiful pieces that explored the complex phenomenon of “letting go”. Well, we need to first face the fact that some people are very bad at letting go — they just do not know how to. They clutch at the […]
Doctor’s Corner FOR the past three weeks we have been looking at breast issues. In the last installation we particularly explored breast cancer as a topic, specifically looking at the risk factors. This week we look at another burning issue in the community: heart failure. Heart failure is a scary subject for all of […]
LERIBE — DJ Kennysto was last Saturday laid to rest with dozens of friends, relatives and fans thronging his Ha-Moramang village in Kolonyama to pay their last respects to one of Lesotho’s finest entertainers. The popular disc jockey died on June 23 after complaining of running short of breath. DJ Kennysto was part of Queens […]
MASERU — For many girls around the world, being a beauty queen comes along with big modelling deals from advertising chocolates to cosmetics to clothes to cars. For Rorisang Motlomelo, being Miss PC FM has come along with a chance to finally see her father — at least she hopes. The 20-year-old stunner has not […]
MASERU — Former Lesotho international Kabelo Mosothoane is considering hanging his boots. He is 35. The veteran Linare striker, one of Lesotho’s first exports to South African football, is however still needed by his club. “I have played a long time and there is nothing that I can say I’m playing for now,” Mosothoane told […]
MASERU — The national Under-20 side will begin a two-week camp next Monday. It will be Motheo Mohapi’s first opportunity in charge after the LDF assistant coach and former Likuena gaffer was hired as the Makoanyane XI mentor at the end of last month. A 25-strong training squad has been selected and will camp at […]
MASERU — When Lioli won the Premier League at the end of May — their first championship in 24 years — they would never have suspected that they would become victims of one of the biggest frauds in football history. Certainly in other countries it would be. League championship medals are normally made from the […]
MASERU — Despite football getting most attention, taekwondo has long been Lesotho’s most successful sport. Unfortunately the sport has gone through a bit of a lull in recent years — and the let-up is set to continue. Lesotho’s taekwondo national side will have to kick their heels for a few more months after it was […]
MASERU — Makotoko Lerotholi, who has been in prison in South Africa for the past two months in connection with the April attacks on State House and military barracks, is a free man. According to his lawyer, Haae Phoofolo, Lerotholi — popularly known as Mashai — was released on Tuesday last week after the Lesotho […]
MASERU — The Lesotho government is being sued for a staggering M3 billion by a South African businessman for revoking leases of his five diamond mines when it implemented the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) about a decade ago. The mines’ boss, Josias van Zyl, has dragged the Lesotho government to the Southern African Development […]
MASERU — Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili last weekend publicly thanked members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) for saving his life during attacks at his State House residence on April 22. Mosisili was speaking at the Army Day celebrations held on Saturday at the Lesotho Defence Force Air Wing in the capital Maseru. He said […]
MASERU — High Court judge Tséliso Monaphathi is today expected to pass final judgment in a case in which a former accountant with the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) is facing fraud charges. The former accountant, Peggy Thakeli, is facing M2.8 million fraud charges. Reading a lengthy judgment on Tuesday, Justice Monaphathi said state witnesses […]
MASERU — The director of Poverty Reduction Programme (Prep) Topollo Lephatsóe this week said the government is deeply touched by the death of over 50 Basotho men in the illegal mine disaster in South Africa last month. “We all know that many Basotho died in the mines recently. The government is not happy with that,” […]
MASERU — The fight for the control of PC FM has intensified. Last week the Lesotho Times (LT) revealed that Mohau Thakaso who claims to be the major shareholder of the station had written to the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) requesting that they cancel the licence until he had regained control of the radio station. […]
WELKOM — Local non-governmental organisations have appealed to the government of South Africa to declare an amnesty for hundreds of miners still trapped at Eland Shaft in Welkom. The Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations said they want an amnesty deal to allow the illegal miners to get back to their families. The call comes hard […]
Promoting impunity
LAST week 53 African heads of state and government met in Sirte, Libya, for the 13th summit of the African Union (AU). Among the issues they deliberated upon was the setting up of a federal government for the whole of Africa. They also discussed the warrant of arrest issued to Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir by […]