Mohloai Mpesi
THE Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL)’s Board of Directors says it is intervening to try and resolve the escalating feud between RSL Commissioner-General, ‘Mathabo Mokoko and Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times yesterday, RSL Board Chairperson, Advocate Lindiwe Sephomolo KC, confirmed that the board was now seized with the matter and working towards mediation between the two financial authorities.
This is the first time the RSL has responded to the conflict between the two heads of critical institutions whose deteriorating working relations have been spilling into the public domain in recent months, raising concerns about operations at the two critical institutions.
“We are responding to the matter, but we are not at liberty at this stage to reveal the manner in which we are responding. We are taking steps to address it,” Adv Sephomolo said.
“We are also trying to assess the potential implications this conflict could have on the country, and we are taking advice on that aspect as well.”
Her remarks follow an explosive exposé by Adv Mokoko late last month, in which she accused Dr Matlanyane of issuing “unlawful directives”, including “illegally requesting confidential taxpayer information, which is prohibited by applicable legislation”.
In a letter addressed to the Board Chairperson and the Minister, through her lawyers, Mei & Mei Inc., Adv Mokoko outlined a series of alleged governance breaches by the minister.
“Our instructions are that our client made repeated requests to the board in the past for intervention, insisting that appropriate governance processes and protocols be followed by the honourable minister when dealing with the Commissioner-General and the RSL,” the letter reads.
Despite the letter’s plea for intervention, the board had not publicly addressed the matter until now.
Reports reaching this publication suggested that the board had allegedly summoned Adv Mokoko and instructed her to either comply with the minister’s directives or vacate her position.
However, Adv Sephomolo dismissed these claims, saying, “No, that one is not true — it is not true at all”.
When the Lesotho Times contacted Adv Mokoko about allegations that the board had pressured her to comply with Dr Matlanyane’s alleged unlawful directives, she neither confirmed nor denied the claims.
Instead, she said the matter was before the parliament’s Portfolio Committee on the Economic and Development Cluster where it was still being discussed in closed sessions, therefore she was not at liberty to talk about it.
“The Office of the Commissioner-General acknowledges receipt of your request for an exclusive interview to discuss, among other matters, the issues recently deliberated with the Portfolio Committee on the Economic and Development Cluster, as well as other topics outlined in your correspondence.
“Having reviewed the request, it is important to note that the discussions that took place during that parliamentary session were held at the invitation of the Committee. These engagements are ongoing and currently being conducted in closed sessions.
In light of this, it would not be in the best interest of the ongoing engagement with the Committee for the Commissioner-General or RSL to comment on the same issues at this stage,” her office said.
Contacted for comment, Economic Cluster Committee Chairperson, Sello Hakane, confirmed that the sessions were held behind closed doors due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“The previous meeting with RSL was held in my absence, and the committee decided that subsequent sessions would be closed. I later followed up on the reasons for that decision and was informed that the discussions involved sensitive matters, some based on hearsay, so the committee did not want those points to be aired publicly,” he said.
He added that the committee had so far only heard from the RSL and was awaiting Dr Matlanyane’s appearance before it.
“We held a closed session in Teyateyaneng with the RSL Commissioner-General and her legal team. However, we have not yet met with the Minister of Finance and Development Planning. For now, we only have one side of the story, and it would be wise to hear the other side to understand the root of the issues within our financial system,” he said.
Mr Hakane explained that the minister had not yet appeared before the committee due to official commitments, including international trips, but efforts were underway to secure her appearance.
“We are pursuing the matter and working on setting a date for her appearance. She will eventually appear before the committee.”
He further indicated that once both parties had presented their cases, the committee intended to hold an open session.
“We will open the session to the public so that the nation understands what is really happening. We will invite both RSL and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
“This matter is very sensitive and significant because it concerns the financial system of this country. Remember, RSL operates under the Ministry of Finance. When two elephants fight, the grass suffers — and in this case, it is the public that stands to suffer. As representatives of the nation, we must intervene to ensure that the two institutions understand each other and that any misunderstandings are resolved,” he said.
