’Marafaele Mohloboli
SOME senior Basotho National Party (BNP) members have accused their leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, of failing to run the party and want him to up his game.
They said Mr Mofomobe’s “poor leadership” had lost the former ruling party’s credibility resulting in members leaving to join other parties.
The BNP’s poor performance in the 7 October 2022 was therefore not surprising, the members said.
In a lengthy statement dated 26 March 2023, BNP stalwarts Messrs Seeiso Bereng, Makama Monese, Khotso Phafoli, Lebohang Motaung and Aupa Lebeko, said they were tired of Mr Mofomobe’s divisive tendencies and lack of respect for party members.
They also accused him of meddling in other parties’ affairs instead of working hard to bring the BNP back to its former glory.
The senior members’ concerns come just two weeks before the party’s elective conference slated for 12 to 14 March in Butha-Buthe.
The members worked with erstwhile BNP leader, the late Major General Metsing Lekhanya, before they were absorbed into the security detail of Mofomobe’s predecessor and uncle, Chief Thesele ‘Maseribane.
All the positions in the party’s national executive committee (NEC) would be contested at the conference, expect that of Mr Mofomobe who is only two years into his five year tenure of office.
The BNP stalwarts accused Mr Mofomobe of gross incompetence and disrespect for others since the build-up to the October 2022 elections.
“He has lost his party’s followership while busy insulting other party leaders and meddling in their issues. One would have thought that he would at least focus on growing his own party after he lost dismally in the Sempe constituency. He simply doesn’t care as to how much damage he is causing us as a party, and he is on a rampage to burn all bridges with his embarrassing behaviour,” the statement said.
The members said they had expected Mr Mofomobe to call for a meeting to try and figure out why the party performed dismally in the elections, but he never did that. He had also unilaterally decided that BNP would be in opposition without making an effort to reach out to the winners to forge a coalition. The BNP had been part of the previous coalition government.
Mr Bereng told the Lesotho Times in a subsequent interview that Mr Mofomobe had “lied” to the electorate in Sempe by making “empty promises” to give them chicks and bags of feeds but to date he had not done that. Neither had he gone back to them to apologise, Mr Bereng said.
He added that Mr Mofomobe had not bothered to unify the BNP after its elective conference held in June 2021, which propelled him to the helm.
This was despite the fact that at the time of the elections, factionalism had reached its apex in the party and that for the first time since the formation of BNP, members did not have party regalia.
The senior members also beamoned that Mr Mofomobe had failed to work with the police after an elderly female party member, ‘Mabuang Mazinyo, was shot dead during campaigning in the Mt Moorosi constituency in June 2021.
Another male party member, Mosoeunyane Sehapi, is lucky to be alive after being shot in the rib cage. Mr Mofomobe was subsequently called in for questioning by the Mazenod police over the shooting incidents but no arrests have been made to date.
“The BNP is yet to make any noise about it to expedite investigations after Ms ’Mabuang Mazinyo lost her life, while another member got injured”.
“The leader has also failed to live up to his promise during the funeral to take care of the deceased’s children.”
Mr Bereng said the deceased’s children were so angry that they had even indicated that they wanted nothing to do with the BNP.
They even denied the party permission to hold a holy mass for their late mother and were demanding answers on how the deceased died, he said.
He added that the party recently received information from its youth league that the people who killed Ms Mazinyo and injured Mr Sehapi were actually members of the BNP.
The senior members therefore expected Mr Mofomobe to take this up with the police.
They further noted that they also expected him to work towards unifying the party towards next month’s elective conference but instead he was busy fuelling fights and taking sides.
“Instead of him calling for order to those insulting others, he didn’t. He is even an administrator in some of the WhatsApp groups in which other members are being insulted.
“All these things have caused serious divisions amongst the party members, such that we even wonder how safe the elective conference will be when the factions are so evident. Such fights have cost us dearly because some of our members left for other parties while others decided not to vote at all,” Mr Bereng said.
He also referred to the BNP’s poorly attended star rally a week ahead of the October 2022 elections, noting that when logistical arrangements were being made to ferry members from their respective constituencies to Maseru, only members of Mr Mofomobe’s inner circle were considered.
“The office responsible for coordinating party activities was overlooked and its responsibility was given to those who see eye to eye with the leader. In the process, some members could not even attend the rally as there was no transport arranged. For those who were lucky to come, it was a struggle for them to return home as they were stranded,” Mr Seeiso said.
“It was while addressing the same rally that the BNP leader spoke ill of some members. That on its own frustrated most members hence they left for other parties. Instead of marketing the party and encouraging the electorate to go and vote for the BNP, he foul mouthed others. Worse still, the people he was insulting are very old people.
Contacted for comment, Mr Mofomobe said he was not interested in responding to the allegations levelled against him.
“I won’t be responding to any of these allegations because they are unfounded and come from disgruntled people who have their own agenda. They are feeling the weight of having to go for the elective conference and now they are pouncing on me.”
He said did not know why the senior members were after him since his position was not up for grabs. “How do I even feature in all that they are saying?” Mr Mofomobe quipped.
“I suggest they wait for the elective conference because it is just around the corner, and they will be able to raise all their issues. After all, some of them are not BNP members but RFP’s (Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s Revolution for Prosperity). As for the shooting at the conference in 2021, I know nothing and suggest that they take it up with the police,” he said.
