Moorosi Tsiane
TENSIONS are mounting among the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF)’s ranks as soldiers who participated in the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) and are now demanding payment of their long-overdue allowances.
The over 300 soldiers have resorted to petitioning the government, suspecting that the LDF command could have misappropriated their funds.
They specifically allege that LDF Commander, Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Mojalefa Letsoela, could have diverted their allowances for personal use, after repeated requests for clarity were met with vague and unsatisfactory responses.
SAMIM was launched on 15 July 2021 to help Mozambique combat Islamic insurgents in the northern Cabo Delgado province.
The tour of duty was aimed at restoring peace and security, conduct joint operations with Rwandan forces, and provide humanitarian support for displaced civilians. SADC resolved to end the mission in August 2023, with a phased withdrawal beginning in December and concluding by 15 July 2024.
Lesotho deployed over 300 troops under the SAMIM banner. The first contingent of 120 soldiers was sent in August 2021, following the Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Maputo in June that year. The last group returned in June 2023. During the mission, the Lesotho army lost three soldiers — one to malaria, one in a car accident, and one in combat.
According to sources within the army who spoke to the Lesotho Times on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, the contingent leaders held two meetings with the LDF Command — first last Thursday and again on Tuesday this week — but walked away without a clear explanation or commitment on when their full allowances, as outlined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), would be paid.
In an apparent attempt to quell the growing dissatisfaction, Major General Khomo Mohobo addressed the soldiers in a “tense” meeting on Tuesday and was reportedly adamant that the money already disbursed was sufficient. This, however, contradicts the rates stipulated by SADC for such regional missions, further fuelling the soldiers’ frustration.
According to the source, each soldier was supposed to get US$33 (about M560) as Troops/Officers allowances daily, US$5 for medical cover and food/ration allowance also daily, as well as USD5 for toiletries monthly. This equated to about M24,000 monthly at the time.
This, apart from the M100,000 they each received from the government of Lesotho last year.
“We have been trying to convene a meeting with the LDF Command in order to understand why we were not getting our SAMIM allowances to no avail; hence we decided to petition the government for intervention,” the source said.
“This after we learned that there is a lump sum allowance we should be getting, which is SADC’s token of appreciation to us for participating in the mission. However, we are not certain of the amount. The only monies we received were the M100,000 which we were promised by the Prime Minister before we went to Mozambique.
“Last week, there was a meeting between the contingent leaders and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Limpho Tau) at the State House. We had thought that the government wanted to hear our side, but when we got there, we were shocked to realise the Commander was also there. We therefore failed to lay our grievances in his presence, as we were complaining about his administration.”
The source further revealed that all soldiers who had participated in the SAMIM were summoned to a meeting at Makoanyane Barracks on Tuesday this week, this time by Maj Gen Mohobo. However, the source said they were still not given clear answers regarding their outstanding allowances.
“It was a very long and tense meeting that took the whole of Tuesday and, unfortunately, we were again thrown from pillar to post when questions had to be answered. This time around, the Commander was not present; it was Major Gen Mohobo. He did not give us clear answers, but he admitted that he could see that we were unhappy.
“We tried to raise our grievances and concerns, but the explanations given were not very convincing, and in the end no resolution was reached.
“The Command wanted to trick us into believing that the money we received was enough, while we have already been informed by soldiers from other countries that apart from monthly M24,000 allowances, there is a lump sum from SADC which they (other countries’ soldiers) got, and we were also supposed to have received by now.”
Contacted for comment, Mr Tau was rather defensive and evaded answering questions from this reporter. However, he did not deny that a meeting took place.
“Advise them to come and see me on their own this time. I am willing to listen to their grievances and provide assistance,” said Mr Tau.
When asked to share what was discussed in the meeting, Mr Tau said it was none of the media’s business and that a statement would be made once everything was concluded.
“Do you want news, or do you want to help those soldiers? Let’s close the communication if you are not willing to assist them — what was discussed in that meeting has nothing to do with you . . . media will get it at the right time.”
Meanwhile, LDF spokesperson, Colonel Sakeng Lekola, confirmed the Tuesday meeting took place but said the agenda of that meeting was only meant for soldiers.
“Yes, there was a meeting yesterday (Tuesday), but it was a soldiers’ meeting whose contents were solely meant for soldiers, so I cannot divulge what was discussed in that meeting,” said Lt-Col Lekola.
Meanwhile, Lt-Gen Letsoela, in an interview with the Sunday Express a fortnight ago, strongly denied the allegations, dismissing them as baseless. He insisted that no formal complaints had been made by any soldiers regarding unpaid allowances.
He acknowledged being aware of the rumours and openly challenged any soldier who had not received their payment to come forward.
Lt-Gen Letsoela told the Sunday Express that all soldiers deployed had received their full allowances. He clarified that his responsibilities are with the operational side of the army, while administrative and financial matters were managed by the Ministry of Defence’s Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), Mabataung Khalane.
“I am not weak . . . some people want to undermine me. My role is commander, not finance officer. The ministry has two departments: operational command and administration, where the Principal Secretary serves as the Chief Accounting Officer and oversees soldiers’ financial needs,” he explained.
He emphasised that the PS was responsible for handling and accounting for soldiers’ allowances.
“There were three contingents, each with 120 soldiers, while the last had 121. As far as I know, everyone has been paid, including those who were injured,” he said.
Lt-Gen Letsoela acknowledged some delays in payments to injured soldiers, which he said he was actively following up with the ministry.
“I have a spreadsheet showing who has been paid. When I first learned of this issue, I was in Mafeteng with some of the soldiers who had served in Mozambique. I asked who hadn’t received their allowances, but those present said everyone had been paid.
“Every soldier received US$43 daily. After 90 days, the payment was around US$33 per day. I personally went to Mozambique to assess the risks and allowance structures. I met with my South African counterpart, who explained their system, which included extra allowances for mission risk and deprivation — benefits our soldiers initially did not get,” he said.
“I wrote to the Minister and Principal Secretary to recommend including those allowances. The monthly total went from M19,000 to about M24,000. At a SADC meeting, we requested a review, and the daily allowance was increased by US$10 — from US$33 to US$43. The extra US$10 was meant for lunch and toilet paper (US$5 each).
“These payments have always been in dollars, so the amounts fluctuate with the exchange rate.”
Lt-Gen Letsoela dismissed allegations that he had misused soldiers’ allowances for personal gain, including buying trucks for his own use.
“There was a time when I faced internal sabotage. Some people accused me of spending soldiers’ money on trucks for myself. I command artillery, vehicles, and soldiers, but I am not in charge of finances. I told them to check my accounts, which are managed by my wife. They won’t find any unexplained deposits,” Lt-Gen Letsoela said.
The army commander stated that the former Director-General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), Knorx Molelle, left office while still investigating him but found nothing incriminating. He said he encouraged the new Director-General, Brigadier Sello Mantṧo, to freely review his financial accounts to check for any suspicions.
