MASERU — Mohau ‘Whitehorse’ Thakaso, a cntroversial businessman and sports personality, says he is going to stand as an independent in next year’s general election.
Thakaso told a media briefing this week that he had been approached by the Roma community to stand as an independent candidate.
“It took me a long time to decide whether I should agree or not but when many of them continued to press, I realised they meant it,” Thakaso said.
“They called me to a public gathering, which was bigger than the ones I used to call for Manonyane FC, where they collectively asked me to be their MP and I agreed.”
But Thakaso will face a monumental task if he is to win the Maama seat that is currently held by the opposition All Basotho Convention (ABC)’s veteran politician, Halekhetheloe Maama.
His election symbol is a white horse.
Thakaso’s election campaign manager, Khethang Mothae, who has been a stalwart in the Basutoland Congress Party, LCD, Lesotho People’s Congress and lately the LWP, said in a statement he was confident that Thakaso will make it into parliament next year.
This is the first time that Thakaso has openly ventured into politics.
He will be the first independent candidate to contest the Maama constituency since the return of democracy in 1993.
His campaigners said they were confident that Thakaso will use his immense popularity in sports to garner votes next year.
Thakaso was the president of a former popular premier league side, Manonyane Football Club, in the early 1990s.
But his association with football came to an abrupt end in 2001 after he was fired by the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) for allegedly exposing massive corruption within the football association.
Thakaso this week told the Lesotho Times that he wants to see Maama constituency industrialised.
“Roma should not only be known as a place hosting our national university but it should also be known for community development,” Thakaso said.
“It should also be known as a centre of industrialisation which I hope will happen in my lifetime.”
He said he was responding to the call by the Maama constituency to be their representative in parliament.
