MASERU — Former Basotho National Party (BNP) secretary general Majara Molapo has accused party leader Thesele ’Maseribane of failing to pay rent for his company that was using offices at the BNP Centre in Maseru.
The allegations of financial impropriety come as High Court judge Justice Tšeliso Monaphathi is expected to deliver judgment in a case in which Molapo is challenging the election of ’Maseribane as president in April.
Molapo lost dismally to ’Maseribane during the presidential elections which he said were marred by serious irregularities. He did not garner a single vote in the elections.
Molapo had filed an urgent application at the High Court ahead of the elective conference where he argued that ’Maseribane and Ranthomeng Matete, the party’s secretary general, should be barred from participating in the polls.
He said the two’s participation in the elections violated the principle of fairness and natural justice as they had the power of incumbency by virtue of being members of the national executive committee.
Justice Monaphathi is today expected to deliver judgment on the electoral dispute.
But in a document that he presented to the media this week, Molapo made stunning allegations against ’Maseribane.
He accused the party leader of failing to pay for renting offices at the BNP Centre.
He said ’Maseribane’s private company, Basotho Information, had failed to pay monthly rentals at the BNP Centre in Maseru. The rentals had since accumulated to M38 000, Molapo said.
Molapo also alleged that ’Maseribane was running the company through one of his nephews.
“I do not remember any time when any rentals from the Basotho Information were accounted for,” Molapo, who was privy to the party’s internal affairs because he was once a secretary general, said.
“If such monies were paid in to whomsoever they certainly were never reflected within the BNP,” he said.
Molapo attached a letter from the then BNP Centre estate managers Du Preez & Liebetrau attorneys which was addressed to the party’s leader.
The letter, dated March 9, 2001, alleged that Basotho Information was among companies that owed rentals which amounted to M156 932.
But ’Maseribane rejected as malicious charges that he owed the party any money.
’Maseribane said Molapo was “a man with no morals and is treacherous”.
“What kind of a man is this? He is now not attacking me in my official capacity but he is out to insult the entire ’Maseribane and Sekhonyana family. I am going to meet with the family (over this),” ’Maseribane said.
’Maseribane’s nephew, Machesetsa Sekhonyana, who was part of the interview, told the Lesotho Times that he had duplicates of all payments he had made to the Du Preez & Liebetrau attorneys.
“I was the one running that company and Thesele (’Maseribane) had nothing to do with it,” Sekhonyana said.
“Majara Molapo should produce evidence that I have not paid. He talks like an insane man,” he said.
BNP treasurer, Sekhohola Molelle, said the party has attached to the court papers a document that showed that Molapo was not a party member at the time that he fought for the leadership of the party.
He also questioned Molapo’s motives to talk about ’Maseribane’s alleged debts to the party when he failed to do so during his time as a member of the BNP’s national executive committee.
