MASERU — The ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) youth league this week slammed secretary general Mothetjoa Metsing for disrespecting party leader Pakalitha Mosisili.
Metsing has been under fire since revelations in the Lesotho Times two weeks ago that he had disclosed to former United States ambassador Robert Nolan that he was not happy with Mosisili’s leadership style.
In the cable released by whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks, Metsing told Nolan that he was concerned with Mosisili’s “dictatorial” behaviour.
The youth league this week turned against Metsing in a stinging statement released to the media.
“As the LCD youth league, we issue this statement to address the disrespect shown by one of the LCD government’s ministers who labelled the leader an oppressor and a dictator,” the statement said.
“The minister also showed lack of respect for the LCD leader by saying he is holding on to the leadership reins, doesn’t want to cede power, is opposed to dialogue and is also aged.”
The statement was signed by LCD national youth committee president Mosala Mojakisane, deputy secretary general Mamolope Nomo and chairman, Thuso Litjobo.
The league said allegations that Mosisili was a dictator were not true.
“The secretary general (Metsing) is familiar with the internal administrative channels to follow which include the national executive committee, party conference, elders’ committee and cabinet meeting,” the youth leaders said.
They said they expected Metsing to have at least “withdrawn his words and asked for forgiveness from the LCD leader and the LCD as a whole”.
They also urged all members of the LCD youth league to distance themselves from “all defamatory allegations made by Metsing against the LCD leader”.
“We appeal also to all league members who are going out of their way to besmirch the good name of the LCD leader to stop their behaviour with immediate effect,” the statement reads.
Contacted for comment, LCD deputy leader Lesao Lehohla said he was still to see the statement by the youth league.
“In that case I am not in a position to comment on the content of the LCD youth league press release. Maybe the secretary as the NEC’s mouthpiece is in a better position to pronounce the party stance,” Lehohla said.
When asked about the Wikileaks allegations, Lehohla who is also deputy prime minister was reluctant to comment.
He said he could only pronounce the government’s position “when I have seen the cable and understood the context of its contents”.
However, Lehohla did not discount the fact that eventually Metsing would have to respond to the allegations and that it was up to him to talk “because only he knows the truth”.
“The onus is on him to speak. He’s a prominent figure and senior party and government official. People are waiting with bated breath to hear what he has to say for himself,” he said.
