…says he will not contest in upcoming municipal elections
…urges review of councillors’ “embarrassingly low” pay
Rethabile Pitso
MASERU Mayor, Motlalepula Sepipi, has announced that he will not be contesting in the upcoming Maseru City Council (MCC) elections scheduled for 14 November.
The elections, which will also determine the next Deputy Mayor, were confirmed by Town Clerk, ‘Moea Makhakhe, during an MCC Council sitting held in Maseru on Thursday.
In an interview with the Sunday Express on Friday, Mr Sepipi, who is completing his second consecutive term as Mayor, said he would vacate the position to focus his full attention on his Stadium Area constituency.
Council elections are held annually.
Mr Sepipi, a member of the ruling Revolution For Prosperity, revealed that his time in office taught him that being Mayor carried no additional financial benefits compared to serving as an ordinary councillor, a role he said he would be content to return to.
“The offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor currently do not have designated budgets to work with. Funding is an integral part of any project, and many of our initiatives were delayed due to a lack of financial resources,” he said.
The outgoing Mayor also lamented the “embarrassingly low” remuneration of councillors and urged the government to review their salaries.
“Salaries earned by councillors are so low that I will refrain from even disclosing an average. It’s disheartening because these are people entrusted with major responsibilities across the country.
“These salaries are not sustainable, even for basic needs like monthly transport fares. Expecting councillors to support families on such meagre pay is simply unreasonable.”
Mr Sepipi warned that the lack of motivation brought about by poor pay could fuel maladministration.
“If salaries remain this low, temptations will be hard to resist. Imagine being tasked with allocating land but earning just a fraction of what others in similar positions elsewhere are paid. It’s only fair that salaries match the weight of our duties.”
He added that councillors’ financial struggles often reflected poorly on Lesotho’s representatives during regional engagements.
“I’ve seen our councillors looking shabby compared to counterparts from other countries. Even during the recently held SAIMSA Games, the difference was clear. It’s moments like these that show how far we still have to go,” he said.
Reflecting on his achievements, Mr Sepipi cited partnerships forged with private sector institutions as a key highlight. Among these was a collaboration with Alliance Insurance, which donated two state-of-the-art garbage collection trucks and bins to MCC.
He also highlighted the ongoing construction of the country’s first Fire Department as another significant milestone achieved under his tenure.
Mr Sepipi is expected to continue serving as a councillor for the Stadium Area constituency even after the upcoming municipal elections since he was elected area councillor for a five-year term in 2023.
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