…accuses him of lying to court  Moorosi Tsiane  ONE of?five soldiers,?on?trial in a high-profile attempted murder and malicious damage to property?case,?has rejected Advocate (Adv) Raboloetse Makara as his?pro deo?legal?representative, accusing him of lying to court.  Malefane Heqoa?is?charged alongside former army commander Tlali Kamoli?and soldiers?Pitso Ramoepane, Litekanyo Nyakane, and Mohlalefi Seitlheko,?over?the 27 January 2014 simultaneous bombings of former First Lady ‘Maesaiah Thabane’s Moshoeshoe II home and the Ha-Abia residence of then Police Commissioner Khothatso Tšooana.  Initially represented by Adv Thapelo Ntsiki, Heqoa was left without?legal?representation when Adv Ntsiki withdrew from the case on Wednesday. Crown Counsel Adv Rethabile Setlojoane then suggested that Adv Makara, who was on a watching brief, step in to represent Heqoa.  The?suggestion sparked a debate in court. Other defence counsels opposed it, noting Adv Makara’s involvement with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Adv Letuka Molati, representing Kamoli, argued that Adv Makara was disqualified due to his...

877   Letsatsi Selikoe  THE Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) recently awarded 254 Mokhotlong residents certificates for completing a Trade Test and Community Based Tourism training programme.  The event was held at Tlokoeng in Mokhotlong ?on Thursday. The graduates, both men and women, are the fourth cohort of the programme which started in 2020.  The program is the LHDA’s brainchild in collaboration with the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC). It is also supported by the Ministry of Education and Training’s Technical and Vocational Development (TVD) department.  It aims to empower the local workforce and boost community tourism.  The program, ?one of several initiatives aimed at giving back to communities affected by the LHDA’s projects, seeks to provide skills to those whose livelihoods have been adversely impacted by the construction of dams and other projects, in this case the LHWP Phase II-Polihali Dam.  According to the LDHA’s Polihali Branch Manager, Gerald...

2.6K –due to the government’s failure to pay debts  —many are dying as a result Mathatisi Sebusi  SOUTH African hospitals are now turning away Lesotho’s cancer patients because of the government’s failure to settle its long-standing debts. The situation has left cancer patients in peril because of lack of viable oncology centres within the country. Many are dying as a result, a parliamentary committee has been told. The distressed patients claim they are being ill-treated because they are told by officials at these hospitals they cannot be prioritised due to the government’s payment delinquency.  Accountant General, ‘Malehlohonolo Mahase, told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week that they had paid M114 million of the M218 million owed to the South African hospitals for cancer patient referrals.  She said the outstanding balance would be settled once a requested budget had been approved. But that payment, if at all, has not provided...

1.7K Moroke Sekoboto  Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) Teyateyaneng (TY) constituency committees have defended their MP, Lebona Lephema, against accusations that he was creating divisions within the ruling party as he allegedly pushes an agenda to succeed Prime Minister Sam Matekane.  In a letter dated 15 July 2024, addressed to the RFP national executive committee (NEC), the committees expressed concern over statements by the RFP’s Peka MP, Mohopoli Monokoane, and some TY youths accusing Mr Lephema of political skullduggery as he positions himself to succeed Mr Matekane.  The committees said the statements were meant to tarnish Mr Lephema’s name.  A fortnight ago, a leaked WhatsApp voice clip revealed Mr Monokoane’s dissatisfaction with Mr Lephema’s alleged unethical practices, accusing him of attempting to overthrow Mr Matekane and take over the party’s leadership. In the clip, Mr Monokoane urged Mr Matekane to reprimand Mr Lephema before he “destroyed” the party.  Mr Monokoane stated, “Some men that you walk with, specifically this man Lebona, did not join the RFP to support you. He wants to...

1.1K Mohloai Mpesi  LAW Society of Lesotho (LSL) president, Advocate Lintle Tuke, has lamented the tainted image of the country’s legal fraternity due to what he describes as “problematic and unethical behaviour” of legal practitioners.  Adv Tuke accused some male lawyers of defrauding clients and sexually harassing their female counterparts.  He spoke on Friday at the LSL’s annual general meeting (AGM) at Avani Maseru, where he retained his presidency, uncontested.  The AGM’s agenda included among others, discussing legal practice hurdles, challenges and achievements. It was also designed to review the audited financial statements of the organisation.  Lawyers from far and wide, including those from eSwatini and South Africa, attended the event.? It was also attended by officials from the Legal Practice Council of South Africa, SADC Lawyers Association as well as South Africa’s Black Lawyers Association. Also in attendance was Minister of Justice and Law, Richard Ramoeletsi.  In his spirited...

1.6K wows party is stable despite CEC resignations  accuses the press of misinforming the public  Moroke Sekoboto  BASOTHO Action Party (BAP)’s central executive committee (CEC) members, who have quit the party’s highest decision making body, were just rabblerousers whose plot to oust leader, Professor Nqosa Mahao, from the Ministry of Energy, failed.  Embarrassed by their actions and unable to look the BAP leader in the eyes anymore, they are one by one, deciding to quit the CEC.  Unfortunately, media reports by “foreign owned” local newspapers, the Lesotho Times, Sunday Express and the The Post, have sought to portray Prof Mahao as an incompetent leader due to these departures, “proof” that these papers have been “roped” into a plot by these senior BAP officials to destroy his “good image”.  This was all said by members of the BAP youth league (BAPYL) national committee, at a recent press briefing convened to attack the three papers and the former...

1.9K …accused of sowing rifts in RFP in pursuit of power  …one MP labels him a “hypocrite”  Mohloai Mpesi   Cabinet Minister Lebona Lephema has been accused of sowing seeds of heightened factionalism in the Ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) as he allegedly intensifies his rumoured bid to succeed Prime Minister Sam Matekane.  The charge has been made by outspoken RFP legislator for?Pela-T?oeu constituency, ‘Mope Khati. The RFP’s Peka constituency legislator, Mohopoli Monokoane, has also taken a dig at Mr Lephema describing him as a “hypocrite”.  Messrs Khati and Monokoane accused Mr Lephema, who is also the Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police Minister, of sowing divisions in the RFP by undermining fellow legislators and interfering in their constituencies.  Mr Khati said Mr Lephema was doing his groundwork to amass the support of constituencies to put himself in good stead to succeed Mr Matekane whenever the latter was no longer...

1.4K FOR over two months now, the Maseru City Council (MCC) has been tidying the capital’s streets, relocating vendors to ease pedestrian movements and sprucing up the town’s overall image.  Some of the vendors being evicted had illegally occupied pavements, creating congestion and forcing people to walk on the main roads thus endangering their lives from accidents.  They have been relocated to various open spots across town while those operating illegally have been permanently evicted.  The MCC has also issued a directive to businesses operating from commercial buildings around the city to desist from placing illegal billboards outside these buildings.    The decisive move has resulted in a cleaner and less crowded capital city. This has, however, created noise from vendors and the small business owners, who have complained that the MCC was taking away their livelihoods.  Additionally, in a desperate bid to control irresponsible littering and the creation of...

1.2K Mohloai Mpesi  The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is investigating the missing M175 million owed to the government by Lucapa Diamonds for its 2017 acquisition of Mothae Diamond Mine.  While the Ministry of Natural Resources says Australian company had paid the government, Deputy Accountant General ‘Mabakubung Pitso is adamant that there was no such payment reflected in the government’s accounts.  This issue came to light during a PAC session on Monday, where the Ministry of Natural Resources was questioned about queries raised in the Auditor General’s Report for the year ending March 31, 2022.  Auditor General, ‘Mathabo Makenete, noted in her report that M175 million was owed by Lucapa from their 2017 acquisition of Mothae.  Lucapa operated the Butha-Buthe mine from 2017, controlling a 70 percent stake, while the government owned the remaining 30 percent share.  This until last month when Lucapa announced its deal with Lephema Executive Transport to take over its 70 percent stake.  This has raised a lot of...

1.2K Mohloai Mpesi  At least 880 serious crimes were recorded by the police from January to May this year, a 26 percent increase from the previous year’s figures.  The latest statistics represent cases that were actually probed and prosecuted by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS).  Last year the police detected a total of 697 cases, marking a 183-case increase in the same period from January to May.  Commissioner of Police, Borotho Matsoso, shared the statistics with the Lesotho Times recently.  The Serious Crime Statistics report indicates the 26 percent increase in detected cases from January to May 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Last year, the LMPS detected 18 armed robbery cases, 97 assault GBH (grievous bodily harm) cases, 28 attempted murder cases, 2 car thefts, 9 fraud cases, 120 housebreaking cases, 188 murders, 12 robbery cases, 170 sexual offenses, and 53 stock theft cases.  In January to May 2024, the LMPS detected 12 armed robbery cases, 109 assault GBH cases, 33 attempted murder cases, 9...