…as university leadership crisis deepens Moorosi Tsiane THE leadership crisis engulfing the National University of Lesotho (NUL) took another dramatic turn on Friday when suspended Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor (Prof) Kananelo Mosito, was blocked from entering the university campus. This despite him insisting that a Court of Appeal judgment automatically elevated him to Acting Vice-Chancellor following the expiry of Professor Olusola Isaac Fajana’s contract. The latest confrontation comes against the backdrop of an interim order issued by the Court of Appeal’s Justice Phillip Musonda in June 2026.The order effectively implied that Prof Mosito should be the acting Vice Chancellor pending litigation over the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor. Prof Mosito was suspended from NUL on 22 April 2026 after he challenged the university’s recruitment process for the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor. He was accused of “rendering the university ungovernable in pursuit of personal interests which conflict with the best...

Mohloai Mpesi THE Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) has decried its M30 million budget allocation for the 2026/27 financial year, saying it is insufficient to meet its operational needs and has left the institution struggling with mounting debts. The concerns emerged before the parliamentary Economic and Development Cluster Committee this week after it summoned the OAG to review its 2026/27 budget allocation. Auditor-General, ’Mathabo Makenete, told the Committee that the OAG had been receiving inadequate funding since the 2020/21 financial year compared with the amounts it has requested. For the 2026/27 financial year, the office requested M67 million but was allocated only M30 million — the same amount it received in the previous financial year. Ms Makenete said the allocation was barely enough to cover salaries, leaving the office without adequate funds for other operational expenses. She said the OAG previously operated under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning until the enactment of the Tenth Amendment to the...

  Seithati Motšoeneng THE Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) has announced the first cohort of Rebontše Lesotho content creators, with one winner selected from each of the country’s 10 districts. The corporation has also confirmed that the initiative will become an annual programme till 2029, as part of efforts to strengthen Lesotho’s digital tourism marketing and empower young Basotho to tell the country’s story. The selected creators emerged from district-level shortlists, with Mafeteng’s top three comprising Lemohang Qahana, Seipati Mohomotsi and Thabo Masiu, with Masiu emerging as the winner. In Berea, Reitumetse Mahlaba, Pule Letele and Kobefo Mahleke made the top three, with Mahlaba taking the top spot. Quthing’s top three were Ntlokomeleng Bulane, Toka Monakane and Khants’e Pii, with Monakane emerging as the winner, while Mohale’s Hoek’s finalists were Mahali Motantši, Lefa Khomonala and Retšepile Ramakatsa, with Ramakatsa selected as the winner. Thaba-Tseka’s top three were Kananelo ’Musi, Lineo...

…as Mosito accuses university officials of defying appeal order …. after being blocked from campus …challenges termination of contract Moorosi Tsiane FIRED National University of Lesotho (NUL) Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kananelo Mosito, is challenging the university’s decision to terminate his contract prematurely and wants the Court of Appeal to find university officials in contempt of a June 1 order which, he argues, entitled him to assume the powers and functions of Acting Vice-Chancellor. This follows the expiration of Professor Olusola Isaac Fajana’s term on 31 July 2026. In papers filed before the Court of Appeal this week, Prof Mosito alleges that NUL management obstructed his entry into the Roma campus on July 31 and subsequently participated in a meeting that purportedly installed Professor Motlatsi Molati as Acting Vice-Chancellor despite a court order protecting  what he describes as the statutory succession process. He wants the court to declare the conduct of the university officials unlawful...

  …as digital strategy drives growth Leemisa Thuseho NEDBANK Lesotho says it remains on a positive growth trajectory in line with the wider Nedbank Group, with management expressing confidence that the local operation will deliver improved financial performance at year-end despite challenging economic conditions. Although Lesotho is not required to publish interim financial results, Nedbank Lesotho Managing Director, Nkau Matete, said the local operation continues to perform in line with the group’s strong first-half results. “While Lesotho is not required to do interim reporting, I can assure you that we are certainly not moving in the opposite direction. When we announce our results at the end of the year, they are expected to reflect the same positive growth trajectory as the Nedbank Group,” Mr Matete said. He said one of the strongest areas of performance had been non-interest revenue, which grew by about 15 percent during the first half of...

Mohloai Mpesi THE Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) has spent M12 million on a forensic audit into financial mismanagement, procurement irregularities and other alleged wrongdoing at the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC). The expenditure came to light when the OAG appeared before the Economic and Development Cluster this week to review its 2026/27 budget allocation. Committee member, Montoeli Masoetsa, criticised the OAG’s M30 million allocation for the 2026/27 financial year, saying it was inadequate given the office’s workload, including costly forensic audits. “On the annexure, look at LEC with its forensic audit, M12,045,897.20 has been spent on it…” Mr Masoetsa said. “The PS letter says, ‘please note that the approved budget for the Office of the Auditor-General is M30 million’. But they have used M52 million. It is not because of their own volition. LEC audit has squandered M12 million on its own. “So, when you look at these issues, it...

Moroke Sekoboto IN a major step forward for regional water security and climate resilience, the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) has formally inaugurated the Project Management Office (PMO) for the Lesotho-Botswana Water Transfer (LBWT) Project. The office will serve as the technical and administrative hub for one of Southern Africa’s major transboundary water initiatives. The project is a joint undertaking by Lesotho, Botswana and South Africa, with Namibia participating as an official observer due to the fact that it has a stake on any projects on the Senqu River as it also passes through the country. Speaking at the inauguration of the PMO in Maseru on Thursday, Minister of Natural Resources, Mohlomi Moleko, said the occasion celebrated the enduring value of cooperation among nations that understood that their shared future was strengthened when they worked together. Mr Moleko said Southern Africa was one of the world’s most water-constrained regions, while its...

Mohloai Mpesi A former senior procurement officer at Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) has told the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that she earned her position because of her role in the Movement for Economic Change (MEC). Relebohile Poulo told the Committee on Thursday that she was employed after being referred for the position by Makatleho Lefielo, a former secretary to MEC leader and Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition Minister, Selibe Mochoboroane. However, she was later fired over allegations of taking bribes. Mr Mochoboroane, a former Health Minister, has categorically denied the claims, saying all people were hired on merit. “Those people are qualified. I can even give you their numbers so you ask them,” Mr Mochoboroane told the Sunday Express. Ms Poulo also alleged that politically connected individuals influenced procurement decisions at the hospital, including the awarding of tenders and the supply of fruit and vegetables. MEC is part...

…as the unemployed caregiver says she lied about a family death to secure society funds …allegedly after government assistance failed to reach her Hopolang Mokhopi FOR 40-year-old Mamaboka Likalele, hunger was no longer simply an empty stomach. It was a threat to a child’s life. Unemployed and struggling to provide for her own family, the Ha Mofoka woman found herself caring for her late sister’s four-year-old son — a child living with HIV and a disability who, she says, was brought to her in a severely deteriorated condition. With no stable income, mounting responsibilities and what she describes as years of being passed between government offices in search of assistance, Ms Likalele says she eventually reached a point where desperation outweighed her fear of the law. She allegedly lied to her village burial society that one of her dependants had died. The claim brought her groceries worth M10,000 and M9,000...

…as farmers praise its efficiency, timely payments and value for money  Moroke Sekoboto  PREMIUM wool and mohair broker, Baokunyaoda, is making a strong mark on Lesotho’s wool and mohair industry, promising farmers faster payments, lower transport costs and more direct access to international markets.  Only five months into its Lesotho operations, the company has already traded with woolsheds in Mokhotlong, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka and Butha-Buthe, as well as private traders.  Farmers who have done business with the company say its approach is bringing much-needed efficiency to an industry where delayed payments, high transportation costs and multiple intermediaries have long eaten into their earnings.  Baokunyaoda is a licensed wool and mohair broker and auctioneer registered in the Kingdom of Lesotho and regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture. The company is the Lesotho arm of a Baokunyaoda Group that has purchased Lesotho wool and mohair through South African auctions for over 30 years, and which operates a large, vertically integrated processing business in China spanning fibre testing, scouring, combing, spinning,...