Moorosi Tsiane
LOCAL businessman and renowned vehicle manufacturer, Elias Motlomelo, has hit back at former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander Tlali Kamoli, accusing him of attempting to divert public attention from the serious criminal charges he faces by dragging innocent people into his criminal case.
Addressing the media from his Motimposo workshop this week, Mr Motlomelo alleged that Kamoli personally oversaw his abduction and torture nearly two decades ago, claiming the assault left him permanently disfigured after soldiers repeatedly struck his testicles with a hard object.
He said the injuries were so severe that one testicle split into two, leaving him with what he described as “three testicles”.
The allegations came a day after Kamoli, while testifying in the High Court bombing trial, accused Mr Motlomelo of illegally possessing an LDF-issued MP5 rifle allegedly stolen during attacks on soldiers in 2007.
Kamoli, who is standing trial alongside four other soldiers over the 2014 simultaneous bomb attacks targeting the homes of former First Lady ‘Maesaiah Thabane (then Liabiloe Ramoholi) and former Police Commissioner Khothatso Tšooana, made the claims while giving evidence in his defence.
He alleged that Mr Motlomelo was among insurgents who stole military weapons during the 2007 attacks and claimed the businessman was still in possession of state-owned firearms.
The accusations angered Mr Motlomelo, who dismissed them as desperate fabrications intended to shift attention away from what he described as Kamoli’s own criminal conduct.
“Kamoli wants to portray me as a criminal, yet he is the real criminal. Long ago I told him that one day he would end up in prison, and today that prophecy has come true,” Mr Motlomelo said.
“He abducted me and tortured me. During the assault, he ordered his soldiers to beat my testicles with a very hard object. One of them split into two, which is why today I have three balls instead of the normal two.”
Mr Motlomelo said the ordeal occurred while Kamoli was serving as Director of Military Intelligence with the rank of major.
According to him, masked soldiers stormed his home before abducting him.
“One day soldiers wearing masks surrounded my yard. They covered my face with a scarf and bundled me into a vehicle. We travelled for some time until we reached an area near Qiloane in Thaba Bosiu. That is where the torture began.
“Although my face was covered, I recognised Kamoli’s voice when he instructed the soldiers to remove the scarf from my face. When they did, I saw him standing there.”
Mr Motlomelo subsequently sued the state for damages over the alleged torture.
On 5 October 2015, the late Justice Maseshophe Hlajoane awarded him M450,000 in general damages after finding that unidentified men abducted him from his home in 2007, detained him at various locations while blindfolded, handcuffed and shackled, and subjected him to torture and assault. The court also found that he was denied food, water and medical treatment during his detention. No criminal prosecution followed.
Mr Motlomelo said Kamoli was now inventing allegations to portray him as a criminal despite the assistance he had rendered to the LDF over the years.
“I have always supported the army. I even manufactured a vehicle for the LDF when they were preparing for the SADC Mission in Mozambique. Today he wants people to believe I am some kind of criminal.”
He further claimed Kamoli had never forgiven him for publicly confronting him shortly after the formation of the first coalition government in 2012.
According to Mr Motlomelo, former Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Thesele Maseribane, who had just been appointed a cabinet minister, invited him to a celebratory gathering at his Quthing home where Kamoli was also present.
“During introductions, Kamoli proudly introduced himself as the sole commander of the LDF and boasted that he controlled all the soldiers.
“I was disturbed by those remarks. I asked to speak and challenged him. I wanted to know whether he was also the one ordering soldiers to torture civilians and commit crimes.”
Mr Motlomelo said Kamoli reacted by suggesting that Mr Maseribane should “hand him (Motlomelo) over” so they could settle the matter.
“I told him I was not afraid of him. I also told him that one day he would end up in prison because of the things he was doing. That is exactly where he is today.”
He urged Kamoli to concentrate on defending himself against the charges before the court instead of implicating people who have nothing to do with the case.
“He should answer for his own actions and leave me out of his problems. I do not possess any LDF firearm. If I really had an army rifle, why didn’t he come after me when he was commander and demand that I surrender it?”
Mr Motlomelo also alleged that Kamoli still harbours resentment towards him because he once served as former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s bodyguard during a period of heightened political tensions in 2007.
“He is still angry because I was Ntate Tom’s bodyguard when they wanted to kill him in 2007.
“Kamoli is a killer. He used soldiers to kill people, and now he wants to drag my name into his criminal matters instead of accounting for his own actions,” Mr Motlomelo said.
