Pascalinah Kabi

THE Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Machesetsa Mofomobe, has denied allegations that he murdered the Senior Procurement Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Khahliso Soro, two years ago.

The 39-year-old Mr Soro, who also headed the government’s celebrations committee, was found dead in September 2018 near his home in Ha- Pita, Maseru almost a week after he went missing.

His decomposing body was found in an unoccupied house near his own residence by children who had been playing nearby.

His mysterious death left tongues wagging as he died a few weeks after he promised the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that he would name and shame high-ranking officers in the Home Affairs ministry who had embezzled public funds.

The alleged embezzlement is said to have occurred during the first Thomas Thabane-led coalition government that comprised of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). The first coalition lasted from 2012 to 2015.

At the time, a family spokesperson Mohau Soro told the Sunday Express’ sister Lesotho Times newspaper that they suspected foul play because Mr Soro was healthy when he was last seen alive.

Last week, some opposition supporters accused Mr Mofomobe, who is also the deputy leader of the BNP, of killing Mr Soro.

The opposition supporters made the accusations during a local radio programme where Mr Mofomobe was being hosted.

A listener, only identified as Mr Jase, called into the programme and alleged that he suspected Mr Mofomobe had killed Mr Soro as he had even telephoned the latter shortly before he died.

Mr Mofomobe replied by denying the allegations and challenged the listener to approach the police if he had any evidence linking him to the alleged crime. He said the suspects in Mr Soro’s death were remanded in custody and they would have their day in court once there was compelling evidence that they murdered Mr Soro.

“You bring another issue, saying you suspect that I killed Khahliso Soro,” said Mr Mofomobe.

“Your biggest problem and that of your leadership is failing to understand that people must appear in court when evidence is put forward. Some people are in jail and once investigations have been concluded, they will appear in court.

“I am ready tomorrow or any other time (to appear in court). If you didn’t know, I personally went to the police and said, ‘gentlemen, expedite investigations into Soro’s murder’. We cannot just let people drag someone’s (Mr Mofomobe’s) name into the mud.”

He said the police informed him that they had already interviewed people who claimed to have evidence of his involvement in Mr Soro’s murder and all of them had failed to produce the evidence that he was indeed involved.

“Ntate Jase, you claim to have evidence. I am going to appeal to the police to call you and ask that you give them evidence that I phoned Soro and that I killed him as you say. You will not be able to do so because it is not like that.

“Besides, I was not a Minister of Home Affairs in 2014. Why would I go after this child (Soro)? What would be my gripe with him (Soro)?

“…You need to go to the police and give them the evidence.”

Mr Mofomobe said he was ready to stand trial if there was any evidence linking him to the crime unlike some politicians who approached the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and pleaded with the head of the SADC facilitation team to Lesotho, Justice Dikgang Moseneke, to protect him from prosecution.

This was in reference to Lesotho Congress for Democracy leader Mothetjoa Metsing and his Movement for Economic Change counterpart Selibe Mochoboroane who recently appealed to Justice Moseneke to stop the state from charging them for treason against the first government of Dr Thabane in 2014.

Justice Moseneke recently wrote to Dr Thabane directing that the charges be dropped in line with an October 2018 government-opposition agreement to stop all trials of politicians until after the implementation of the multi-sector reforms in Lesotho.

“People went to Pretoria to beg Ntate Moseneke to write a letter stopping treason charges against them and I will never go to Moseneke and ask him to protect me from allegations that I killed Soro. I will never do that. I will stand here and say I am ready to appear in court if there is evidence,” Mr Mofomobe said.

He instead accused PAC chairperson Mr Mochoboroane of using the PAC to go after his political rivals. He alleged that Mr Mochoboroane told the Home Affairs Deputy Principal Secretary, Masia Johane, to inform the late Mr Soro that the PAC was not interested in nailing him for any alleged crime but it had its “eyes on someone else”.

In a subsequent interview with this publication, Mr Mofomobe said that someone could have been him or fellow BNP senior member and Tourism and Hospitality Minister, Chief Joang Molapo.

On his part, Mr Johane said he did not recall Mr Mochoboroane telling him that the PAC was after someone else.

Mr Mochoboroane was not reachable on his mobile phone for comment.

In an unrelated issue, Mr Mofomobe said it was wrong of his rivals to want to “paint him with the same brush” with his former bodyguard who shot and injured three people in Quthing in December 2018. The bodyguard, Malebo Malebo- a soldier- was later arrested by his colleagues in the army.

“You cannot punish me for the actions of my bodyguard,” Mr Mofomobe said, adding “justice must be served” in the Malebo issue.