Mantoetse Maama
MASERU — Six taxi associations say the recently elected committee of the Maseru Region Taxi Operators (MROTO)’s is unlawful.
The associations — Maseru Star, City Centre, Mabalane, Maseru Urban, Maqalika and Sakeng — told a press conference on Tuesday that they did not recognise the MROTO committee elected on October 10.
The associations’ spokesperson, Kemiso Mosenene, said they were not well informed about the annual general meeting that was held in Thaba Bosiu where the elections were held.
“Section 18 of the MRTO constitution says the committee is supposed to inform members formally by letters a month before the annual general meeting,” Mosenene said.
“They did not do that.”
Mosenene said the MRTO constitution states that the meeting is called after the audit report has been published.
“They did not publish the audit report before holding the annual general meeting,” he said.
“Section 5(a) also states that members of the MRTO should be the associations not the route committees but in this AGM route committees were invited to participate like they were members.
“If the constitution was amended so that route committees could be members of MROTO such amendments should be filed at the law office.
“We are not part of the decisions made at the AGM.
“We will not be part of the decisions made by that committee.”
Mosenene said it was not clear how the MROTO funds were spent in the last term. Spokesperson for the MROTO, Lebohang Moea, said they did not hold an AGM.
Moea told the Sunday Express in an interview that what they held was just an “emergency meeting”.
“It was still within the law to call a meeting because Section 18(b) of our constitution states that the committee can call an emergency meeting,” Moea said.
“Even ordinary members in consultation with the committee can call a meeting,” he added.
“They can even notify members of such a meeting through radio or formal letters.
“Members can even notify each other by word of mouth.
“We know very well that before an AGM is held an audit report should be published.”
Moea said the associations were informed of the meeting.
He singled out Mabalane Taxi Association as one of the MROTO members that knew of the meeting.
He said the MROTO’s financial year ended in August “so we called the meeting to remind the members that we were supposed to elect a new committee”.
“We did not elect the new committee but the current committee was given a mandate to continue.” he said.
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