Billy Ntaote
All Basotho Convention (ABC), Basotho National Party (BNP) and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) youths are set to petition Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili on Tuesday this week over “the deteriorating security situation in the country”.
The youths, who told the Sunday Express that they had already obtained a police permit to stage the protest, would also submit a similar list of their grievances to Defence Minister Tšeliso Mokhosi.
BNP Youth League spokesperson, Manama Letsie, on Friday told the Sunday Express that the protestors would march from Manthabiseng Convention Centre to King Moshoeshoe I Monument where they hope the premier and Mr Mokhosi would receive the petitions.
Letsie said the march is expected to start at 10am. Police spokesperson Clifford Molefe could not immediately confirm the permit yesterday and promised to “check” and get back to the Sunday Express on the issue. He had not done so by the time the Sunday Express went to print last night.
According to Letsie, members of the country’s opposition parties had become increasingly concerned at the breakdown of law and order in the country characterised by the abduction and detention of soldiers and wholesale changes in the police aimed at purging perceived sympathisers of former prime minister Thomas Thabane. The ABC leader was succeeded as prime minister by Democratic Congress (DC) leader Pakalitha Mosisili after the 28 February 2015 snap elections.
Letsie told the Sunday Express: “We are going to petition the prime minister over these ugly incidents that are giving our country a bad name and bringing instability to Lesotho, while also infringing on our democracy.
“We are also concerned that since the Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, came into office in March, he has dismantled a team of detectives that was investigating the 27 January 2014 bombings of the homes Dr Thabane’s wife and her neighbour in Moshoeshoe II and that of the police commissioner.
“These bombings were followed by army raids on three Maseru police stations on 30 August 2014, which resulted in the death of a police officer. Those detectives have since been re-assigned or transferred to other stations in an effort to frustrate efforts to bring perpetrators of those crimes to book,” said Letsie.
Letsie also said the youths were surprised by the shake-up in the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, which he claimed appeared to be targeting those suspected to be linked to the opposition.
“We were shocked to see senior police officers such as Assistant Commissioner Sello Mosili being dismissed and we are certain that with the way things are going now, we will see Police Commissioner Khothatso Tšooana being fired. Mr Tšooana has since being accused of dereliction of duty and polarising the LMPS by the premier, and last week, was given seven days to give reasons why he should not be sent on early retirement for these alleged transgressions.
Letsie added: “We are also concerned that the people are being denied justice because of political bickering, which has seen the Court of Appeal failing to sit for the session of 2015, which had been set for 20 April to 5 May with 38 cases on the roll. The reason for this failure to convene was because of government’s dislike of Justice Kananelo Mosito, who was appointed president of the court by Dr Thabane, in January this year.”
The protesters, Letsie added, also sought to get answers from Mr Mokhosi over the continued abductions and torture of soldiers by their colleagues. The minister has since said the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) had uncovered a plot by certain members of the army to revolt against the authorities hence the on-going arrests and trial of the suspects.
However, Letsie said the youths would still confront the minister over the issue.
“We would want to know why Lance Corporal Jobo, Sergeant Mokhobo, Lance Corporal Makhabane, Lance Corporal Motene, Brigadier Motoa, Colonel Nkeli and others remain in LDF detention. We have also learned that they are being denied medical assistance while they are being tortured.
“We are very much concerned about this trampling on human rights that is continuing on a daily basis in our country. We are also condemning soldiers who are showing so much disrespect to the courts each time they bring their detained colleagues for trial,” he said.
Letsie also said the youths were not happy with the reinstatement of Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli as LDF commander following his dismissal by Dr Thabane in August last year, for alleged insubordination. The reinstatement, he added, allegedly showed that the current seven-party government comprising the DC, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), Popular Front for Democracy (PFD), Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC), Basotho Congress Party (BCP), Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP) and National Independent Party (NIP), was not committed to bringing lasting peace to the kingdom.
“We are shocked that Lt Gen Maparankoe Mahao has been demoted in favour of Lt Gen Kamoli as LDF commander, when there are still unanswered questions over his role when soldiers raided the three police stations.
“Again through this petition, we would want to urge government to ensure these is an investigation into the fatal shooting of taxi-operator Thabiso Tšosane last month, which we suspect was a political assassination since he was a staunch member of the ABC. We really want these issues investigated and those found to be suspects, brought to the courts for proper justice to take its course,” said Letsie.
Letsie further said the youths would want to see the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) intervene in Lesotho’s security “crisis”, which also saw Dr Thabane, BNP leader Thesele ‘Maseribane and RCL leader Keketso Rantšo fleeing the country last month, claiming they feared for their lives. The three leaders, who were part of the previous coalition government, are in South Africa where they are seeking SADC’s intervention for their return home.
“We believe SADC is not doing enough and want to see the United Nations and African Union sending envoys here to see for themselves what is really going on. We don’t want to see South Africa leading the mediation on Lesotho issues due to its proximity to our country and its water interests in Lesotho, which affects its neutrality when dealing with issues pertaining to our country,” said Letsie.
Meanwhile, DC Youth League chairperson, Thuso Litjobo yesterday dismissed “rumours” doing the rounds in Maseru that ruling party youths planned to intercept the protestors and attack them on their way to handing over the petition.
Litjobo said: “It is not true that DC members are planning to attack the marchers. In fact, I have only heard allegations that there is going to be such a march but as far as the DC is concerned, we will not be anywhere near them.”