ONE of the criticisms often levelled against Prime Minister Sam Matekane by his detractors is that he is a weak and indecisive leader who loathes taking firm action when circumstances demand it.
If ever there was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to prove his critics wrong, it is in the matter of Minister Lebona Lephema’s reported refusal to be redeployed to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development.
Reports suggest that Mr Lephema wants to retain his unwieldy Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police?which has now been rightly splintered into the two ministries of Home Affairs and Police and Local Government and Chieftainship. Needless to say?the combined?ministry?from which Mr Lephema has been redeployed?exposed his lack of depth as a stellar public administrator.??More than three years after he was appointed to run that ministry, Basotho cannot access simple things such as IDs and passports.
The option before Mr Matekane is simple: he must reject Mr Lephema’s?selfishexhortations. It is high time the Prime Minister proved that he has the courage to lead decisively. No minister should choose which portfolio they wish to occupy, regardless of how much they may have contributed to their political party.
Ministerial appointments are the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister. Period.
But beyond that, the reason Mr Lephema reportedly does not want to move to the Trade?ministry is because of his business interests. His company, Executive Transport, reportedly wants a bailout from the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC). He has also cited his intention to purchase Loti Brick, another company owned by the LNDC. If this is true — and there appears little reason to doubt it — then it speaks volumes about everything that is rotten in the conduct of some politicians Basotho have entrusted with?political?power. It also reveals the extent to which politicians take Basotho for granted.
Retaining his current ministry does not make Mr Lephema less conflicted. It does not matter which ministry he serves in. Mr Lephema has no business accessing public funds to support his private enterprises. Whether he is minister of?sausages?or?oranges?is neither here nor there. As long as he remains a Cabinet minister, he has no business benefiting from LNDC resources. The LNDC is a parastatal funded and bankrolled by the State. It is the custodian through which the government manages and controls its interests in the private sector.
Mr Lephema’s explanation is particularly troubling because it comes shortly after the Constitutional Court delivered a ruling effectively prohibiting politicians and public officials from doing business with the State.?It gave Parliament 24 months to enact the necessary enabling legal framework. That Mr Lephema is obsessing about business interests in light of this judgment is tantamount to showing Basotho and the courts a middle finger.
It is deeply distressing to learn from this episode that wealthy entrepreneurs like Mr Lephema, who claim to have entered politics to serve the people, may instead have?done so to?advance?their private business interests. Let us not forget that apart from his bid for Loti Brick, Mr Lephema has already been linked to business dealings involving the government through the 2024 acquisition of Mothae Diamond Mine, in which the State owns a 30 percent stake.
That a minister should be busy cutting deals with the same government he is supposed to lead is nothing short of disgusting. Mr Matekane must not accede to Mr Lephema’s demands. In fact, Mr Lephema’s dismal performance at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police should arguably not even have earned him redeployment to the more influential Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development.
This is a ministry that must drive and foster industrial development in the country. It is a ministry central to economic growth and job creation in the Kingdom. It requires competent leadership. Mr Lephema has shown little evidence that he is equal to that task.
Lesotho faces a severe economic and unemployment crisis. After the enormous failures associated with his previous portfolio — Basotho still struggle to access passports and national identity documents — Mr Lephema should perhaps be grateful that the Prime Minister has seen fit to entrust him with another senior portfolio. Unfortunately, humility does not appear to be among his strengths.
But this Kingdom cannot and should not be held hostage to one man’s ego, regardless of the amount he may have contributed to the founding of a political party. It is high time Lesotho’s politicians took their responsibilities seriously. It is equally time for Basotho to demand firm accountability from those entrusted with political power.
Mr Matekane should not fear the possibility of Mr Lephema forming a splinter party. If that is the route he chooses to take, Basotho are intelligent enough to judge for themselves. After all, Lesotho remains one of the few African democracies where governments change frequently because voters are willing to punish leaders who fail them. Basotho will not easily forget that this is a man they trusted with political power to serve them, yet who repeatedly found himself in headlines over his appetite for business opportunities involving the State.?We have no doubt that any Lephema led party is doomed before it is even formed.
Lesotho has for too long tolerated blurred lines between business and politics. This culture has contributed significantly to corruption scandals, collapsing public confidence and weakened institutions. Ministers and politically connected individuals continue to secure lucrative deals while ordinary Basotho struggle with unemployment, poverty and poor public services.
Mr Matekane now faces an important leadership test. He must stand firm against any attempt to normalise conflicts of interest within his Cabinet. Failure to act decisively will only deepen public suspicion that political power is increasingly being used to protect business empires rather than serve the nation.
Mr Matekane cannot afford to project weakness or indecisiveness on matters of ethics and accountability. His government came into office promising professionalism, integrity and a departure from the politics of the past. Allowing ministers to maintain questionable business entanglements with government institutions would betray those promises and severely undermine his administration’s credibility.
Parliament must urgently enact strong and enforceable conflict-of-interest laws with no loopholes or exemptions for politically powerful individuals. Such laws must compel ministers, MPs and senior public officials to fully disclose their business interests and prohibit them from benefiting, directly or indirectly, from government contracts or state-linked transactions.
Equally important, political leaders themselves must begin demonstrating ethical leadership voluntarily, even before legislation compels them to do so. Public service must once again be viewed as a responsibility rather than a business venture.
Mr Lephema’s situation should serve as a national lesson. Lesotho cannot build credible institutions while ministers maintain commercial interests tied to government operations. The public deserves leaders whose decisions are guided solely by the national interest, not by personal financial calculations.
The principle is simple and non-negotiable: one cannot simultaneously be both referee and player in the same game. Ministers must govern. Businesspeople must do business. Blurring those lines is a recipe for corruption, weakened accountability and national decline.?Mr Lephema has failed the test. If Mr Matekane has balls, he must instead fire him entirely from Cabinet instead of wasting time stroking his ego and negotiating an appropriate ministry for him. ?