Ithabeleng Qhasho
THE nation on Friday paid its final respects to former Health Minister and retired police officer, Colonel Letsika Obed Robert Matela, who was accorded a State Funeral in recognition of his decades of distinguished service to the country.
Col Matela was laid to rest in Maseru in the presence of His Majesty King Letsie III, senior government officials, members of the security services, family, friends and mourners from across the country.
As mourners gathered to bid him farewell, he was remembered as a man whose life was defined by integrity, discipline, humility and unwavering service to Lesotho—qualities that earned him one of the nation’s highest honours in death.
In a heartfelt tribute, His Majesty King Letsie III remembered the late Col Matela as a caring, compassionate and principled man who dedicated his life to serving both the nation and the people around him.
The King said Col Matela was more than a respected public servant, describing him as a father figure whose kindness and wisdom touched many lives.
In a lighter moment that brought smiles to mourners, His Majesty recalled that the late Col was fiercely protective of his daughters and often dealt firmly with young men who sought their attention. However, the King joked that he had been spared such treatment because Col Matela knew his intentions towards the then Princess were genuine.
Deputy Prime Minister, Nthomeng Majara also paid tribute, describing Col Matela as a father whose generosity extended far beyond his own family.
Ms Majara said she came to know him through one of his daughters, who became one of her closest friends, and was immediately struck by the warmth with which he welcomed and cared for his children’s friends as though they were his own.
She said his humility, wisdom and willingness to mentor others left an enduring impact on everyone fortunate enough to know him.
Born on 25 December 1932, at Qholaqhoe in Makhoakhoeng, Botha-Bothe, Col Matela was the third of 10 children born to the late Morena Robert Tsebe Matela and Mofumahali Majubilee Caroline Matela.
He began his education at Qholaqhoe Primary School before continuing at Qalo, where he completed his secondary and intermediate education in 1952. He later attended Basutoland High School in Maseru between 1953 and 1954.
Before joining the police service, he worked in South African mines from 1955 to 1957 and later at the Native Recruiting Corporation (NRC) in Mohale’s Hoek in 1958.
He married Moliehi Christinah Keele in 1959, and together they had six children, including twins, although one of the twins died shortly after birth.
Col Matela joined the Lesotho Police (now Lesotho Mounted Police Service) in May 1961, graduating as the best all-round recruit. During a distinguished policing career spanning several decades, he served in various divisions and furthered his education by earning a Diploma in Law from the then University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland in 1969.
He later served as a prosecutor and was a member of the Constitutional Committee that contributed to Lesotho’s constitutional reforms in 1991.
His professional training also included specialised dignitary protection courses in the United States and senior command training at the Police College in Bramshill, England, before eventually rising to the rank of Col.
Following his retirement from the police service, Col Matela continued serving the country. During military rule in 1992, he was appointed Minister of Health before later serving as Managing Director of Security Lesotho and subsequently as an assessor in the Labour Court. His wife passed away in 2001.
Speaking on behalf of the family, his daughter, Mokhibo Matela Gwintsa, described her father as a loving but disciplined parent whose values shaped the lives of his children.
“He was a police officer, so he did not tolerate nonsense. But he was never cruel. He was loving, upright and deeply protective of his children. He never wanted to see us experience any form of abuse,” she said.
Ms Gwintsa said the discipline instilled by her father became the foundation upon which they built their lives.
“Many people we grew up with did not have the same guidance and some struggled later in life. Our father’s discipline helped us become responsible adults, build our own families and pass those same values on to our children,” she said.
Col Matela is survived by five children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.