…as he faces no-confidence motion
Rethabile Pitso
MASERU councillors have launched a no confidence motion against mayor, Relebohile Sechache, accusing him of disregarding Council resolutions, acting unilaterally and showing little regard for the municipality’s worsening financial position.
In a letter addressed to the Town Clerk, Moea Makhakhe, on Thursday, councillors outlined a series of grievances against Mr Sechache, with his current week-long visit to China emerging as the immediate trigger for the move.
The trip, undertaken to attend celebrations marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, is said to have been partly funded by the Chinese government with some of the financing coming from the cash strapped Council.
Mr Sechache is the councillor for Lithoteng, representing the Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
Central to the councillors’ complaints is an alleged decision by the Council on 25 June 2026 opposing Mr Sechache’s participation in the trip because of the Council’s financial constraints. They accuse the mayor of defying that resolution by travelling regardless.
The councillors also claim Mr Sechache, has repeatedly failed to notify the Council in advance of his official travel plans despite a directive requiring him to do so.
Another concern raised is that the mayor’s absence has effectively left the office of the mayor inaccessible, disrupting services that residents would ordinarily expect to receive.
The letter further accuses Mr Sechache of acting unilaterally by convening a media briefing early last month without informing the Council. Councillors also allege that, despite the municipality’s financial difficulties, he authorised the use of Maseru City Council (MCC) funds to support his trip to China.
“At its sitting of 25 June 2026, the Council resolved that the Mayor and other officials should not undertake the trip to China, but he proceeded with the visit nonetheless. In February, the MCC offices were locked by the landlord over unpaid rent, yet the Mayor still travelled to Eswatini despite those financial challenges,” part of the letter reads.
MCC was in February this year locked out of its headquarters at Moonstar Complex by its landlord over failure to pay rent dating back to 2016. The debt stood at M50 million. They were allowed access to the offices after “negotiating” with the landlord. However, neither MCC nor the landlord were willing to disclose the details of the deal reached by the two parties at the time.
Contacted for comment, Maseru City Council (MCC) Public Relations Officer, Lintle Bless, confirmed that the Council’s registry had received the letter.
“I can only confirm that the letter has reached the registry office but has not yet reached either my office or that of the Town Clerk, although we expect it shortly,” Ms Bless told the Sunday Express on Friday.
“Even if I had received it, I would not be in a position to comment on its contents because there are procedures that must first be followed.
“The Council must convene a special sitting within 14 days to consider the matter. During that meeting, all signatories will be verified to confirm their intentions before the Council determines the way forward.”
Motimposo Councillor, Teboho Moholo, dismissed the motion as a politically motivated attempt to remove Mr Sechache from office.
“This is one of many attempts by the opposition to discredit Mr Sechache in order to unseat him as mayor, but such efforts have always failed,” Mr Moholo said.
“Mr Sechache has been in office for less than a year, and we agreed as a Council, in line with the Local Government Act, that a sitting mayor should be allowed to complete the first year of office before motions of no confidence are brought against them so they can settle into the position.
“The administration of the mayor’s office, including transport and logistical arrangements, is provided for under the local government budget. It would therefore be irresponsible to disrupt those arrangements before he has even completed a year in office.”
Mr Moholo alleged that divisions within the Council had fuelled repeated attempts to remove the mayor.
“Ever since Mr Sechache assumed office, there have been plans to unseat him or create instability. That is why letters like this are leaked before they have even been formally processed.
“The only legitimate concern would be if it were proven that Mr Sechache used funds from the already depleted Council coffers.”
However, Motimposo Area Chief, Leloko Theko, who is also the Council member, said the motion enjoyed overwhelming support among councillors, who had grown “frustrated” with Mr Sechache’s leadership.
“Mr Sechache was elected by 10 of the 19 Councillors, but as we speak almost all councillors have signed the motion of no confidence,” Chief Theko said.
“The concerns include the misuse of Council property and failure to address issues within his jurisdiction.
“His decision to ignore the Council’s resolution advising him to cancel the China trip was the final straw.
“It is not so much about whether he used our limited funds because we understand that China covered most of the costs. However, we believe the Council still contributed to make the trip more comfortable.”
Chief Theko added that Mr Makhakhe and several Council directors also travelled to China last Sunday for what is expected to be a 10-day visit.
“Our biggest concern is that we cannot afford this kind of spending when the Council still has outstanding obligations to its workers,” he said.
Both Messrs Makhakhe and Sechache could not be reached for comment as they were said to be still in China.