…as her elevation to Superintendent rank raises eyebrows among disgruntled members
Moorosi Tsiane
THE promotion of former Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA) secretary-general, ‘Makatleho Mphetho, from Inspector to Superintendent has ignited tensions within the police association, with some members accusing her of abandoning their interests for personal benefit.
Insp Mphetho was elevated in June this year, shortly after resigning from LEPOSA, prompting some members to question whether her departure was linked to benefits she allegedly secured for herself. According to a recent Wireless Message Form (notice) issued by Chief of Police, Advocate (Adv) Borotho Matsoso, she and other promoted officers will only assume their new ranks on 1 September 2026.
The notice was directed to the Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police for Strategic Management and Support Services, and the Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Criminal Investigation Division, informing them that Insp Mphetho had been temporarily conferred with the rank of Superintendent for academic purposes.
According to the notice, issued on Wednesday, Senior Inspector (S/Insp) Rankone was also temporarily elevated to the rank of Senior Superintendent.
“Please note that the following police officers were conferred the ranks senior to theirs for academic purposes only. The conferment of ranks will run for a period of a year, from September 2026 to August 2027,” the notice reads. It states that the decision was made pursuant to LMPS Standing Order No. 1 of 2025, and instructs that the two officers be issued temporary police identification cards reflecting their new ranks: “S/Insp Rankone conferred SSP rank; Insp Mphetho conferred Supt rank.”
While the police administration has described the move as an administrative arrangement linked to academic purposes, some LEPOSA members see it differently – particularly because Adv Matsoso may decide not to revert such officers to their previous ranks once the course is complete.
One source close to the association said members had for some time raised serious concerns about issues affecting police officers, but felt their grievances were being ignored.
“There are so many issues that members of LEPOSA have been raising, but nothing was being done. LEPOSA just kept silent on matters affecting police officers, and I think it is now clear why there was this sudden quietness,” the source alleged.
The source claimed dissatisfaction had grown to the point where some members withdrew from the association. “Most of the members were not happy, and some decided to even withdraw their membership from the association. Their issue was that it looked as if Inspector Mphetho had made LEPOSA her own property, where action would only be taken when she felt like it,” the source alleged.
The source further claimed that the LEPOSA president and other executive committee members had been unable to challenge what the source described as Insp Mphetho’s dominance of the association.
“Unfortunately, the LEPOSA president was afraid of her, and so was the rest of the committee. They were all left shocked when she handed in her resignation, because they were not expecting it,” the source said. “She destroyed this association, and unfortunately that committee was too blind to notice until it was too late – when she dropped them.”
However, LEPOSA acting secretary, Sergeant (Sgt) Eugene Mokhethi, dismissed suggestions that the association had been left in disarray by Insp Mphetho’s departure. He said LEPOSA had received no formal complaints accusing the former secretary-general of selling out its interests.
“We have seen that she has been conferred the rank of Superintendent, and that is the Commissioner’s (Matsoso) decision – he has the authority to do that,” Sgt Mokhethi said. “On the issue of whether she sold the struggle, we have not received such complaints in our office, and the executive committee is still working harmoniously.”
Sgt Mokhethi nevertheless admitted that Insp Mphetho’s resignation came as a surprise, saying the executive committee had tried to persuade her to remain in office until the next elections, scheduled for October.
“We were shocked when she resigned because we were not expecting it. We tried to convince her to stay, but she said she was resigning due to health issues. We could not persuade her otherwise,” he said.
Insp Mphetho said she was unaware of the notice concerning her elevation, and referred questions to LMPS spokesperson, Superintendent Thabo Mohai. “The notice you are referring to, I have not seen it, so I am not aware of it. I am also not aware that I am going on any course,” she said. “These issues you can ask the police spokesperson – I think he is the right person to comment on them.”
Supt Mohai, contacted on Friday, also said he had not yet seen the notice and would only be able to comment after checking it. “I am not aware of such a notice. I am not in the office now. I can only assist, maybe, on Monday,” he said.
Asked why Adv Matsoso had found it necessary to elevate officers from junior to senior ranks to qualify them for a course, rather than selecting officers who already held the required ranks, Supt Mohai said the decision was an administrative matter. “The 2025 Standing Order No. 1 allows the Commissioner to do that, and it is an administrative issue that I cannot comment on,” he said.