…as LEPOSA gives Tsheka one week to resolve police allowance row
…while protest over M1500 allowances gains momentum
Moorosi Tsiane
THE Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA) has given Minister of Home Affairs and Police, Voeswa Tsheka, until Friday to resolve the simmering dispute over police allowances, threatening to seek a fresh mandate from its members on the next course of action.
The ultimatum comes amid growing frustration among police officers over the government’s failure to honour an agreement to increase the police allowance from M100 to M1500 over three years.
Disgruntled officers have threatened to embark on a go-slow if the government fails to address their grievances.
The dispute centres on an agreement allegedly reached between LEPOSA and Ms Tsheka at a meeting on 29 June 2026, under which the allowance was to be introduced in three phases.
According to a LEPOSA memorandum dated 10 September, officers were expected to receive the first M500 from October 2026, a further M500 from April 2027 and the final M500 from April 2028.
And now LEPOSA accuses the government of dragging its feet on an issue that has been under discussion since March this year.
The LEPOSA members, who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said police officers would embark on a go-slow if the government fails to address their grievances. They argue that the “meagre” M100 allowance which they have been getting since 1994 was an embarrassment.
The association and Ms Tsheka allegedly met on 2 October and the minister reportedly informed them that the allowance would not be implemented as previously agreed.
The Lesotho Times had on Thursday morning published an article where police officers said they would engage in a go-slow if they did not receive increased allowances on 20 October when they receive their salaries.
This then prompted Ms Tsheka to act. The minister called for a media briefing for Thursday afternoon to explain the government’s position on the allowances but cancelled it at the eleventh hour, saying she had been summoned before Cabinet.
She subsequently issued a press statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the proposed restructuring of police allowances.
In the statement, Ms Tsheka rejected suggestions that she had abandoned her commitment to improving police officers’ welfare, insisting that the process had not been halted but required further administrative and financial consideration.
“I wish to clarify reports suggesting that I have withdrawn support for restructuring police allowances or abandoned the welfare concerns of members of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS). That account does not accurately reflect my position or the process agreed upon.
“From my first meeting with the Commissioner of Police, I acknowledged the challenges facing officers, expressed my support for addressing them and expressed regret over the treatment they had experienced. My position remains clear: we cannot demand high standards of service without properly addressing officers' remuneration, welfare and working conditions. As part of the police reform journey, I supported taking two requests to Cabinet: the retention of officers on leave pending retirement, and the restructuring of police allowances,” she said.
Ms Tsheka explained that Cabinet’s approval of the proposals was subject to concurrence from the ministries of Home Affairs and Police, Finance, and Public Service, meaning further consultations were required before implementation could proceed.
She said she had attended a meeting with the Minister of Finance and her team, accompanied by Chief of Police Advocate Borotho Matsoso, the Director of Finance and the Director of Human Resources, to discuss the two proposals.
“At that meeting, the Minister of Finance advised that both requests required careful consideration and asked LMPS to identify which should be addressed first. The Commissioner proposed beginning with retention. The agreed approach was for the relevant teams to complete work on that request first and then proceed to allowances.
“This sequencing did not amount to a rejection of the allowances request or a withdrawal of my support. Decisions of this nature have financial implications and affect public service conditions of employment. They therefore require the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Service. That concurrence can only be sought once LMPS has finalised its plan and submitted it through the appropriate channels for consideration,” Ms Tsheka said.
She further argued that her support for restructuring police allowances could not replace the required planning and approval procedures.
“My support for improving police allowances cannot substitute for the required planning and approval process. When representatives subsequently approached my office about allowances, I asked that they first engage the Principal Secretary and put the outstanding matters in writing. This was intended to establish a clear record of progress, outstanding work and decisions required from my office. It was not a refusal to hear their concerns.
“It is therefore inaccurate to suggest that implementation depends solely on a decision I have declined to make. The outstanding technical and administrative work must be progressed by LMPS and the relevant ministerial teams through the agreed process,” she said.
Ms Tsheka called on the relevant officials to provide a written update outlining progress made, outstanding issues and a proposed timetable for the next steps.
“I recognise officers' frustration and respect LEPOSA's role in raising their welfare concerns. I call upon the responsible teams to provide a consolidated written update through the Principal Secretary, setting out completed work, outstanding matters and a proposed timetable for the next steps. My commitment to police welfare remains unchanged. Constructive engagement, supported by accurate information, must continue as we strengthen officers' working conditions, professionalism and service to Basotho,” she said.
However, the minister’s explanation appears to have done little to calm LEPOSA, which is now demanding a definitive answer within a week. The association warns that failure to resolve the dispute will force it to return to its members for a fresh mandate.
LEPOSA vice-president, Senior Inspector (Snr Insp) Haleeo Leluma, said the association had written to Ms Tsheka demanding that the matter be resolved by next Friday. The letter was delivered to Adv Matsoso’s office on Friday, with the expectation that he would forward it to the minister.
Snr Insp Leluma said members remained dissatisfied with Ms Tsheka’s explanation for the delay, insisting that they had expected the allowance process to move forward after an agreement was reached in June.
“We have written to the Minister and demanded that our issue should have been resolved by next week Friday. The letter has been sent to the Commissioner now, who will facilitate that it gets to the Minister.
“If we do not get a clear answer by next week Friday, then we will be left with no other choice but to table the matter to our members when we head for our annual general meeting on 21 October 2026. Then we will get a new mandate from them (members) and we will do anything they say we should do,” Snr Insp Leluma said.
The association said the allowance dispute had dragged on for months despite previous engagements with government officials and assurances that the process would move forward.
“This matter has been dragging on for far too long now. It was first discussed in March this year when Mr Mpopo Tsoele was still the Permanent Secretary. In July this year, an agreement was reached with the understanding that our members would start getting their allowances from this month,” he said.
Police spokesperson, Superintendent Thabo Mohai could not be reached for comment to confirm whether the letter had been received as his mobile phone rang unanswered.
The current M100 risk allowance has reportedly remained unchanged since 1994, an amount LEPOSA says is no longer commensurate with the dangers and demands of police work. In its September memorandum, the association calculated that the allowance amounted to approximately M3 a day.
LEPOSA argued that had the allowance been adjusted by 10 percent annually since 1994, it would now stand at M2011.38. It maintains that the proposed M1500 allowance was itself a compromise reached during negotiations.
A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity previously told the Lesotho Times that the proposed allowance was intended to consolidate several existing payments, including overtime and danger-related allowances, while recognising that officers are frequently deployed across units to address staff shortages.
LEPOSA has further argued that police allowances in Lesotho compare unfavourably with those in neighbouring countries. In a comparison contained in its September memorandum, the association said eSwatini and Botswana paid risk allowances equivalent to 20 percent of an officer’s basic salary per month, while Lesotho’s allowance remained at M100.