…as a constituency secretary challenges three-year suspension
…after being punished for saying Matekane could be ousted as party leader
Moorosi Tsiane
A REVOLUTION for Prosperity (RFP) constituency secretary, who was suspended for three years after suggesting that Prime Minister Sam Matekane could be ousted as party leader, is challenging the disciplinary action in the High Court, accusing the party leadership of abusing its powers and denying him a fair hearing.
Koro-Koro constituency committee secretary, Seeiso Letsie, wants the court to review and set aside his suspension, which was imposed by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on 15 October 2026.
Mr Letsie was disciplined over remarks he made in a party WhatsApp group in May 2026, in which he suggested that Mr Matekane risked being removed as RFP leader if he used his powers to expel ministers opposed to developments within the party.
The constituency secretary maintains that his remarks were a political observation about the exercise of power within the party and not an attempt to undermine or disrespect Mr Matekane.
He has accused the RFP leadership of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding the remarks, conducting an irregular disciplinary process and using its authority to punish him for exercising his right to express an opinion.
His application also raises questions about the party’s internal governance, particularly its failure to convene an Annual General Meeting (AGM), which he says has left him without an effective avenue to appeal his suspension.
In a suspension letter communicated by party Secretary General, Nthati Moorosi, Mr Letsie was informed that the NEC had considered a report from the Committee of Integrity and Dispute Resolution (CIDR) , which allegedly found that he had admitted to all the charges against him.
The charges included disrespecting the RFP leader through his comments in a WhatsApp group, inciting members to remove Mr Matekane from his leadership position and failing to reprimand other members who allegedly disregarded the group’s leadership.
“The highest committee found a report from the Committee of Integrity and Dispute Resolutions Committee that you have admitted all the allegations that were read to you, being: You reviled and disrespected the RFP leader with words you made in a WhatsApp group. To incite trouble in the group to oust the leader from his position, by not reprimanding members of the group when being out of order by disregarding the leaders of the group. According to the report you acknowledged and accepted all these allegations,” the suspension letter reads.
The letter said his suspension was imposed in terms of section 11(b) of the party constitution.
It further advised him that, under section 13(d)(ii), he could appeal the decision to the highest constituency.
During the three-year suspension, Mr Letsie is barred from performing any duties on behalf of the RFP, organising rallies, representing the party or participating in its online platforms, including WhatsApp and Facebook groups.
But in his founding affidavit, Mr Letsie disputes that he was given a proper disciplinary hearing and argues that the party unfairly concluded that he had admitted guilt.
He traced the dispute to a WhatsApp discussion in May 2026, during which some party members reportedly proposed removing certain NEC members.
He said he subsequently recorded a voice note explaining the political consequences of using party powers to remove political opponents.
“I then recorded the voice note and sent it in the said group. The said note in essence was to the effect that when people fight in politics, they each use the powers they possess. I stated that in the event that the Prime Minister uses his powers to expel some of the ministers who were against some of the things that were happening within the party, those who have political party will also use their power and oust him,” Mr Letsie said.
He maintained that he was simply explaining that political power could be used by either side in an internal party dispute.
The secretary also believes his troubles were linked to his involvement in a separate push for the party to convene its overdue AGM.
He said that on 31 July 2026, he and other RFP members instructed a lawyer to demand that the party leadership call the meeting, arguing that the constitutional deadline had already passed.
The demand was served on the party leadership on the same day.
On 11 August 2026, he received an invitation to attend a party meeting scheduled for 14 August. According to him, the invitation referred to the voice note he had circulated in May.
Mr Letsie said he had already apologised to Mr Matekane because he had not anticipated that his comments would become a disciplinary matter.
However, he disputes that the 14 August meeting constituted a disciplinary hearing, saying the invitation did not disclose any charges against him or explain his rights.
“I must state that the letter that invited me to a meeting said nothing close to one being invited to the disciplinary hearing. The letter did not tabulate the charges, it did not outline my rights and or state what things were expected of me. I went there thinking that I was only going to explain the video which was the only item on the said letter,” he said.
He further alleged that after admitting to recording the voice note, some people at the meeting suggested that there was no need to continue with the proceedings because he had already apologised.
But he was also questioned about his involvement in the legal demand for the AGM.
Mr Letsie said he had not instituted legal proceedings against the party but had merely exercised his right, alongside other members, to demand compliance with the party constitution.
He further claimed that he was asked to wait outside before being allowed to leave to collect his children from school in Ladybrand, South Africa.
When he returned, he allegedly found that everyone had left without informing him whether the meeting had ended or whether any decision had been taken.
He insists that no formal charges were put to him, no complaint was presented and the voice note was not played during the meeting.
His suspension on 15 October therefore came as a surprise.
“I was on the 15th October called to report at the Party offices whereupon my arrival, I was served with a letter. Which purported to expel me in the party. I was only surprised as I do not remember attending any disciplinary hearing,” he said.
Mr Letsie argues that the suspension letter contains allegations to which he was never asked to plead and that the party’s finding that he admitted guilt was unfair.
“This in itself is unfair as it undermines the principle of natural justice, more importantly the right to a fair hearing and the right to be heard,” he said.
He also questions the instruction that he appeal to the party’s AGM, arguing that the same leadership responsible for suspending him has failed to convene the meeting.
He says the suspension has effectively excluded him from party structures and activities, making it difficult for him to participate in the very structures where he is expected to pursue an appeal.
“The suggestion of appealing to the AGM is a denial to justice and the Court should not agree to be invited to such,” he argued.
Mr Letsie maintains that his comments about Mr Matekane amounted to political opinion and should not have attracted disciplinary punishment.
“What I am being accused of is just a political opinion that in the instance the Prime Minister expels ministers, he also runs a risk of being ousted by those who have the party power. This was just a pure opinion which in the democratic state, no one should be held to have disrespected anyone,” he said.
He is asking the High Court to review and set aside the suspension as unlawful and irregular. He is also seeking an interim order staying its implementation pending the final determination of his application.
However, his bid to have the matter heard urgently suffered a setback after Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane ruled that the application did not satisfy the requirements for urgent proceedings.
The case will therefore proceed through the ordinary court process.
Mr Letsie had argued that urgency was necessary because the RFP was preparing to hold constituency committee elections, in which he intended to contest and retain his position as Koro-Koro constituency secretary.
The elections, initially scheduled for 31 October 2026, were subsequently postponed following another court challenge to the electoral process. That matter is scheduled for hearing on 16 November 2026.
He also argues that the three-year suspension could undermine his political ambitions ahead of the 2028 general elections, in which he intends to contest.
“I also want to contest for the general elections scheduled to take place in early 2028. In the event that this sentence stands, I would have been deprived of my constitutional right to participate in the government of this country,” he said.