…as Court of Appeal orders RSL board to reinstate her or face jail
Moorosi Tsiane
FIRED Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) Commissioner-General, Advocate (Adv) ‘Mathabo Mokoko, broke down in tears of joy on Friday after the Court of Appeal handed her a resounding victory, ordering the RSL board to reinstate her to her position or risk imprisonment for contempt of court.
In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, Adv Mokoko emerged victorious in her protracted legal battle with the RSL board after the country’s highest court upheld her appeal, restored the Labour Court judgment in her favour and ordered the board to purge its contempt by reinstating her.
The ruling was an emotional moment for Adv Mokoko, who struggled to hold back tears as she thanked God for sustaining her through what she described as an extremely difficult journey. She maintained that her fight had always been about serving the nation with integrity, professionalism and dignity.
The judgment has put the RSL board in a corner, leaving it with a stark choice: reinstate Adv Mokoko and comply with the court order or risk having its members imprisoned for contempt.
Announcing the order on Friday, Court of Appeal President Justice Kananelo Mosito said the appeal had been upheld with costs and the Labour Court judgment reinstated. He indicated that the full judgment would be made available later.
“It is ordered that the appeal is upheld with costs, and the judgment of the Labour Court is reinstated,” Justice Mosito said.
For Adv Mokoko, the ruling was more than a legal victory. It was vindication after months of fighting her dismissal, which followed allegations of incompetence, including claims that she had failed to resolve mounting tax refund claims and manage reputational risks at the revenue authority.
Speaking to the Sunday Express shortly after the ruling, an emotional Adv Mokoko said the order was clear: the board had to reinstate her to purge its contempt.
“Well, the judgment is very simple. It says the board is in contempt. They must purge the contempt by putting me back to work. That’s what it says,” she said.
Overcome with emotion, she thanked God, saying the outcome had reminded her of the responsibility entrusted to her when she was appointed to lead the revenue authority.
“Today it’s all about glorifying His name. Today it’s all about remembering why He chose me to be the Commissioner-General. Why He chose me to serve this nation. He chose me mainly to serve this nation with integrity, to serve this nation with professionalism, to serve this nation with dignity,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She described the period since her dismissal as extremely difficult but said it had not shaken her commitment to public service.
“This journey was hard. But for me, as a person, as a leader, it only means one thing: my unwavering commitment to serve with dignity, with integrity, for the benefit of this nation, for the benefit of our people and the livelihoods of our people,” she said.
Adv Mokoko insisted that she had never failed the country and that her work at RSL had always been driven by a desire to improve the lives of Basotho.
She recalled reporting for duty every day with the responsibility of ensuring that government collected enough revenue to fund essential public services.
“I trusted God because I have never failed this nation. Everything I did in my office was to serve. Everything I did was to make sure that the dreams and hopes of children of this nation come to life.
“I woke up every day to collect money to make sure that there is medicine at the hospital, to ensure that those kids with no shelter, they eat,” she said.
She also revealed that she had continued pursuing professional leadership and executive coaching studies during her time away from office and was now nearing completion.
With the ball firmly in the RSL board’s court, Adv Mokoko said it was not her responsibility to determine how the institution would comply with the order.
“There is an order that has to be complied with. It’s not my responsibility to comply on their behalf,” she said.
Asked about her relationship with Finance and Development Planning Minister Dr Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane, Adv Mokoko maintained that it remained professional and that she still regarded her as her minister.
She said she harboured no personal grudge against the minister and was prepared to work with her in the interest of the country.
“She is my minister. Her work is to support me as the Commissioner-General for the benefit of this country. It is not personal. I have no grudge because that is work-related. I am happy to work with her,” she said.
Adv Mokoko’s troubles began on 5 November 2025 when RSL Board Chairperson, Adv Lindiwe Sephomolo KC, issued her with a show-cause letter while she was attending the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) annual meeting in Algeria.
The meeting had been scheduled for 3 to 7 November 2025, and Adv Mokoko said she had obtained the board’s permission before travelling.
The letter demanded that she explain why the board should not recommend the termination of her contract to Dr Matlanyane, citing several allegations of administrative misconduct. She was given until 10am on 7 November 2025 to respond.
Adv Mokoko subsequently challenged the process, arguing that the board had deliberately placed her under pressure by demanding a response in less than 48 hours while she was outside the country on official business.
In her court papers, she maintained that the timing of the letter demonstrated the board’s alleged lack of good faith.
She subsequently approached the Labour Court and obtained an interim order, which she said the board deliberately disregarded when it proceeded to terminate her contract.
According to her court papers, she received the termination letter on 7 November 2025 at 9.45am Algerian time, despite having notified the board earlier that morning that court proceedings had been instituted and an interim order granted.
She said she had emailed the board at 8.25am, informing it that an application had been filed and moved by her counsel, Adv Motiea Teele KC, and that an interim order had been granted, with the matter returnable on 11 November 2025.
She also sent a copy of the order to the board through WhatsApp at 9.39am, which she said was subsequently shared with other board members.
Adv Mokoko argued that the board’s termination letter itself demonstrated that it knew about the court order, as it acknowledged receiving her email containing the court documents.
She further maintained that the board had already made up its mind to dismiss her, pointing to the short response deadline and the fact that it terminated her contract before the deadline had expired.
The legal battle subsequently moved through different court levels.
Adv Mokoko initially won at the Labour Court, where the court’s President Teboho Thoso ruled in her favour. The RSL board challenged that decision at the Labour Appeal Court, where Justice Khabo overturned it.
Unwilling to accept the setback, Adv Mokoko took the fight to the Court of Appeal, arguing that Justice Khabo had misdirected herself in overturning the Labour Court judgment.
She also sought to revive her complaint that the board had wilfully disobeyed the interim order by proceeding with her dismissal despite knowing that the matter was before the courts.
In seeking relief, she had asked the court to hold the board members personally accountable for contempt and require them to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for at least six weeks.
She wanted any prison sentence suspended on condition that they purged their contempt by reinstating her.
Friday’s ruling restored the Labour Court judgment and upheld her appeal with costs, leaving the RSL board facing the consequences of its next move.
Adv Sephomolo could not be reached for comment as her mobile phone wrang unanswered.