…but appears unfazed
Mohloai Mpesi
PRINCIPAL Secretary (PS) for Defence and National Security, Mpopo Tšoele, has been served with a second show cause letter, this time by Government Secretary (GS) Teboho ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela, who accuses him of defying administrative directives, publicly criticising senior government officials and failing to perform his official duties.
The latest letter, which this publication has seen, gives Mr Tšoele three working days to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
Among the charges are his alleged failure to sign a mandatory Performance Agreement with the GS, remarks he made on a local radio station criticising the committee of Permanent and Principal Secretaries, and his absence from Sunday’s Armistice Day commemoration, which he had been instructed to attend and lead.
However, Mr Tšoele appeared unfazed by the latest disciplinary action. In a Facebook post, he dismissed the show cause letter as nothing out of the ordinary, writing: “Being given a show cause letter is not a fight. It is part of the management and accountability processes. Calm down. This is the correct process. The storm will pass.”
The latest development adds another chapter to Mr Tšoele’s increasingly strained relations with senior government officials.
The letter, reportedly received by Mr Tšoele on Wednesday, outlines three separate instances of alleged misconduct.
Performance Agreement dispute
On the outstanding Performance Agreement, Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela says Mr Tšoele failed to sign the mandatory document following his appointment as PS in January this year.
She cites Section 12(c) of the Public Service Act, 2005, read together with Regulation 84 of the Public Service Regulations, 2008, and Section 125(1) of the Labour Act, 2024.
According to the GS, Mr Tšoele’s predecessor at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police, Dr Mamphaka Mabesa, had already developed a Performance Agreement and operational plan for the ministry.
Mr Tšoele was therefore expected to continue implementing the existing plan, engage the GS and formally sign the agreement.
However, he was transferred to the Ministry of Defence and National Security approximately three months after his appointment without having signed the agreement.
Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela says he has also failed to conclude a new Performance Agreement for his current position.
She further accuses him of ignoring an earlier instruction to account for his tenure at the Local Government ministry and submit the outstanding agreement for his current portfolio.
“On 31 July, I wrote to you reminding you of the outstanding Performance Agreement and requesting that you submit a report outlining the key activities undertaken, achievements realised, and outstanding matters during your tenure as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs, Police and Public Safety. To date, the requested report has not been submitted,” the letter reads.
She says Mr Tšoele was also instructed to submit his Performance Agreement and attend a one-on-one meeting on his current position by 14 August 2026, but failed to do so.
The GS warned that the outstanding agreement was particularly problematic because government was already in its performance review period.
“Please note that Performance Agreements between the Government Secretary and Principal Secretaries are mandatory and required in terms of the above cited sections of the Public Service Act, 2005 and the Public Service Regulations, 2008,” she said.
Radio criticism
The second charge relates to comments Mr Tšoele allegedly made during an interview on a local radio programme on Saturday 31 October 2026.
According to the GS, the broadcast, which aired between 7pm and 10pm, saw Mr Tšoele criticise the office of the GS and fellow PSs.
He allegedly described meetings of the Committee of Permanent and Principal Secretaries as ineffective, directionless and serving no meaningful purpose.
“Specifically, it is alleged that you stated that the meetings of the committee of Permanent and Principal Secretaries are ineffective, lack direction and serve no meaningful purpose,” the letter reads.
Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela said the remarks were inappropriate for a senior public servant holding the highest administrative position in a ministry.
She questioned why Mr Tšoele would resort to publicly criticising the work of the GS and fellow PSs through the media without giving them an opportunity to respond.
The accusation is particularly interesting given Mr Tšoele’s previous public criticism of the GS over the very issue of Performance Agreements.
Mr Tšoele is the founder and director of the Pitsong Institute of Implementation Research (PIIR), a non-governmental organisation that has advised government on public sector reforms.
In 2024, PIIR publicly berated the GS’s office for failing to conclude Performance Agreements with PSs, despite Prime Minister Sam Matekane having directed that the contracts be signed and made public.
Mr Matekane had issued the directive in his acceptance speech on 28 October 2022.
Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela, who assumed office on 2 January 2024, subsequently informed PSs through an internal memorandum that the agreements had been drawn up and would soon be signed.
Armistice Day absence
The third allegation concerns Mr Tšoele’s failure to attend the Armistice Day commemoration at Makoanyane Square in Maseru on Sunday 8 November.
He had allegedly been directed to attend the ceremony and lead the day’s programme.
Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela says she spoke to Mr Tšoele by telephone on Friday afternoon, when he committed to attending the event.
However, he allegedly failed to turn up.
The GS acknowledged that Mr Tšoele had mentioned attending a relative’s funeral the previous day but questioned why he had not applied for compassionate leave before missing the official event.
“Notwithstanding this explanation, records indicate that you did not apply for compassionate leave prior to your absence. This raises concerns regarding your failure to follow the appropriate procedures. One would wonder the reasons behind such conduct,” the letter reads.
She has now demanded a detailed written explanation within three working days of receipt of the letter, warning that failure to respond could result in further legal action under public service laws and regulations.
Earlier clash with Lephema
The latest disciplinary action comes months after Mr Tšoele’s bitter fallout with former Local Government Minister Lebona Lephema, which resulted in his first show cause letter.
Mr Tšoele was appointed PS for the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police in January 2026, replacing Dr Mabesa.
His tenure was, however, short-lived following disagreements with Mr Lephema, who demanded that he suspend Director of Passport Mpiko Rafono, who was facing corruption charges.
In a letter dated 26 March 2026, Mr Lephema demanded an explanation from Mr Tšoele for failing to implement the directive.
But Mr Tšoele challenged the legality of the instruction, arguing that it was unlawful and procedurally flawed.
He invoked Section 17 of the Public Service Act, which designates a PS as the Chief Accounting Officer of a ministry and obliges the office-holder to ensure that administrative actions are lawful.
Mr Rafono and former Acting Commissioner for Refugees Nthatisi Thabane were charged with fraud, corruption and other offences following allegations that they issued refugee certificates to undeserving applicants.
The pair had been suspended by Dr Mabesa in June 2025 pending investigations before being charged in the Maseru Magistrates Court on 27 January and 10 February 2026.
The dispute between Mr Tšoele and Mr Lephema exposed deep divisions within the ministry, which oversees critical services including passports, citizenship and immigration. At the time, the ministry was also grappling with a backlog of approximately 50 000 passport applications.
Following Mr Matekane’s late-April Cabinet reshuffle, which split the ministry in two, Mr Lephema was reassigned to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development. He was dismissed on 18 May 2026 after refusing to take up the new portfolio.
Mr Tšoele was subsequently transferred to Defence and National Security, swapping positions with ‘Mabataung Khalane.
This publication contacted Mr Tšoele for comment, but his phone rang unanswered. Questions sent to him via WhatsApp were read but had not been answered by the time of going to print.
Attempts to reach Ms ‘Malisebo-‘Mokela were also unsuccessful, as her phone rang unanswered.