• Says even former DCEO DG Molelle investigated him
• But found nothing incriminating against him

Mohloai Mpesi

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL Mojalefa Letsoela, the Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), has strongly denied allegations that he misused allowances meant for soldiers deployed to Mozambique under the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM).

Soldiers who sought anonymity have claimed that the commander diverted funds intended for those serving in the conflict-affected Cabo Delgado province.

However, Lt-Gen Letsoela has dismissed these claims as baseless, insisting that no formal complaints have been made by any soldiers regarding unpaid allowances. He acknowledged being aware of the rumours and openly challenged any soldier who had not received their payment to come forward.

Lt-Gen Letsoela addressed these concerns in a recent interview with the Sunday Express from his office at Ratjomose Barracks.

The SAMIM was established to help Mozambique combat an Islamic insurgency in Cabo Delgado province. Mozambique formally requested assistance from SADC in May 2020, and the mission was launched on July 15, 2021.

SAMIM’s objectives included restoring peace and security, carrying out joint security operations with Rwandan forces, and offering humanitarian aid to displaced people. In August 2023, SADC decided to end the mission, with the withdrawal process beginning in December 2023 and concluded by July 15, 2024.

Lesotho had deployed soldiers under the SAMIM to restore peace in that land.

The first group of 120 soldiers was sent to Mozambique in August 2021 after the Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Maputo in June that year, approved a regional mission to help Mozambique fight “terrorism and violent extremism”.

The final group returned home in June last year. During the deployment, the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) lost three members: one to malaria, one in a car accident, and one to combat.

Lt-Gen Letsoela told the Sunday Express that all soldiers deployed had received their full allowances. He clarified that his responsibilities lay with the operational side of the army while administrative and financial matters were managed by the Ministry of Defence’s Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), Mabataung Khalane.

“I am not weak… some people want to undermine me. My role is commander, not finance officer. The ministry has two departments: operational command and administration, where the Principal Secretary serves as the Chief Accounting Officer and oversees soldiers’ financial needs,” he explained.

He emphasized that the PS was responsible for handling and accounting for soldiers’ allowances.

“There were three contingents, each with 120 soldiers, while the last had 121. As far as I know, everyone has been paid, including those who were injured,” he said.

Lt-Gen Letsoela acknowledged some delays in payments to injured soldiers, which he said he was actively following up with the ministry.

“I have a spreadsheet showing who has been paid. When I first learned of this issue, I was in Mafeteng with some of the soldiers who had served in Mozambique. I asked who hadn’t received their allowances, but those present said everyone had been paid,” he added.

He explained that soldiers originally received an allowance of $33 per day (about M17,601 after 30 days), which was later increased to $43 per day (approximately M22,935 after 30 days).

“Every soldier received $33 daily. After 90 days, the payment was around $43 per day. I personally went to Mozambique to assess the risks and allowance structures. I met with my South African counterpart, who explained their system, which included extra allowances for mission risk and deprivation—benefits our soldiers initially did not get,” he said.

“I wrote to the Minister and Principal Secretary to recommend including those allowances. The monthly total went from M19,000 to about M23,000. At a SADC meeting, we requested a review, and the daily allowance was increased by $10, from $33 to $43. The extra $10 was meant for lunch and toilet paper ($5 each).

“These payments have always been in dollars, so the amounts fluctuate with the exchange rate.”

Lt-Gen Letsoela thus dismissed  allegations that he misused soldiers’ allowances for personal gain, including buying trucks for his own use.

“There was a time when I faced internal sabotage. Some people accused me of spending soldiers’ money on trucks for myself. I command artillery, vehicles, and soldiers, but I am not in charge of finances. I told them to check my accounts, which are managed by my wife. They won’t find any unexplained deposits,” Lt-Gen Letsoela said.

The army commander stated that the former Director-General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offence (DCEO), Knorx Molelle, left office while still investigating him but found nothing incriminating. He said he encouraged the new Director-General, Brigadier Sello Mant?o, to freely review his financial accounts if there were any suspicions.

“Molelle left still insisting he would find something, but now he’s just an ordinary citizen. I told the new DCEO DG to examine my accounts without hesitation. My wealth is in livestock, not vehicles,” he said.

He went on to say that some soldiers mismanaged their earnings and now claim they have not been paid, when in fact they had received their wages but squandered them and had nothing to show for their efforts.

The commander cautioned against using the LDF for political agendas, particularly by those whom he said had failed in politics. He did, however, not elaborate on that statement.

He said some soldiers who returned from Mozambique wasted their money rather than supporting their families. “One managed to start building a house but couldn’t even finish the walls to window height. Where did the money go?” he questioned.

He explained that soldiers were given independent accounts separate from their regular salary accounts, and only a few were able to save their deployment earnings.

Lamenting the backstabbing against him, he said:  “It pains me to say this, but our defence force is extremely susceptible to political interference. I have never seen a military so entangled with politicians, especially those who have failed elsewhere.”