Keiso Mohloboli
BASOTHO National Party (BNP) Secretary General (SG) Lesojane Leuta was yesterday denied entry into the party’s women’s league elective conference at Methodist High School allegedly for coming to the venue under military guard.
Mr Leuta allegedly leads a faction seeking to unseat the party’s hierarchy at next weekend’s elective conference and has since claimed his life is in danger because of this challenge.
BNP deputy leader Joang Molapo yesterday confirmed Mr Leuta had been barred from attending the conference because of his “security”.
Chief Molapo said: “It is an insult for the SG of the party to come to a conference with armed bodyguards claiming his life is in danger as if party members are murderers.
“The leader of this party (Thesele ‘Maseribane) made the same claim that his life was in danger, but his issue was not attended to until he had to flee the country. Yet, an ordinary Mosotho man who is the SG of the same political party has been provided military security with immediate effect.”
Asked how he knew the guards were military personnel, Chief Molapo said: “I was Home Affairs minister not so long ago, and I know how military guards for VIPs look and who they are. The ones I don’t know are those who were recently deployed to the unit.”
BNP spokesperson Machesetsa Mofomobe said Mr Leuta’s “military guards” had “shocked” party supporters.
“We were shocked to see Ntate Leuta under military security similar to that offered to VIPs after making claims that his life was in danger,” Mr Mofomobe said.
Meanwhile, Mr Leuta refused to talk to the Sunday Express on the issue yesterday.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Defence and National Security Minister Tšeliso Mokhosi said: “Ntate Leuta’s life is important not only to the nationalists but the congress parties and the Basotho nation at large.
“That is why he must be given security if need be. It is the military’s duty and mandate to protect Basotho, their property and the country as a whole.
“Despite providing security, soldiers also patrol everywhere in the country for military intelligence purposes.”
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