—while Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s office is deemed the least corrupt
Mohloai Mpesi
THE Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) is the most corrupt institution in Lesotho, according to a survey by respected continental research group, Afrobarometer.
Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s office is however regarded as the least corrupt in the country with Basotho viewing it in a very positive light.? In fact, Basotho’s perceptions of the Prime Minister’s office have improved drastically since Mr Matekane took over unlike in the past when his predecessors and their officials were regarded as very corrupt.
The survey, published on Thursday, puts the LMPS at the top of Lesotho’s corruption charts because of the never-ending behaviour of its officers in soliciting bribes, mainly from motorists.
The survey is published at a time when crime in Lesotho has spiralled out of control with murders, rape, stock theft cases, among others – having become the order of the day.
If ?the police who should be the key guardrail against crime are so corrupt – as reported by Afrobarometer, ?then there is little hope of respite from crime for beleaguered Basotho.
The Afrobarometer report describes police officers as “the most corrupt individuals in the country”.
Lesotho’s poorly paid police are infamous for soliciting unwarranted bribes to expunge dockets. In many instances they fabricate road traffic offences to extort money from motorists. They also take bribes from people – accused of committing various other offences – and desperate to avoid having the law take its course on them. The result is a vicious cycle of corruption.
Some police officers have been accused of ?being part of the?famo?gangs responsible for widespread crime across the country.? They allegedly steal their service weapons to sale them to the?famo?gangsters.
A seminal example is that of the theft of 75 guns at Mafeteng Police Station in a suspected inside job.
Afrobarometer’s report said a majority ?59 percent of Basotho interviewed in the survey, on their perceptions of the most corrupt institutions in the country, put the LMPS at the top of the charts. ??
?The perception survey was undertaken in March 2024 ?using a scientific sample of 1200 Basotho. A majority of them said they regarded the LMPS as the most corrupt institution in the country.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on democracy, governance, the rule of and quality of life in African countries.
Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999.
According to the report, a sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Previous surveys were conducted in Lesotho in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2022.
Some of the Afrobarometer interviewees stated that they have to regularly pay bribes to police officers to avoid law enforcement.
The police’s parent Ministry of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police was overally ranked second in the corruption stakes.
Basotho complained that they were forced to pay bribes to access national identity documents and passports.? This all means corruption lives in the ministry that should be at the forefront of fighting it.
The findings indicate that the corruption levels in Lesotho increased from the last survey conducted in 2022.
Some of the influential groups identified as corrupt are civil servants and members of parliament. The report does not detail how the MPs are corrupt.
“About six in 10 Basotho (61%) say corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” during the year preceding the survey, while two in 10 (21%) say it decreased.
“A majority (59%) of citizens see “most” or “all” police as corrupt, the worst rating among key institutions the survey asked about. About half (49%) of respondents say the same about civil servants and parliamentarians,” the survey reads.
“Compared to 2022, perceptions of widespread corruption?declined dramatically for the Office of the Prime Minister (by 26 percentage points, to 30% who say “most”, or “all” are corrupt) and for judges and magistrates (by 24 points, to 28%).
“Perceived corruption also improved for parliamentarians (by 9 percentage points) but worsened for the police (by 7 points). Among Basotho who sought key public services during the previous year: One-fifth say they had to pay a bribe to get a government identity document (22%) and to avoid problems with the police (21%).”
Additionally, one in eight (12%) interviewees said they had to pay a bribe to get police assistance, while 4% paid a bribe to obtain medical care.
“Compared to 2017, the proportion who had to pay a bribe increased for those seeking a government identity document (from 6% to 22%), trying to avoid a problem with the police (from 16% to 21%), and requesting police assistance (from 7% to 12%),” reads the survey.
Afrobarometer’s surveys are very thorough. The organisation has national partners who conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondents’ choice.
The latest Afrobarometer survey gives no respite to Basotho who are weary of crime.? In fact it only reinforces widespread perceptions that the LMPS, instead of enforcing the law, has transmogrified into a criminal enterprise itself. ??
During her three-month period as acting commissioner of the LMPS,?Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahlape Morai, acknowledged in an interview with the?Lesotho Times?that corruption among police officers was one of the police force’s major Achilles Heels.
?“The image of the LMPS,?undoubtedly,?has been tarnished in?so many?ways and we have to rebrand it….,” she said while calling for improved conditions of service for police officers. ?
There is relief though in the fact that the man at the very top of government – Mr Matekane – is not viewed as corrupt. That puts him in good stead to lead the fight against corruption. ?