Staff Reporter
MASERU — Former Lesotho ambassador to the United Nations, Advocate Lebohang Maema KC, has been appointed the new clerk of the National Assembly.
He takes over from Lebohang Ramohlanka who controversially resigned to take part in last May’s general election as a proportional representation candidate for the Democratic Congress (DC) party.
She however did not make it to parliament and went back to her former position.
Speaker of Parliament, Sephiri Motanyane, announced the appointment of Maema during the official opening of parliament after a three-month summer break.
“He (Maema) will be the chief accounting officer, a job he is well accustomed to, based on his experiences as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Justice,” Motanyane said.
“Mr Clerk, as he shall from now on be called, is not a stranger in this Honourable House. He was a member of this august House while serving as Attorney General.”
He added: “He is well qualified for the job with an excellent educational background. His CV speaks volumes”.
Maema, a holder of an LLB degree from the National University of Lesotho and LLM from University of Cambridge, has served the country in various capacities since the mid-1980s.
He served the country as a principal legal adviser, as an ex-officio Member of Parliament and Council of State in his capacity as Attorney General.
He also served as a member of the Judicial Service Commission, which is tasked with appointing High Court and Court of Appeal judges.
At the time of his appointment as clerk of the National Assembly, he had just completed his assignment as Lesotho’s ambassador to the United Nations and African Union.
His other former duties include directorships at the Central Bank of Lesotho and Practical Law Project.
He also worked as the King’s private secretary and a law lecturer at NUL.
“He will be the head of the table, the quiet engine of the House,” Motanyane said.
Turning to the core issue of opening parliament, Motanyane said Lesotho “has made commendable strides in promoting gender equality through the passing of the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act No 9 of 2006”.
This Act gives married couples equal rights to property and other privileges.
However, Lesotho still faces huge gender imbalances, Motanyane said.
He said Lesotho must implement international, regional and sub-regional declarations that protect gender equality and equity.
“Parliamentarians, as lawmakers and elected representatives have a responsibility to ensure that government adheres to the legal requirements at both national and international levels,” he said.
“We can and must work to ensure that this time out the opportunity is not lost and that rhetoric is turned into action to develop the legal, technical, institutional and political framework to phase out these inequalities and imbalances between men and women.”
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