The opposition political parties are adamant that the three security chiefs, Lesotho Defence Force Commander Mojalefa Letsoela, Commissioner of Police Holomo Molibe and National Security Service (NSS) Director-General Pheello Ralenkoane, must be removed from their coveted posts after they publicly vowed to block a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Sam Matekane and his coalition government.

The Prime Minister’s Press Attaché, Thapelo Mabote, told the Sunday Express from Luanda, Angola, last night that he could not immediately comment on the opposition’s demands to have the three security chiefs removed.

“Since they discussed the matter with President Hichilema and have not told us about it, it is as good as rumour to us. As such, we cannot comment on it,” Mr Mabote said.

Mr Matekane was in Luanda attending the Extra-Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government. That summit last night exhorted Lesotho to complete the reforms process for the sake of its own stability.

Mr Hichilema’s visit aimed at easing the mounting political tensions in Lesotho, was preceded a day earlier by his advance mission led by SADC Panel of Elders chairman, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

While Mr Kikwete left on the same day, the Panel of Elders will only depart today (Sunday), having met with all key stakeholders including among others, Speaker of the National Assembly Tlohang Sekhamane and the President of the Senate Mamonaheng Mokitimi.

The opposition parties complained to Mr Hichilema how their MPs had been “belittled” by the security bosses who had labelled them as self-aggrandising individuals only interested in feathering their own nests at the expense of advancing national interests.

They told Mr Hichilema that the acts and utterings of the security bosses, were tantamount to a “coup de tat”.

Last night’s SADC  summit in Luanda  reiterated the urgent need for all stakeholders, in particular, political parties in the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Lesotho “to ensure that the reform process is brought to finality in the interest of national political, economic and security stability”.

Government welcomed the SADC’s position with Mabote telling the Sunday Express: “ The government’s stance remains the same, that the reforms are important and will help to bring stability and peace in the country once they are implemented. We cannot comment on the matter of the motion of no confidence because it is still before the courts of law.”

But Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, last night told the Sunday Express, that they had told Mr Hichilema that the  reforms process needed a conducive environment to be completed. Such an environment had been derailed by the behaviour of the three security chiefs, he said.

With Messrs Letsoela, Molibeli and Ralenkoane at the helm of Lesotho’s security agencies “it is mostly likely that we will not participate in the reforms but just sit back and watch”, Mr Mofomobe added.

“We had all wanted to continue with the reforms process. I even tried to push for the resuscitation of the reforms earlier this year but the Prime Minister snubbed me…..

“So SADC must determine who is derailing the reforms. As much as we want the reforms to pass, the process can’t be made in the presence of these three security chiefs. They have created a very toxic environment. They must go.

“If they don’t, we are going to stand back and let them conduct the reforms process themselves.”

“We will stand back and let the security chiefs vote in parliament. If the government does not act against them, then we are going to sit back. They will never see  the reforms if these security chiefs are still there.

“We told him (Hichilema) that since it now appears like the security agencies are stakeholders in politics, we will have to fold our arms and let them take over and conduct the business of parliament.”

“We are not going to give them a two thirds majority. They will get it from those security agencies. We are not joking, it’s a fact. Any reform process needs consensus which is what we did last year before the (10^th) parliament was dissolved. But once you bring guns and soldiers to intimidate us, you have killed it… It’s gone.”

Mr Mofomobe also slammed the new coalition government unveiled by Prime Minister Matekane last week – incorporating an additional four smaller parties – with the premier claiming that he was now standing on solid grounds with a majority of 67 MPs.

“This claim that they have 67 MPs is not true.  Let the motion proceed in parliament and see what will happen. I could have withdrawn the motion a long time ago if we didn’t have the numbers,” said Mr Mofomobe of the no confidence motion he tabled, sparking a series of events that led to SADC’s umpteenth visit to Lesotho to try and quell the renewed political ruckus.

Mr Mofomobe has since been appointed as the overall spokesperson of all the opposition parties in parliament alongside his garrulous Basotho Patriotic Party (BPP) compatriot, Tefo Mapesela.

Premier Matekane and Official Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathibeli Mokhothu, had both written to SADC seeking the regional body’s intervention in resolving the latest political crisis in Lesotho.

SADC responded promptly by seconding its senior representatives to the Kingdom.

Mr Mokhothu, who also leads the main opposition Democratic Congress (DC), told the Sunday Express last night that they told Mr Hichilema that they were uncomfortable with the involvement of security agencies in politics.

Mr Mokhothu said they also told him that while they prioritized the reforms “the reforms will need a conducive atmosphere that does not involve security agencies”.

“We discussed the matter of the reforms and how the reforms are important and need to be passed in parliament. As the opposition, the reforms were made by us, more than this current government. The reforms need a conducive atmosphere, so the security agencies should not play a part in politics. Additionally, we demanded that the government should halt recruiting top officials when the reforms have not passed,” Mr Mokhothu said.

He added: “Whatever that they do to them (security chiefs) is fine, but they need to take action that is commensurate to the blunder that they committed….

“ The other point is that we have a motion of no confidence in parliament Consequently, democracy must be allowed to take it course….”