HomeNewsLocalThabane wields axe on Letsoepa

Thabane wields axe on Letsoepa

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  • Sends top cop on leave
  • Molibeli, Tšooana in the running for post

Pascalinah Kabi

Police Commissioner Molahlehi Letsoepa

THE tenure of Police Commissioner Molahlehi Letsoepa is all but over after Prime Minister Thomas Thabane sent him on a 90-day leave meant to ease him out of the post, sources privy to the developments have said.

The sources have told the Sunday Express that Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Holomo Molibeli and former commissioner Khothatso Tšooana were the main contenders to replace Commissioner Letsoepa, who was elevated to the position by the Pakalitha Mosisili-led former government on 3 November 2015.

Commissioner Letsoepa’s leave was announced in a memo addressed to various police departments and issued on 30 June 2017 by a Senior Superintendent M Lerotholi.

In the memo, titled “Change of administration”, SSP Lerotholi instructs the heads of departments to “inform men under your command that the following changes occurred in the LMPS (Lesotho Mounted Police Service) administration”.

Reads part of the memo: “COMPOL (Commissioner Letsoepa) has been granted annual leave for 90 days and DCP Monaheng will act as Commissioner of Police.

“DCP Molibeli has assumed the duties and responsibilities of DCP Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the following acting appointments are terminated:

“DCP Hlaahla assumed a substantive position as Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) CID, SACP Tsephe assumed his substantive position of ACP CID. They are all effective from 29 June 2017.”

Commissioner Letsoepa yesterday told this publication the decision for him to go on leave had been reached during his discussions with Dr Thabane.

“We amicably decided that I should take the 90 days annual leave. I have double the number of leave days to what we agreed I must take, and as we speak, I am on leave,” he said.

“However, I don’t want to discuss this matter further with the media because that would be very unprofessional and unjust to my boss.”

Commissioner Letsoepa’s leave came in the wake of a firestorm over the timing of his promotions for 44 officers which were announced a day after the 3 June 2017 National Assembly elections.

The elections resulted in a hung parliament, with Dr Thabane – who is also All Basotho Convention leader — forming a coalition government with the Alliance of Democrats, Basotho National Party and Reformed Congress of Lesotho.

The Dr Mosisili-led seven-party coalition lost power after only managing to muster 47 seats to the new government’s 63 seats. The threshold for forming government in the 120-seat National Assembly is 61 seats.

Parties in the governing coalition accused Commissioner Letsoepa of doing the former government’s bidding with the promotions, saying they were part of a strategy by the outgoing regime to retain control even after losing power.

The parties had said the promotions were in keeping Dr Mosisili’s alleged deployment of allies and family members in strategic areas of the government so that he could “rule from the grave”, referring to the former premier remaining in control of the government even after leaving office.

However, Commissioner Letsoepa had rebuffed the allegations, saying the promotions were not politically-motivated but based on merit.

He asserted that the 44 promoted officers satisfied the Board of Promotions’ criteria, adding that the LMPS had the financial wherewithal to pay their increased remuneration.

The Lesotho Police Staff Association has since dragged Commissioner Letsoepa to court challenging the legality of the promotions.

Well-placed sources in the LMPS told the Sunday Express the leave was a “technicality” to ease the top cop out of his position.

Ntate Letsoepa has done a lot of things that even officers under his leadership were not happy about, and he knew very well that he was not going to continue as the police boss under a different administration,” the sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said.

“Giving him three months’ leave is just a technicality to pave way for his replacement who could be Ntate Molibeli.

“Most people in the government feel that Ntate Molibeli is the most suitable man for the position and they are already making preparations for him to take over.

“The government decided to send Commissioner Letsoepa on leave to ensure that there would be no resistance when Ntate Molibeli takes over in three months.”

However, another source has tipped Mr Tšooana – who was fired as police commissioner by the previous government in August 2015 – to reclaim the position “given his closeness to Ntate Thabane”.

Ntate Tšooana is basically Ntate Thabane’s blue-eyed boy, and I wouldn’t put it past the prime minister to return him to the helm of the LMPS,” the source said.

“The fact that Ntate Tšooana has not received his terminal benefits when his contract was terminated and the perception that his dismissal was politically-motivated stand him in good stead to get his job back.”

Dr Thabane’s Press Attaché, Thabo Thakalekoala, declined to comment on the matter, when contacted yesterday, saying he had been given strict instructions not to discuss the matter with the media.

The government’s intention to remove Commissioner Letsoepa was made apparent by Deputy Home Affairs Minister Machesetsa Mofomobe during yesterday’s unveiling ceremony of a monument in honour of the late Lt-Gen Maaparankoe Mahao in Mokema.

“This country will not go forward if those that are heading national security agencies are still in power. I would like to applaud my prime minister for removing Police Commissioner (Molahlehi) Letsoepa and the same needs to be done with (Tumo) Lekhooa of the National Security Services,” Mr Mofomobe said.

For his part, LMPS spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Clifford Molefe confirmed the authenticity of the memo in an interview with this publication but would not be drawn into discussing its contents.

“I know the contents of the letter you are referring to. This is an administrative matter that we cannot discuss with the media. His boss saw it fit to grant COMPOL the annual leave,” Senior Superintendent Molefe said.

 

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