. . . AD leader dispels coalition split rumours
Mohloai Mpesi
ALLIANCE of Democrats (AD) leader, Ntoi Rapapa, has dispelled swirling rumours that his party was withdrawing from the ruling coalition over its failure to tackle growing corruption issues.
Speaking at a party press briefing at its headquarters in Qoatsaneng, Maseru, on Friday, Professor Rapapa, instead, reiterated his party’s commitment to remaining in the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) led seven-party coalition government.
He spoke in response to a letter circulating online alleging that his party was withdrawing from the governing coalition.
After failing to win the October 2022 elections outrightly to govern alone, the RFP initially formed a three-party coalition comprising the RFP, the Movement for Economic Change (MEC) and AD.
Mothetjoa Metsing’s Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), the Reverend Paul Masiu led Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC), ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie’s HOPE-Mphatlalatsane, and the Basotho Action Party (BAP) would later join the coalition government in November 2023.
The expanded coalition included Professor Nqosa Mahao’s BAP as Prime Minister Sam Matekane tried to ward off a no-confidence motion launched by the opposition.
Prof Mahao later fell out with the Prime Minister and was sacked as energy minister in November 2024 amid serious divisions within his own BAP. Four of the BAP’s six MPs in the National Assembly defied their party leader and remained in support of Mr Matekane’s coalition.
Consequently, from surviving a no confidence vote, which nearly succeeded were it not for a last-minute court application delaying it, Mr Matekane has since been able to consolidate his numbers and now enjoys a comfortable support majority from MPs in the National Assembly.
A letter, purportedly from the AD, threatening to withdraw from the coalition had threatened to start unravelling that stability.
The letter, which went viral online, points to a litany of corruption related cases that RFP officials have been accused of, including the M186 million Moshoeshoe I International Airport refurbishment tender scandal, among the reasons why the AD wanted to pull out of the coalition.
The letter accuses the government of failing to act against the perpetrators. The AD was therefore dissociating itself from what it claimed was a tainted lead coalition governing party.
However, Professor Rapapa has since disowned the letter saying it “does not belong to AD”.
He said none of the details in the letter had ever been discussed by the party during its sitting on Thursday as purported.
He said his party would only share its opinions with Basotho based on factual reports of corruption substantiated by institutions like the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offence (DCEO), the Auditor-General, and the police.
“As AD, we are a party led by the Constitution of Lesotho. We air our opinions based on investigated issues, published by institutions established by the law to investigate where money is not used properly.
“We provide our opinions where there is a report of the DCEO indicating that there was such an issue. We can also provide our opinion in a situation where there is a report of the Auditor-General revealing that the money was not used properly.
“We can also provide our opinions in situations where the police have arrested someone believed to have done something wrong,” he said.
He likened any withdrawal from the government by his party to someone overturning a vehicle that they are driving.
“AD will not withdraw from the government like the letter states…. I will not crash a car that I am riding in,” he said.
He lashed out at people peddling falsehoods on the internet.
“If you can check, people spreading this letter on the internet are not AD members and most of them are not even in government. It tells you what the intention of the letter is.
“We appeal to the nation and all AD members to disregard the details of this letter. We also appeal to the owners of this letter to stop at once because they even forge signatures of other people.
“We are aware that there is a group intending to destabilise AD by removing it from the coalition government and overthrow its leadership unconstitutionally.
“When I look at these things, I see that the intention is to destabilise governance. I, Ntoi Rapapa, will not overturn a car that I am driving in. Until now, as AD, we are satisfied working for Basotho and we are standing by this government,” he said.
He added, “This is the longest serving coalition government since 2012. So, some people are not happy with that. I should assure you that in 2028, we will go to the elections with this government still intact.
“When you look at these issues, they are being spread by the opposition and social media. Mr Machesetsa (Mofomobe) also talked about it. I even responded to his post that these issues are not ours.
“It is propaganda that people use to defame people’s names, and we are not part of it. The government will think about ways to approach such issues.”