. . . As he vows PAC will continue with QMMH probe
. . . after more hospital officials snubbed committee
Mohloai Mpesi
Mokhothu Makhalanyane, the firebrand Chair of Chairs of parliamentary Portfolio Committees, says the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), will not relent in its work to probe corruption allegations at Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) despite the court action brought against it by senior health officials.
Mr Makhalanyane spoke to the media on Thursday as nine more QMMH staffers failed to appear before the PAC, hard on the heels of a similar non-appearance by their bosses earlier in the week.
Principal Secretary (PS) Maneo Moliehi-Ntene, QMMH Managing Director ‘Makhoase Ranyali and Deputy Managing Director Human Capital, Planning and Contracts Thenjiwe Dlangamandla failed to appear before the PAC’s Tuesday and Wednesday sessions.
Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla have both since petitioned the Constitutional Court to nullify HOPE-Mphatlalatsane political party leader, ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie’s role as chairperson of the PAC.
The duo wants Ms Lemphane-Letsie to recuse herself from her position as chairperson because she has been charged with corruption, rendering her “unfit” to lead a body tasked with probing graft.
The matter will be heard tomorrow (Monday). Mr Makhalanyane was confident the matter will be finalised soon to enable the PAC to continue with its work.
“These are issues that relate to public funds and we cannot leave them unattended,” Mr Makhalanyane told journalists, vowing that the PAC would remain steadfast in its resolve to hold public officials accountable.
The PAC could not proceed with its probe on Thursday after senior Ministry of Health and QMMH officials were a no show again.
It had earlier issued warrants against Ms Moliehi-Ntene, Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla after they failed to appear before the committee on Tuesday. The warrants were then meant to force them to appear before the committee on Thursday.
But this did not happen as the officials had opted for legal action.
“Today, while we were expecting the police to bring them here, we received court papers interdicting these proceedings….” Mr Makhalanyane said, adding they would now have to wait for the outcome of the court application before proceeding.
Still, he suggested the officials should have attended the PAC meeting anyway and sought to be formally released by the committee pending their court action. He said he was of the view that the officials had therefore absconded.
“We are adjourning on a note that they are absconding because they had to be here so that we release them, but that did not happen…
“The journey of justice is not easy, but we will walk it.”
Mr Makhalanyane, who is also the legislator for the ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) in Mokhethoaneng constituency, said the trio’s lawyer had interdicted Commissioner of Police, Advocate Borotho Matsoso, from taking them to the PAC.
This is after the committee spent the entire Thursday expecting the three QMMH bosses to appear before it, along with nine other junior employees from the hospital.
The tough-talking Mr Makhalanyane vowed that Parliament will not relent from probing allegations of corruption, despite the court case.
Third Time
This marks the third time that the PAC has been dragged to court this year.
First, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, which was embroiled in corruption allegations over the awarding of the M184 million Moshoeshoe I International Airport refurbishment contract tried to stop the committee from probing allegations of corruption in the controversial project
It later withdrew the court challenge.
The second case involved the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) chairperson, Thabo Khasipe, who approached the courts in June this year seeking an urgent court order to halt the PAC inquiry into the parastatal and to have all evidence presented by LEC officials, by the time of his court action, expunged from the record.
But Khasipe’s attempt to quickly block the PAC’s probe failed after Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane ordered that the case should be removed from the urgent roll.
Now, senior health officials are seeking to interdict the Committee from continuing with the probe into the affairs of QMMH.
In the latest court application, Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla are seeking for an order nullifying Ms Lemphane-Letsie’s role as PAC chairman. They argue she is unfit to lead the PAC as she is presently in court over corruption allegations herself.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie was in May 2024 charged by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) for allegedly abusing her powers while serving as principal secretary of Home Affairs in 2019.
She stands accused of facilitating fraudulent payments of M5,6 million to controversial businessman Jon Xie, who was accused of capturing politicians and overseeing grand corruption in previous administrations.
The M5.6 million was for the construction of park homes during her tenure as principal secretary.
Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla contend that this case – which is yet to be finalised in the courts – renders Ms Lemphane-Letsie “unfit” to lead the PAC.
They have also taken umbrage with how proceedings at the PAC are conducted and the overly adversarial style of Ms Lemphane-Letsie and her colleagues. Ms Lemphane-Letsie is accused of ridiculing and humiliating senior government officials who appear before the PAC even as she faces corruption allegations herself.
Instead of seeking information in a professional manner from officials appearing before the PAC, they are scandalised and ridiculed through Ms Lemphane-Letsie’s “unprofessional behaviour”, Dr Ranyali and Ms Dlangamandla contend. In fact, officials are convicted by the PAC before they have had their day in court.
“…. Hon. Machabana Letsie-Lemphane interprets the law to say she is the only one who must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and does not care about the potential damage to the reputation of people she interrogates at PAC. I do not agree with her approach of self-importance…,” states Dr Ranyali in her affidavit.
Bribery allegations
Mr Makhalanyane vowed they would continue holding public officials accountable.
Without providing specifics, he alleged there had been attempts to lure PAC members with bribes to drop their probes. But they would never succumb to such temptations, he said.
“The work of parliament is to play an oversight role. We will not be deterred from that…..,” he said.
All Basotho Convention (ABC) Proportional Representative (PR) Montoeli Masoetsa weighed in, vowing the PAC would ensure there will be consequences for principal secretaries who failed to account for public funds.