|
The
army
had
been,
since
November
1993,
in
a
state
of
unsuppressed
mutiny,
and
moreover
was
divided
into
factions
between
which
there
was
an
uneasy
peace
following
the
fighting
in
January
between
the
Ratjomose
and
Makoanyane
Barracks.
Arising
from
the
disturbances
the
Presidents
of
Zimbabwe
and
Botswana
had
compiled
a
report
with
recommendations,
and
there
was
a
general
demand
that
its
contents
be
made
public
(apparently
it
had
already
been
leaked
to
the
South
African
Press).
Government’s
response
was
to
set
up
its
own
Commission
of
Inquiry
into
the
Army
and
the
events
which
had
taken
place.
However,
on
the
morning
of
Thursday
14
April
1994,
soldiers
from
the
Makoanyane
Barracks
struck
against
the
government,
abducting
four
cabinet
ministers
from
their
houses
and
offices,
and
surrounding
the
house
of
Selometsi
Baholo,
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister
and
Minister
of
Finance,
in
the
suburb
of
Ha
Matala.
According
to
eyewitnesses
Baholo
appeared
at
his
window
asking
his
neighbours
to
raise
the
alarm,
but
he
was
gunned
down
and
his
body
later
found
in
a
pool
of
blood
in
the
kitchen.
The
soldiers
apparently
even
climbed
a
nearby
tree
to
facilitate
firing
into
the
house,
and
after
the
shooting
they
remained
in
the
vicinity
for
some
hours,
refusing
access
to
all
who
came
near.
Concern
was
raised
about
the
safety
of
the
other
four
Ministers
(one
other,
the
Minister
of
Information,
Mpho
Malie,
had
slipped
past
soldiers
coming
to
abduct
him
and
taken
refuge
in
the
American
Embassy).
However
all
four
abducted
Ministers
were
released
later
in
the
day
unharmed,
having
been
detained
in
Makoanyane
Barracks.
These
four
Ministers
were
the
Minister
of
Natural
Resources,
Monyane
Moleleki;
the
Minister
of
Education,
Pakalitha
Mosisili;
the
Minister
of
Justice,
Kelebone
Maope;
and
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry,
Shakhane
Mokhehle,
brother
to
the
Prime
Minister.
The
Commonwealth
negotiators,
Dr.
Moses
Anyafu
and
Max
Gaylard,
had
meanwhile
been
despatched
to
Lesotho
to
try
to
secure
the
release
of
the
Ministers,
but
on
their
arrival
they
found
they
were
already
free.
The
murder
of
Selometsi
Baholo
left
Lesotho
in
a
state
of
shock.
It
was
not
overlooked
that
he
had
been
Minister
of
Finance
and
that
the
soldiers’
demand
for
a
100%
pay
rise
had
not
been
met.
There
was
a
general
belief
therefore
that
the
murder
had
been
motivated
by
the
soldiers’
greed
for
more
pay.
The
weakness
of
the
government
in
the
situation
became
more
and
more
evident
as
it
became
clear
that
no-one
had
been
arrested
for
the
crime,
and
the
soldiers
concerned,
even
though
their
names
were
generally
supposed
to
be
known,
were
going
unpunished.
Two
days
of
public
mourning,
to
be
observed
as
holidays,
were
declared
for
Friday
and
Saturday
22
and
23
April,
and
Selometsi
Baholo
was
buried
at
his
home
town
of
Hlotse
on
Saturday
23
April,
after
a
large
public
funeral
held
on
the
old
golf
course
at
the
town.
Eloquent
speeches
were
made
by
the
Minister
of
Agriculture,
Ntsukunyane
Mphanya
and
by
the
veteran
politician
and
MP
for
Thabana-Morena,
Malaisa
Mahosi,
whose
words
Rasethunya,
Rasethunya,
Rasethunya,
ngoane’no
Selometsi
o
kae?
(O
gunman,
gunman,
gunman,
where
is
your
brother
Selometsi?)
were
broadcast
and
much
quoted
in
the
press.
Final
speeches
were
made
by
King
Letsie
III
and
the
Prime
Minister
before
the
interment.
▲back
to top
On
Tuesday
26
April,
the
Prime
Minister
addressed
members
of
the
Royal
Lesotho
Defence
Force
at
Makoanyane
Barracks
for
the
first
time
since
assuming
office.
He
announced
the
formation
of
a
new
Ministry
of
Defence,
and
that
the
new
Assistant
Minister
in
the
Prime
Minister’s
Office
(Mr.
Sephiri
Motanyane,
MP
for
Malibamatšo)
would
assist
him
in
this
Ministry,
which
would
be
supported
by
a
British
adviser,
and
would
be
housed
in
the
new
Lesotho
Tourist
Board
building
(the
Tourist
Board
at
short
notice
had
to
move
to
offices
in
the
Lesotho
Sun
Hotel).
The
Prime
Minister
also
mentioned
the
government’s
inability
to
provide
increased
salaries,
and
emphasised
that
the
guns
in
the
hands
of
the
army
should
not
be
used
to
murder
people
but
to
protect
the
weak.
The
Commander
of
the
Armed
Forces,
Major-General
Mosakeng,
speaking
at
the
same
meeting,
assured
the
Prime
Minister
that
the
army
was
ready
to
serve
the
government.
▲back
to top
Although
the
new
financial
year
had
begun
on
1
April,
Selometsi
Baholo
had
been
murdered
before
he
had
been
able
to
deliver
the
Budget
Speech.
This
task
was
undertaken
on
Monday
2
May
by
the
Minister
of
Information,
Mpho
Malie,
who
by
then
had
been
appointed
Acting
Minister
of
Finance.
In
relation
to
salaries,
the
Budget
was
quite
unequivocal.
All
civil
servants,
including
the
police
and
army,
were
to
get
a
10%
pay
rise
which,
like
the
12%
pay
rise
the
year
before,
was
in
line
with
inflation,
and
did
not
favour
any
particular
group.
Murmurings
against
the
10%
pay
rise
were
widespread
in
the
civil
service
and
elsehwere.
Tables
which
were
published
in
Mohlanka,
the
BNP
newspaper,
appeared
to
show
that
politicians
had
given
themselves
much
enhanced
salaries.
The
government
could
have
countered
this
by
publishing
the
facts
and
showing
the
comparative
tables
of
salaries
over
the
years
in
real
terms,
rather
than
in
figures
for
which
there
had
been
no
adjustment
for
inflation.
However
it
did
not
do
this,
and
rumours
of
enormous
salaries
for
ministers
and
MPs,
and
of
a
secret
unpublished
salary
deal
with
the
army
were
widespread.
▲back
to top
One
week
after
the
Budget
Speech,
and
on
the
eve
of
Nelson
Mandela’s
installation
as
President
of
South
Africa,
the
Maseru
evening
was
disturbed
by
sirens
from
police
stations.
Apart
from
the
police
themselves,
no-one
at
first
seemed
to
know
what
event
was
being
announced.
It
turned
out
to
be
a
police
strike,
led
by
junior
policemen,
who
issued
a
somewhat
garbled
demand
note,
whose
main
demand
was
for
a
60%
pay
rise
for
themselves
and
also
for
soldiers.
On
the
day
after
the
strike
began,
Tuesday
10th
May,
criminals
took
advantage
of
the
absence
of
the
police,
and
there
was
looting
in
most
of
Lesotho’s
lowland
towns.
In
Maseru,
several
shops
in
the
old
bus
stop
area
had
their
whole
stock
taken,
while
at
Mafeteng,
the
town’s
most
modern
row
of
shops
was
gutted
by
fire.
The
army
was
called
in
to
take
over
police
duties,
and
by
Wednesday
most
looting
had
died
down.
However,
by
this
time
it
became
clear
that
prison
officers
had
joined
the
police
strike.
There
was
apparently
an
attempted
break-out
by
criminals
from
the
Maseru
Central
Gaol,
and
it
was
said
that
several
had
been
injured
in
gunfire.
However
facts
about
the
incident
were
hard
to
come
by
because
all
normal
prison
activities,
including
visits
to
prisoners,
and
court
appearances
by
prisoners,
were
suspended.
It
appeared
on
the
Thursday
of
the
police
strike
that
the
police
were
ready
to
go
to
the
negotiating
table,
but
an
insuperable
stumbling
block
became
the
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
vehicles
which
the
police
had
hijacked
at
the
beginning
of
the
strike
and
were
not
willing
to
return.
The
strike
continued,
and
during
the
second
week,
police
abducted
(but
later
released
unharmed)
the
Principal
Secretary
for
Information,
Seeiso
Serutla.
To
the
surprise
of
many,
all
police
received
their
monthly
salary
cheques
on
Friday
20
May
as
if
nothing
unusual
was
happening.
A
few
days
later
on
Monday
23
May,
it
was
the
turn
of
the
Minister
of
Information
and
Acting
Minister
of
Finance,
Mpho
Malie.
He
was
abducted
from
the
Prime
Minister’s
House
at
about
midday,
where
he
had
apparently
gone
after
a
tip-off
that
he
was
wanted
by
the
striking
policemen.
He
was
also
released
by
the
police
unharmed.
However,
the
fact
that
such
incidents
could
occur
resulted
in
a
general
questioning
by
the
public
as
to
whether
there
was
any
government
left
in
Lesotho.
The
police
strike,
which
had
begun
on
9
May,
finally
ended
on
Tuesday
31
May.
The
police
celebrated
the
end
of
the
strike
as
if
it
were
a
victory,
and
it
was
generally
believed
that
many
of
the
police
demands
had
been
met,
while
the
matter
of
an
overall
60%
increase
in
salaries
was
to
be
referred
to
an
international
salary
commission.
Among
casualties
of
the
strike
was
the
Minister
of
Natural
Resources,
Monyane
Moleleki,
who
resigned
and
left
Lesotho
for
Botswana.
He
was
quoted
in
Makatolle
of
1
June
1994
as
saying
that
he
believed
that
he
was
likely
to
be
next
in
line
for
assassination
in
the
manner
that
had
befallen
Selometsi
Baholo.
His
place
was
eventually
taken
by
the
veteran
politician,
Tšeliso
Makhakhe.
▲back
to top
[updated
to
30
June
1994]
|
