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SUMMARY OF EVENTS IN LESOTHO Volume 1, Number 3 (Third Quarter 1994) |
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Summary of events in Lesotho is a quarterly publication compiled and published by David Ambrose since 1993 at the National University of Lesotho, P. O. Roma 180, Lesotho. |
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New
Minister
of
Finance
Appointed |
New Minister of Finance Appointed
Early
in
August,
Dr
P.
M.
Senaoana
of
the
Economics
Department
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
was
appointed
as
the
new
Minister
of
Finance,
replacing
Mpho
Malie
who
had
been
acting
Minister
(in
addition
to
his
normal
portfolio
as
Minister
of
Information
&
Broadcasting)
following
the
assassination
of
Selometsi
Baholo.
Amongst
Dr
Senaoana’s
first
official
duties
was
to
attend
a
conference
in
Indonesia.
Demand for Reinstallation of King Moshoeshoe IIOn Sunday 14 August, a demonstration was held, in which a number of people (to be measured in hundreds, not thousands according to one observer) demanded the reinstallation of King Moshoeshoe II to replace his son King Letsie III. The demonstration was broadcast as a news item on South African Television, and apparently those present signed a petition. The matter of who should be the constitutional monarch had for some time been an issue among a small but vociferous minority, ever since the return of King Moshoeshoe II from exile in 1992, not as a reigning monarch but as ex-King. When the new Constitution had been introduced in 1993, it was King Letsie III who became the constitutional monarch, not his father, even though King Moshoeshoe’s deposition had not been by a democratic government, but by the former military regime.
The
anomaly
was
not
considered
by
many
as
of
great
import,
because
the
constitutional
monarch
had
no
real
power.
However,
in
response
to
representations,
the
Prime
Minister
had
himself
suggested
courses
of
action
for
approval
by
Parliament
including
the
use
of
the
legal
system
for
redress,
a
Commission
of
Inquiry,
and
a
referendum.
It
was
well
known
that
King
Letsie
was
a
reluctant
monarch,
and
would
happily
hand
over
the
reigns
of
power
to
his
father.
However,
some
felt
that
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party
Government
of
Dr
Ntsu
Mokhehle,
was
apparently
apprehensive
lest
King
Moshoeshoe
II,
if
reinstated,
might
overstep
his
powers
as
a
constitutional
monarch. King Letsie III Announces Palace-Lead CoupAt 5.10 a.m. on Wednesday 17 August, listeners to Radio Lesotho heard an announcement by King Letsie III, which was repeated at frequent intervals in place of normal programmes. The statement said that Parliament had been dissolved, and was followed by the national anthem. The announcement of what was immediately recognised as an attempted coup, sparked off a major public protest. A crowd swarmed outside the palace, calling for the abolition of the monarchy. An army vehicle which drove into the crowd was stoned, and the soldiers in the vehicle opened fire. Some four people were killed, and several others severely wounded. Later, news emerged of a protest in Quthing in which two people were killed, and two Members of Parliament for the district arrested. Events in Lesotho were closely monitored in South Africa where President Mugabe of Zimbabwe was at the time visiting President Mandela. On Thursday, the situation remained confused, with Ministers of the elected government still for the most part in their offices, and the Foreign Minister, Molapo Qhobela, stating that the government of Ntsu Mokhehle was still in control. However, ministerial cars were taken away from cabinet ministers, forcing them to walk or to get lifts. Meanwhile, Radio Lesotho provided no further information as to what was transpiring, and merely continued to rebroadcast King Letsie’s speech and the national anthem..
However,
the
events
of
Wednesday
were
in
the
meantime
purported
to
be
legalised
by
the
issue
of
a
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
Extraordinary
(no.
73
of
1994
dated
17th
August),
in
which
the
‘Lesotho
Order
1994’
inter
alia
vested
legislative
authority
in
the
King,
dissolved
parliament,
and
suspended
large
portions
of
the
Lesotho
Constitution.
A
Council
of
Ministers
was
established
to
advise
and
assist
the
King,
and
an
Indemnity
Order
was
also
published
protecting
the
Crown,
the
army,
the
police,
civil
servants
and
others
from
any
civil
or
criminal
legal
action
taken
against
them
relating
to
virtually
any
activities
undertaken
from
17
August
onwards
in
support
of
the
Lesotho
Order
1994. Announcement of Council of MinistersOn Friday 19th August, the shape of a new government began to emerge. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers was to be Hae Phoofolo, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, who had been dismissed from this post and had been convicted of fraud and spent time in gaol, but had, since his release, attempted to regain respectability as a civil rights lawyer. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs was to be Retšelisitsoe Sekhonyana, leader of the Basotho National Party, who had never accepted the results of the 1993 elections (in which his party lost every seat), despite the elections having been declared free and fair by numerous international observer groups. A former Minister of Finance in previous non-democratic governments, he was also generally believed to be the wealthiest man in Lesotho, or alternatively to have the largest unpaid debts to Lesotho Bank, a matter on which legal action was pending. The six members of the new Council of Ministers sworn in on Friday morning included ’Mamello Morrison, a journalist whose newspaper Mphatlalatsane had been a tireless supporter of the reinstatement of King Moshoeshoe II. She became the new Minister of Information. Accepting the position of Minister of Agriculture, was Khauta Khasu, who had left the BCP in 1992 in a fit of pique, when he was not elected to high office. The party which he had subsequently formed with Phoka Chaolane had fared very badly in the 1993 elections, only collecting a handful of votes. Sworn in as Minister of Finance was Moletsane Monyake, Director of the Lesotho National Development Corporation. His activities had been investigated in the extraordinary episode when, with LNDC support, several hundred Chinese had paid large sums in Hong Kong to become Lesotho citizens. The money had subsequently disappeared, and their citizenships had been revoked with serious international repercussions. The sixth member was ’Mathabiso Mosala of the Lesotho National Council of Women who became Minister of Labour.
The
remainder
of
the
16
members
of
the
Council
of
Ministers
was
still
a
matter
of
conjecture,
but
well-informed
sources
indicated
that
Vincent
Malebo,
Leader
of
the
Marematlou
Freedom
Party,
and
Khalaki
Sello,
a
distinguished
lawyer,
and
close
associate
of
King
Moshoeshoe
II,
had
both
turned
down
invitations
to
serve.
It
was
believed,
however,
that
persons
likely
to
accept
included
the
King’s
brother,
Seeiso
Seeiso;
Charles
Mofeli
of
the
United
Democratic
Party,
a
party
which
normally
polled
derisory
totals
at
elections;
Chief
Khoabane
of
Thaba-Bosiu,
a
strong
supporter
of
King
Moshoeshoe
II;
and
Major-General
Lekhanya,
who
had
led
the
1986
Military
Coup,
and
had
later
been
forced
out
of
office
by
disaffected
junior
ranks. Chief Justice Acts Under Apparent Duress
Meanwhile,
there
was
an
obvious
absurdity
in
the
swearing
in
of
the
six
new
members
of
the
new
Council.
The
Council
was
sworn
in
by
Chief
Justice
Lebona
Kheola,
apparently
under
duress,
not
long
after
he
had
granted
on
the
same
morning
a
High
Court
Order
in
which
all
the
significant
portions
of
the
Lesotho
Order
1994
had
been
declared
with
immediate
effect
null
and
void,
together
with
any
other
legislative
instrument
made
contrary
to
the
Constitution
of
Lesotho.
The
case
had
been
brought
by
L.
Pheko
&
Company
on
behalf
of
the
Prime
Minister,
Dr
Ntsu
Mokhehle,
against
His
Majesty
King
Letsie
III
and
the
Attorney
General.
In
his
affidavit
before
the
court,
the
Prime
Minister
referred
to
King
Letsie’s
broadcast,
in
which
the
King
stated
he
had
taken
the
action
that
he
had
because
of
a
petition
handed
over
to
him
in
which
‘many
people
and
the
leaders
of
the
people
had
expressed
concern’.
However,
he
(Ntsu
Mokhehle)
had
not
seen
the
petition
and
could
not
therefore
comment
thereon. Protests Against Illegal RegimeInternal protest inside Lesotho was building up in a number of ways. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted the developments with grave dismay. The Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations called for a complete suspension of government and commercial activities as a sign of protest on the following Monday and Tuesday. This was supported by the Law Society, which also called upon legal practitioners and the judiciary to suspend court appearances for two weeks. On Sunday 21 August, the Law Society held an extraordinary meeting following which it requested an audience with the Chief Justice to find out the circumstances leading to the swearing in of the so-called new Council of Ministers in violation of a valid interim court order granted by him declaring the King’s action as null and void. A sequel to this was that three days later the Law Society indicated that it had lost confidence in Chief Justice Kheola, and called upon him to resign. The two-day stayaway on Monday 22 August and Tuesday 23 August resulted in Maseru becoming as deserted as on a Sunday, indeed even more so, because even businesses such as the Maseru Cafe were closed. Schools throughout the country were also closed. News came through that in South Africa support was coming from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), which was indefinitely urging its members not to handle goods going to or from Lesotho. Amongst statements from diplomats stationed in Maseru was one from the United States announcing an immediate suspension of aid. There were few statements coming from the new ‘government’, but an ominous statement was issued by the ‘Minister of Information’, ’Mamello Morrison, who said that ‘one of the assignments that the King has given us is the purification of the public service, the security forces and the judiciary’. Meanwhile, Archbishop Desmond Tutu arrived in Maseru. His familiarity with Lesotho had been gained in past years by his work as a lecturer in the University there, and later as Bishop of Lesotho. On the Monday, he met both the King and Cabinet Ministers, but his attempts to mediate were unsuccessful.
More
authority
was
wielded
by
the
Presidents
of
Botswana,
South
Africa
and
Zimbabwe
who
met
in
Gaborone
on
the
Tuesday,
and
summoned
King
Letsie
to
meet
them
in
Pretoria
on
the
Thursday.
Meanwhile,
as
many
as
six
Lesotho
Cabinet
Members
were
assembled
in
Pretoria,
including
the
Minister
of
Finance,
Dr
Senaoana,
stranded
on
his
way
back
from
a
conference
in
Indonesia,
and
Dr
Raditapole,
the
Minister
of
Health.
The
Minister
of
Natural
Resources,
Tšeliso
Makhakhe,
appealed
to
South
Africa
to
blockade
Lesotho
and
to
force
the
King
to
back
down. Ultimatum to King to Reverse Coup and Reinstate Legal GovermentBoth Dr Mokhehle and King Letsie III travelled to Pretoria on the Wednesday and met with Presidents Mugabe, Mandela and Masire on Thursday 25 August. Further weight was added by the presence of the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity, Salim Ahmed Salim. As a result of the meeting, the King was given a week (until Thursday September 1st) to reverse his action. General speculation was that the King’s likely response to the ultimatum was going to be abdication in favour of his father, the former King Moshoeshoe II. A statement had in any case already been made by the Chairman of the new ‘Council of Ministers’, Hae Phoofolo, saying that it was intended to modify the constitution and return King Moshoeshoe II to the throne. King Letsie, did not however abdicate, possibly because of the difficulty of devising an appropriate legal formula to do so, when the whole of the legal profession was on strike. He was by now in a difficult situation, with strong condemnation of his action from both the United States and the United Kingdom. There was also a statement dated 24 August from the European Union that read: Unless the constitutional process is immediately restored and the purported removal of the democratically-elected Government reversed, the European Union will proceed to a review of the relations between the European Union and Lesotho, including the programme for development cooperation. On Wednesday 31 August, the Foreign Ministers of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe had gathered in Maseru, and apparently a letter was handed over to King Letsie raising the threat of economic sanctions if King Letsie did not reinstate the government he had purported to sack. However, it seems that King Letsie prevaricated, and according to a close aide, asked Mokhehle to join a provisional council to prepare for elections the following March. Meanwhile the Attorney-General of the democratically-elected government, Fine Maema, was still in position, and he issued statements to the press that King Letsie’s action had been unconstitutional, and that it was impossible to reinstate King Moshoeshoe II within the present legal framework.
Although
the
deadline
for
King
Letsie
to
restore
democracy
had
been
Thursday
1
September,
the
foreign
ministers
decided
to
give
King
Letsie
an
extension
until
Monday
to
reinstate
the
government. Negotiations to Restore Legal Government ContinueIn the event, King Letsie apparently realised that the odds were now totally stacked against him. On Friday 2 September he announced that he was handing back government to those who had been democratically elected. Despite a curfew that had been declared to be in force since August 17, jubilant crowds took to the streets of Maseru that evening, believing that they were celebrating the return to power of the government that they had themselves chosen. However, in the event the handover did not take place as expected. The reports on 2 September had followed negotiations between King Letsie and representatives from Botswana (the High Commissioner to Pretoria), Zimbabwe (the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs), and South Africa (Mr Rusty Evans, the Director or Diplomatic Affairs, equivalent to a Permanent Secretary in the new South African structure). On the following Monday 5 September, Rusty Evans issued a statement that King Letsie had made an ‘absolute agreement’ to restore Dr. Mokhehle’s government. However, the modalities of the restoration became obscured as Evans met E. R. Sekhonyana (Leader of the Basotho National Party defeated in the 1993 elections, and now ‘Foreign Minister’ in the government which had seized power on 17th August). Sekhonyana later met the King. By the following day Evans was stating that the government would be reinstated in days if not within hours. He observed that the two fundamental problems related to the powers and status of the King and to the security situation. However, Mokhehle had agreed in principle to reinstate King Letsie’s father, Moshoeshoe II, although this would require a constitutional amendment. Observing that the army was loyal to the opposition Basotho National Party, which had failed to win a single seat in the last election, he noted that there was concern that if the Basutoland Congress Party of Ntsu Mokhehle was returned to power, there might be an uncontrolled reaction from the defence force. Mokhehle had asked that the neighbouring states should place a military force in Maseru to address the threat. However, he added that ‘we don’t see it as that sort of mortal threat’. However, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana had undertaken to guarantee the accord likely to be signed. Meanwhile concern about the delays in restoring democracy were being expressed by the National NGO Steering Committee through its head, Caleb Sello, and following a meeting on the Tuesday, a further two-day strike was called for Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday 7 September, the restoration process was brought to an abrupt halt, when it was announced that ’MaSeeiso Seeiso, the only sister of King Letsie, and daughter of King Moshoeshoe II, had died suddenly, the cause of death being not immediately clear. It was said that she had died of a stroke, which most people thought improbable for a person in her 20s. There were other reports circulating about serious problems within the Royal Family, including a report that Queen ’MaMohato, mother of King Letsie and wife of King Moshoeshoe had been injured a few days earlier in a dispute with her husband, in which it was said she had defended democracy. She was admitted to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein, and needed treatment lasting several days. It also appeared that Seeiso Seeiso, brother to King Letsie had been assaulted and robbed of his vehicle by villagers, while on the way to Thaba-Bosiu to meet Principal Chief Khoabane Letsie, a strong supporter of King Moshoeshoe II. Meanwhile, the members of the government which had been installed on 17th August were also apparently not feeling secure, and it was said that a number of them were sleeping in the Makoanyane Barracks, including E. R. Sekhonyana and ’Mamello Morrison, the ‘Minister of Information’. Certainly several stories which were circulating at the time were later discovered to be untrue. One such untrue story was that while Ms Morrison was staying away from home, a lorry arrived at her former house in Seapoint, Maseru, and the driver said he was instructed to pick up her belongings for removal to a new ministerial house. The belongings were duly loaded, and apparently then disappeared. In fact, no such incident occurred Because of the death of Princess ’MaSeeiso, a request was made to the negotiating team that a period of mourning must ensue. As a mark of respect, matters were postponed to the following Monday. However, the strike called by the Lesotho Council of NGOs occurred notwithstanding, and there was a complete cessation of all business activities on the Thursday and Friday, with even Lesotho Airways suspending operations. All teachers were also on strike, adding to the section of the teaching force had already been out on strike because of a pay claim.
On
Monday
12
September
when
matters
resumed,
the
King,
who
was
presumed
to
be
under
pressure
from
the
politicians
of
his
newly
formed
Council
of
Ministers,
refused
to
sign
the
agreement
which
would
reinstate
the
Mokhehle
government.
The
Leader
of
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party
and
brother
of
Ntsu
Mokhehle,
Shakhane
Mokhehle,
then
issued
a
call
for
immediate
sanctions
against
Lesotho.
Legal Government RestoredHowever, on Wednesday 14 September, King Letsie III backtracked, and did finally sign the agreement. In the afternoon, Dr Mokhehle issued a statement from State House confirming that his Government and Parliament were now fully operational, and thanked the international mediators for their support.
Maseru
was
again
the
scene
of
celebrations,
although
the
more
thoughtful
were
conscious
of
the
instability
which
remained
as
long
as
the
army
remained
disloyal
to
its
government.
In
this
regard,
it
seemed
that
the
international
negotiating
team
had
made
some
provision
for
further
discussions,
and
informed
sources
indicated
that
there
was
likely
to
be
a
high
level
delegation
arriving
in
Maseru
from
Botswana
on
the
Friday,
including
Botswana’s
Foreign
Minister
and
two
high
ranking
members
of
the
Botswana
Defence
Force.
[updated to 30 September 1994]
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