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SUMMARY OF EVENTS IN LESOTHO Volume 1, Number 4 (Fourth Quarter 1994) |
|
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. |
Reinstatement
of
King
Moshoeshoe
Agreed
|
Reinstatement of King Moshoeshoe AgreedFollowing the restoration of the elected government by the Lesotho (Repeal) Order on 14 September 1994, a semblance of normality returned to Lesotho. The reinstatement of King Moshoeshoe, which the Prime Minister, Dr. Ntsu Mokhehle had agreed to in principle during the talks leading to his own reinstatement, now became a major issue. In particular there was the problem of achieving this legally within the framework of the Constitution.
Government
had
earlier
set
up
a
Commission
of
Inquiry
into
events
relating
to
the
removal
from
office
of
King
Moshoeshoe
II,
and
the
work
of
this
Commission
was
terminated
on
20
October,
without
it
having
completed
its
work.
This
was
interpreted
as
a
clear
sign
that
the
Government
would
now
act
on
this
issue,
and
not
wait,
and
indeed
the
Office
of
King
(Reinstatement
of
Former
King)
Act
1994
(Act
No.
10
of
1994)
was
enacted
by
Parliament
and
published
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
of
21
December
1994.
The
Act
made
provision,
on
a
date
to
be
appointed
by
the
Prime
Minister,
for
King
Moshoeshoe
II
to
assume
office
on
the
abdication
of
his
son,
King
Letsie
III.
Some
people
expressed
surprise
at
the
procedure,
because
legal
opinion
had
held
that
a
constitutional
amendment
was
a
necessary
prerequisite
for
King
Moshoeshoe’s
reinstatement. BNP Leader Found Guilty of Sedition
The
case
against
the
Leader
of
the
Basotho
National
Party,
E.
R.
Sekhonyana,
had
been
delayed
by
the
coup
(any
seditious
action
within
which
was
nullified
by
the
indemnity
clause
in
the
Order
restoring
normality).
There
was
however
an
outstanding
case
of
sedition
pending
against
him,
as
a
result
of
Sekhonyana’s
utterances
made
at
a
political
meeting
on
13
September
1993
at
the
area
on
the
outskirts
of
Maseru,
now
known
as
the
’Manthabiseng
Bus
Stop.
The
judgment
was
given
in
October
1994
by
the
Chief
Justice
who
found
Sekhonyana
guilty
and
imposed
a
sentence
of
two
years
imprisonment
but
with
an
extraordinarily
light
alternative
of
a
M200
fine.
Justice
Kheola
pointed
out
that
the
speech
of
Sekhonyana
had
not
confined
itself
to
pointing
out
errors
or
defects
in
the
Government
or
Constitution,
but
had
been
designed
to
bring
hatred
or
contempt
and
excite
disaffection
against
the
legal
government
amongst
his
Majesty’s
subjects. Police Take Law into their Own HandsFurther problems for the government were meanwhile developing as the police gave further demonstration that they felt that they could take the law into their own hands with impunity. A strikingly public demonstration of this took place over the Christmas holiday, when a former member of the Lesotho Liberation Army and resident of the Seapoint suburb of Maseru, Peters Motemekoane, who was apparently being sought for car theft, was handed over to the police by the Minister of Works, Mr David Mochochoko. The police simultaneously surrounded Motemekoane’s house, and according to nearby residents, fired into it throughout the night, killing several youths who were resident there. Motemekoane was also apparently killed in police custody.
There
was
great
anger
at
what
was
perceived
by
residents
as
totally
unwarranted
use
of
force
by
the
police,
and
at
Motemekoane’s
funeral,
attended
by
senior
members
of
the
government,
there
was
a
promise
that
there
would
be
an
inquiry
into
what
had
happened.
All
newspapers
condemned
the
police
action
save
for
the
police’s
own
newspaper,
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
which
in
effect
said
that
the
police
were
justified
in
their
action
because
the
courts
of
law
were
ineffective
in
dealing
with
crime,
and
repeatedly
let
known
criminals
out
on
bail
pending
trials
which
took
many
years
to
happen.
[updated to 31 December 1994] |