|
SUMMARY
OF
EVENTS
IN
LESOTHO
Volume 8,
Number
3, (third quarter 2001)
Summary
of
Events
is
a
quarterly
publication
compiled
and
published
by
Prof.
David
Ambrose
since
1993
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
in
Roma.
British
Council
Closes
in
Maseru
Lesotho
Fertility
Rate
Falls
Catholic
Priest
Acquitted
of
Burning
Convent
Sod-turning
Ceremony
for
M800
million
Denim
Fabric
Factory
Police
Training
Facilities
Criticized
by
Commissioner
of
Police
BCP
Offices
Rebuilt
by
Rival
Faction
Army
Acquires
New
Helicopters
Indian
Instructors
Commence
Training
Programme
with
LDF
Healing
Session
Held
for
Sexually
Abused
Girls
New
Football
Stadium
Planned
for
Polo
Ground
New
Stamp
Duties
Gazetted
Cabinet
Reshuffle
Results
in
New
Blood
Second
Woman
High
Court
Judge
Appointed
New
Police
Houses
Handed
Over
at
Ha
Mabote
By-Elections
to
be
Held
to
Fill
Four
Vacant
Seats
Queen
Karabo
Expecting
First
Child
in
October
Government
Bans
Smoking
in
Offices
IPA
Loses
Court
Case
Relating
to
Government
Subvention
King
Decorates
James
Motlatsi
and
Others
at
Birthday
Awards
Ceremony
Wife
Defends
Army
Major
at
Court
Martial
Irish
Consul-General
Leaves
for
Mozambique
Prime
Minister
Sues
The
Mirror
for
M250
000;
Reader
Challenges
Inaccurate
Reporting
Police
Reports
Document
Widespread
Criminal
Activity
Catholic
Priest
and
Six
Others
Charged
with
Fraud
Relating
to
M660
000
Cheque
Lesotho
Fares
Well
in
2001
Disasters
Report
LCD
Newspaper
Mololi
Reappears
Death
of
Chief
Executive
of
LHDA
French
Palaeontological
Expedition
in
Lesotho
Bureau
of
Statistics
publishes
Lesotho
Statistical
Yearbook
1996
Sale
of
Property
of
Masupha
Sole
Lesotho’s
Debt
at
153%
of
Exports
Tragic
Road
Accidents
near
Roma
and
Peka
Lelala
Family
Suffers
Double
Tragedy
New
Political
Party
Formed
led
by
Macaefa
Billy
Tracker
Network
Expands
to
Lesotho
Two
Boys
Die
after
Being
Hit
by
Minister’s
Vehicle;
Minister
Resigns
Helicopter
Lands
in
Central
Park
Maseru:
Occupants
Arrested
Bank
Customers
Sing
Hymns
Reshuffle
of
Principal
Secretaries
Reinstatement
of
NUL
Bursar
Leads
to
Protests
Voter
Registration
Begins
Urban
Boards
Appointed
for
Eight
Towns
LHDA
Bribery
Case
Resumes
Electricity
Corporation
Offers
Rewards
for
Conviction
of
Vandals
Lesotho
Unit
Trust
Launched
Death
of
Veteran
Politician
Phoka
Chaolana
Problems
at
New
Likalaneng
Killers
of
LTA
Construction
Worker
Receive
Long
Prison
Sentences
Hardship
Allowance
Introduced
for
Teachers
and
Other
Serving
in
Remote
Areas
Girl
catches
Teenager
in
flagrante
delicto
with
a
Pig
Old
UNDP
Resident
Representative
Departs;
New
Representative
Arrives
New
Governor
of
Central
Bank
Appointed
Compulsory
Fitting
of
New
Prepaid
Electricity
Meters
Announced
LCD
Executive
Committee
Loses
Control
of
its
Party
Newspaper
Sekhobe
Letsie
Released
from
Gaol
Deputy
Prime
Minister
and
Foreign
Minister
Trade
Insults;
DPM
Later
Resigns
Prime
Minister
Sends
Message
of
Sympathy
to
US
President
Police
Dismissed
for
Serious
Offences
New
Toll
Gates
Installed
at
Three
Border
Posts
Lesotho
to
Acquire
Second
Cellphone
Network
NUL
Students
Mount
Blockade
at
Campus
Gate
University
Graduation
The
British
Council,
which
first
began
its
services
in
Maseru
in
1964,
finally
closed
the
doors
of
its
office
on
29
June
2001,
part
of
an
economy
drive
which
had
resulted
in
its
terminating
its
services
in
30
different
countries
worldwide.
The
British
Council
Library
had
already
closed
on
30
March.
According
to
British
Council
News
of
April
-
May
2001,
the
British
Council
Library
will
also
close
in
Swaziland
in
mid-October
and
the
office
in
mid-December.
The
British
Council
will,
however,
maintain
a
presence
in
Botswana.
When
the
last
Director
of
the
British
Council,
Paul
Feeney,
formally
handed
over
the
keys
to
the
British
Council
Building
to
the
Minister
of
Education,
Mr
Lesao
Lehohla,
the
stock
of
library
books
had
already
been
dispersed,
medical
books
to
the
Lesotho
Medical
Association,
and
law
books
to
the
High
Court
Library.
The
UNESCO,
Parliamentary
and
National
Libraries
also
benefited.
The
video
and
film
collection
had
been
donated
to
Alliance
Française
in
Maseru,
and
indeed
after
the
closure
of
the
United
States
Information
Service
followed
by
the
British
Council,
the
Alliance
Française
is
the
sole
surviving
foreign
national
cultural
facility
in
Maseru.
The
Ministry
of
Education
acquired
the
collection
of
educational
books
as
well
as
the
office
furniture
and
equipment
in
the
British
Council
building.
Part
of
the
premises
will
be
used
by
the
Lesotho
National
Commission
for
UNESCO,
which
for
the
past
three
years
has
been
housed
in
the
hundred
year
old
sandstone
house,
Hillside,
originally
built
by
the
trader
George
Hobson.
▲back
to top
The
June
2001
issue
of
the
Journal
of
Southern
African
Studies
was
devoted
to
a
series
of
articles
on
fertility
in
southern
Africa.
‘Fertility
in
southern
Africa:
the
quiet
revolution’,
by
Deborah
Potts
and
Shula
Marks
provided
statistical
evidence
that
fertility
rates
over
the
past
20
to
30
years
have
been
falling
across
southern
Africa
and
most
notably
in
Zimbabwe
(6.7
in
1962
to
3.8
in
1997),
Botswana
(6.9
in
1965
to
4.2
in
1996),
South
Africa
(6.3
amongst
Africans
in
1970
to
3.1
in
1998)
and
Lesotho
(5.8
in
1965
to
4.1
in
1996).
The
fertility
rate,
more
correctly
called
‘total
fertility
rate’,
is
the
average
number
of
children
a
woman
would
have
during
her
reproductive
span
if
the
current
age-specific
levels
of
fertility
remained
constant.
It
is
noted
that
even
in
the
1970s,
Lesotho
already
had
one
of
the
lowest
fertility
rates
in
the
region,
possibly
as
a
result
of
mainly
late
marriage,
but
also
in
part
due
to
labour
migration,
high
literacy
rates
and
socio-cultural
influences
against
pre-marital
sex.
Although
the
causes
of
lower
fertility
rates
are
quite
vigorously
disputed,
‘development’
and
‘modernisation’
are
considered
to
have
a
played
a
major
part.
Women
who
became
fertile
in
the
1980s
had
their
reproductive
expectations
and
behaviour
shaped
by
education
and
a
better
survival
rate
of
children,
thanks
to
improved
health
services
which
reduced
infant
mortality
rates.
The
figures
provided
in
the
article
predate
the
impact
of
the
AIDS
pandemic,
which
it
is
noted
is
depressing
fertility
rates
further.
In
the
same
issue,
an
article
by
Akim
J.
Mturi
(Department
of
Statistics
&
Demography,
National
University
of
Lesotho)
and
William
Moerane
(Bureau
of
Statistics,
Maseru)
is
entitled
‘Premarital
childbearing
among
adolescents
in
Lesotho’.
It
quotes
what
to
many
people
will
probably
be
a
surprisingly
low
figure.
Just
3%
of
never
married
Basotho
women
between
the
ages
of
15
and
19
have
ever
given
birth.
The
figure
comes
from
the
Lesotho
Safe
Motherhood
Initiative
Survey
data
of
1995
and
compares
with
a
corresponding
figure
for
Botswana
of
21%.
However,
it
is
noted
that
in
Lesotho
a
significant
proportion
of
adolescent
females
who
conceive
before
marriage
resort
to
abortions,
which
are
illegal
in
Lesotho
and
often
carried
out
using
unsafe
procedures.
Figures
are
quoted
of
a
survey
amongst
university
students
where
30%
of
61
interviewed
admitted
to
having
had
an
induced
abortion,
a
figure
which
could
be
an
underestimate,
given
the
difficulties
of
obtaining
data
on
such
a
sensitive
subject.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
the
newspaper,
Mohahlaula
of
27
June
2001,
a
longstanding
dispute
at
the
Mission
of
St
John
Tlali
(near
Ha
Moitšupeli
in
Maseru
District)
had
as
sequel
a
court
case
before
the
Maseru
magistrate
beginning
at
the
end
of
June.
Father
Lefeko
Seleke
and
Tjeka
Tjeka
were
jointly
accused
of
burning
the
convent
at
the
mission.
Part
of
the
convent
burned
down
on
29
January
2001,
after
an
explosion
apparently
caused,
according
to
two
witnesses,
by
two
candles
left
beside
a
9
kg
gas
cylinder,
the
gas
of
which
was
turned
on.
Evidence
was
also
given
by
Sister
Anna
Leteba
aged
60
who
reported
that
on
the
evening
in
question
when
the
sisters
had
been
washing
dishes
in
the
kitchen,
there
was
a
sound
like
a
thunderclap,
and
when
they
went
outside
they
found
the
fire
and
summoned
help.
The
court
adjourned
on
20
June,
and
resumed
on
23
July
according
to
Mohahlaula
of
27
July
2001.
A
day
later,
the
magistrate
found
the
accused
not
guilty,
there
being
insufficient
evidence
to
link
them
to
the
explosion.
▲back
to top
A
sod-turning
ceremony
was
held
at
the
end
of
June
at
Ha
Thetsane
for
a
new
factory
financed
by
Nien
Hsing
International,
a
Taiwanese
textile
company.
Present
at
the
ceremony
were
the
Prime
Minister
and
Ron
Chu
Chen,
Chairman
of
Nien
Hsing.
The
factory
is
due
to
be
built
on
a
26
hectare
site,
one
of
the
last
reasonably
large
areas
available
for
industry
in
the
factory
estate
area.
The
project
will
provide
employment
facilities
for
an
estimated
5000
Basotho.
In
a
speech
at
the
ceremony,
quoted
by
The
Mirror
of
27
June
2001,
the
Prime
Minister
paid
tribute
to
Chen,
whose
C
&
Y
Garments
company
in
the
past
had
sent
15
unskilled
Basotho
women
to
Taiwan
for
training,
and
who
had
encouraged
other
Taiwanese
businessmen
to
explore
investment
opportunities
in
Lesotho.
As
from
April
2001,
Lesotho
benefits
from
the
US
African
Growth
Opportunities
Act,
which
provides
preferential
entry
for
goods
from
the
poorest
African
countries
to
the
USA.
Lesotho
textile
exports
are
already
extensive,
having
averaged
in
the
first
three
months
of
2001
‘3.9
million
m2
of
apparel
per
month’
(a
rather
curious
unit
of
measurement,
but
it
was
the
one
quoted
at
the
ceremony).
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
The
Mirror
of
27
June
2001,
the
Commissioner
of
Police,
Jonas
Malewa,
in
the
presence
of
the
Prime
Minister,
criticized
his
own
police
force
and
said
that
its
problems
could
only
be
solved
by
the
government
providing
better
equipment
and
facilities.
In
particular
he
referred
to
the
Police
Training
College
which
he
said
‘is
collapsed,
is
a
sham.
One
wonders
how
we
come
up
with
quality
policemen,
who
are
expected
to
protect
the
nation
by
providing
security
and
human
rights
protection.
The
college’s
development
and
maintenance
had
for
so
many
times
been
postponed.’
He
went
on
to
plead
for
assistance
on
behalf
of
the
College.
The
speech
was
given
after
a
speech
by
the
Prime
Minister
launching
a
Lesotho
Community
Safety
and
Security
Project,
sponsored
with
M80
000
from
the
British
High
Commission.
The
project
is
designed
to
fight
crime
at
community
level.
▲back
to top
The
BCP
office
near
the
main
Traffic
Circle
which
had
been
demolished
on
22
January
2001
by
the
Makhakhe
faction
of
the
BCP,
commonly
known
as
Manyonyoba,
had
by
the
end
of
June
2001
been
rebuilt
by
the
Qhobela
faction.
Several
members
helped
in
the
reconstruction
and
in
particular,
according
to
Radio
Moafrika,
the
Deputy
Leader,
Dr
Khauhelo
Raditapole,
had
paid
for
the
roofing.
The
new
building
(apart
from
cement
blocks
replacing
burnt
brick)
is
a
fairly
faithful
copy
of
the
old
building,
painted
with
red,
black
and
green
stripes,
the
party
colours.
This
building
had
been
associated
with
the
BCP
since
its
construction
in
1961
using
funds
raised
by
the
then
Secretary
General,
G.
M.
Kolisang.
On
Saturday
4
August,
the
area
adjoining
the
rebuilt
office
was
the
venue
for
a
well-attended
rally
at
which
Molapo
Qhobela
paid
tribute
to
those
of
the
party
who
had
fought
in
the
Lesotho
Liberation
Army.
Members
of
the
LCD
who
had
been
in
the
LLA
were
apparently
not
present,
nor
apparently
were
members
of
the
rival
Makhakhe
faction
in
evidence.
▲back
to top
The
army
said
farewell
to
its
two
German
MBB
BO.105CBS
helicopters
in
a
decommissioning
ceremony
on
Tuesday
26
June
2001.
The
helicopters
had
been
in
use
since
1979
in
the
days
of
the
Police
Mobile
Unit,
and
in
over
20
years
had
amassed
a
total
of
5423
hours
of
flying
time.
They
had
been
used
not
only
to
ferry
soldiers
but
also
to
ferry
goods
for
distribution
to
remote
areas
when
heavy
snowfalls
had
resulted
in
emergency
conditions.
The
two
helicopters
have
been
sold
to
Eurocopter
South
Africa.
The
first
of
the
new
higher
performance
helicopters
for
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
was
handed
over
at
Lanseria
Airport,
Gauteng
on
8
August
and
the
second
arrived
a
month
later.
The
new
helicopters
have
been
named
Mashai
and
Sani
Top,
two
of
the
remoter
areas
of
Lesotho
where
they
might
be
expected
to
be
needed
in
adverse
weather
conditions
such
as
severe
snowfall.
▲back
to top
An
Indian
Army
Training
Team
(IATT)
consisting
of
15
specialist
officers
and
5
non-commissioned
officers
began
their
training
activities
with
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
on
1
July
2001.
The
IATT
is
drawn
from
various
units
in
the
Indian
Army
and
includes
specialists
in
logistics,
intelligence,
special
forces
and
infantry
combat
engineering.
According
to
Brigadier
J.
Singh,
the
Indian
Army
Security
Advisor
to
Lesotho,
quoted
in
the
Army
periodical
Mara,
the
main
task
of
the
IATT
is
to
train
LDF
instructors
so
that
they
can
do
the
work
themselves
in
future.
Members
of
the
IATT
and
their
families
arrived
in
June,
and
the
team
leader
is
Lieutenant-Colonel
S.
Dhawan.
▲back
to top
A
report
in
Southern
Star
of
13
July
2001
reported
that
a
healing
session
had
been
held
for
32
sexually
abused
‘children’,
most,
if
not
all
of
whom
were
apparently
girls.
The
healing
session
had
been
for
32
girls
who
were
accommodated
at
the
Lesotho
Girl
Guides
Association
Centre
for
Street
Children,
which
is
a
residential
centre
in
Maseru
for
children
who
had
run
away
from
their
families.
According
to
the
Social
Worker
at
the
Centre,
Lydia
’Muso,
the
girls
at
the
centre
had
suffered
pain,
humiliation,
fear
and
trauma
as
a
result
of
abuse
and
neglect.
Often
they
had
been
raped
by
close
relatives
at
ages
as
young
as
ten
years.
Of
the
32
at
the
healing
session,
17
had
been
raped
by
their
fathers,
one
by
her
brother,
two
by
cousins,
one
by
a
friend,
five
by
strangers,
three
were
gang
raped,
one
was
raped
by
a
neighbour’s
son,
and
two
others
had
been
raped
or
sodomized
by
the
family’s
garden
boy.
Lydia
’Muso
questioned
what
had
happened
to
family
structures
when
children
had
suffered
experiences
which
had
made
them
lose
trust
in
their
parents.
‘If
the
parents
have
become
abusers,
who
will
protect
the
children?
Where
are
we
heading
as
a
nation?’
▲back
to top
A
report
in
Mopheme
of
3
July
revealed
that
plans
are
advanced
for
a
new
football
stadium
for
Maseru
on
the
old
Polo
Ground.
However,
because
of
the
limited
space,
it
would
be
a
relatively
small
12000
seater
stadium
and
bigger
matches
would
have
to
be
played
at
the
larger
Setsoto
Stadium.
The
new
complex
at
the
Polo
Ground
was
also
to
have
accommodation
for
visiting
teams,
a
tennis
court,
gymnasium
and
basketball
and
volleyball
facilities
as
well
as
offices
for
the
Lesotho
Football
Association
(LEFA).
The
new
complex
is
apparently
to
be
financed
by
the
international
football
federation,
FIFA,
and
built
by
China
State
Building
Construction.
According
to
the
President
of
LEFA,
FIFA
would
pay
the
contractors
directly.
‘We
will
not
touch
this
money
which
people
say
we
take
for
ourselves.’
The
cost
of
the
new
stadium
is
apparently
M6.4
million.
The
Polo
Ground
is
far
from
ideal
as
a
site
for
a
new
sports
complex.
It
occupies
a
limited
riverside
site,
with
alluvial
clay
soil.
It
is
hemmed
in
by
houses
and
by
the
Maseru
By-Pass
and
is
far
from
where
most
people
in
Maseru
live.
In
recent
years
the
Polo
Ground
has
proved
to
be
a
useful
place
where
new
drivers
have
been
able
to
learn
to
drive
away
from
the
increasingly
crowded
roads.
On
one
edge
of
the
field
is
a
rock
slab
with
the
footprints
of
Dijaquesopus
obliquus,
a
reptile
which
had
the
characteristics
of
a
primitive
crocodile
or
turtle.
The
slab
is
unique.
It
is
the
only
known
record
of
this
animal
which
lived
190
million
years
ago.
Moreover
the
species
is
monogeneric,
so
it
is
the
only
known
site
for
the
genus
as
well.
According
to
the
Mopheme
report,
there
will
be
a
sod-turning
ceremony
soon,
attended
by
the
President
of
FIFA.
Under
the
Environment
Bill
2001
at
present
before
Parliament
it
will
be
a
legal
requirement
that
an
Environmental
Impact
Assessment
be
carried
out
before
any
major
project
is
undertaken
in
Lesotho.
There
was
no
mention
in
the
report
that
this
had
been
done
for
this
particular
development.
▲back
to top
The
Stamp
Duties
(Amendment)
Act
2000
[sic],
Act
No.
11
of
2001,
came
into
force
on
publication
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
of
4
July
2001.
The
new
statute
specifies
stamp
duty
payable
in
a
large
number
of
situations
including
certificates
of
marine
insurance
and
receipts
for
Post
Office
Savings
Bank
forms.
The
marine
insurance
reflects
the
statute’s
origin
as
part
of
common
legislation
for
British
territories,
and
ought
presumably
to
have
been
dropped,
while
the
reference
to
the
Post
Office
Savings
Bank,
which
was
amalgamated
with
Lesotho
Bank
over
20
years
ago,
could
similarly
have
been
omitted.
Not
only
the
wording
but
the
duties
themselves
are
refreshingly
archaic.
They
still
read
like
the
taxes
of
yesteryear.
An
example
is
the
revenue
stamp
that
has
to
be
placed
on
a
receipt.
This
was
set
at
2
cents
in
1972,
doubled
to
4
lisente
(4s)
on
14
April
1989
and
has
now
again
been
doubled
to
8s
in
2001
(8s
»
1c
(US)
»
0.7p
(GB)).
If
the
drafters
of
the
law
had
intended
to
keep
pace
with
inflation,
the
2c
of
1972
should
have
become
18s
in
1989
and
58s
in
2001.
It
might
be
thought
that
the
cost
of
printing
an
8s
revenue
stamp
would
be
more
than
the
revenue
it
would
generate.
In
fact,
enquiries
in
August
2001
at
Finance
House,
the
only
place
in
Maseru
which
sells
revenue
stamps,
revealed
that
in
fact
no
8s
stamps
exist,
there
were
no
known
plans
to
print
any,
and
that
the
lowest
denomination
revenue
stamp
currently
on
sale
was
20s.
As
a
result,
the
law
requiring
revenue
stamps
to
be
affixed
on
receipts
is
apparently
being
broken
by
100%
of
persons
issuing
receipts.
What
are
the
penalties
for
such
lawbreakers?
It
is
clearly
stated
in
§26
of
the
Stamp
Duties
Order
1972
that
a
person
who
gives
a
receipt
liable
to
duty
unstamped
(only
receipts
under
R2.00
are
not
liable)
incurs
a
penalty
of
R20,
and
moreover
under
§32
of
the
Order
this
penalty
is
a
debt
due
to
the
Government
and
recoverable
by
action
in
a
magistrate’s
court.
Some
devious
tax
evaders,
who
have
to
issue
a
receipt
for
a
larger
amount
than
R2,
may
think
that
they
can
escape
the
8s
revenue
stamp
requirement
by
issuing
a
large
number
of
separate
receipts
each
of
which
is
for
less
than
M2.00
(to
modernize
the
currency).
However,
the
law
provides
for
them
too,
and
there
is
also
a
fixed
penalty
of
R20
for
such
a
practice,
which
on
being
brought
before
a
magistrate
and
found
guilty
they
will
also
have
to
pay.
Although
the
new
law
indicates
that
Lesotho
legislators
are
aware
of
inflation,
even
if
they
are
unable
to
quantify
it
appropriately,
at
least
those
who
plan
to
get
married
have
not
received
a
similar
rude
shock
by
having
taxes
suddenly
doubled.
The
revenue
stamp
required
on
a
Marriage
Certificate
was
set
by
a
Government
Proclamation
of
6
November
1871
at
two
shillings
and
sixpence,
which
in
modern
currency
is
25s.
Quite
amazingly,
130
years
later
it
is
still
the
same!
(The
last
revision
of
marriage
law
was
in
the
Marriage
Act
1974
and
this,
like
the
Marriage
Proclamation
1911
which
it
replaced,
retained
the
original
amount
unchanged.)
▲back
to top
As
had
been
widely
predicted,
the
two
recently
sworn-in
Senators
were
in
turn
sworn
in
as
Cabinet
Ministers
on
Friday
6
July
2001.
Kenneth
Mohlabi
Tsekoa
became
Minister
of
Finance
and
Development
Planning,
while
Dr
Pontšo
’Matumelo
Sekatle
(her
doctorate
is
in
administrative
studies
rather
than
medicine)
became
Minister
of
Health
and
Social
Welfare.
The
Deputy
Prime
Minister,
Kelebone
Maope,
was
moved
to
become
the
Minister
of
Justice
and
of
Constitutional
Affairs,
while
Shakhane
Mokhehle
(former
Minister
of
Justice)
and
Tefo
Mabote
(former
Minister
of
Health)
both
lost
their
cabinet
positions.
The
post
of
Government
Secretary,
left
vacant
by
Kenneth
Tsekoa,
had
now
been
filled
by
Semano
Sekatle
(husband
of
the
new
Minister
of
Health),
who
had
previously
been
Principal
Secretary
to
the
Ministry
of
Public
Service.
One
other
new
cabinet
appointment
was
Sello
Clement
Machakela,
Member
of
Parliament
for
Mahlatsa
in
Berea
District.
He
became
Minister
of
Labour
&
Employment,
replacing
the
unfortunate
Notši
Molopo,
who
had
been
incapacitated
for
many
months
following
a
severe
accident
suffered
while
travelling
in
his
official
vehicle.
Newspapers
made
much
of
the
reshuffle
being
a
defeat
for
the
Lesiba
faction
of
the
party
and
the
Mokhehle
dynasty.
However,
Shakhane
Mokhehle,
who
was
born
on
14
October
1927,
is
now
73,
and
apparently
not
in
good
health.
The
general
effect
of
the
reshuffle
can
therefore
also
be
seen
to
be
the
replacement
of
cabinet
members
of
retirement
age
with
new
blood.
▲back
to top
A
second
swearing
in
ceremony
on
Friday
6
July
was
held
at
the
High
Court
for
Mrs
’Maseshophe
Alidah
Hlajoane,
who
became
Lesotho’s
second
woman
judge,
following
in
the
steps
Judge
Kelello
Guni.
Justice
Hlajoane
aged
50
began
her
legal
career
as
a
Court
Clerk
in
Local
and
Magistrates’
Courts,
being
promoted
in
1980
to
Magistrate.
During
her
early
career
she
successfully
studied
for
a
Diploma
in
Law
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
and
she
later
obtained
BA
(Law)
and
LLB
degrees
from
the
same
university
in
1985
and
1991
respectively.
She
was
Resident
Magistrate
of
Maseru
from
1991
to
1993
and
was
Registrar
of
the
High
Court
and
Court
of
Appeal
from
1993
until
her
elevation
to
the
Bench
in
2001.
As
reported
in
Moafrika
of
6
July
2001,
Justice
Hlajoane
is
the
daughter
of
the
late
Makebe
and
’Mathabang
Letebele
of
Ha
Ratšiu
in
the
town
of
Teyateyaneng.
She
is
the
widow
of
Chief
Sekhonyana
Hlajoane
who
was
held
without
trial
in
the
period
1979
to
1980,
having
been
arrested
by
police
as
a
suspect
following
a
Lesotho
Liberation
Army
bomb
blast
at
the
Maseru
Post
Office
where
he
worked.
Chief
Sekhonyana
Hlajoane
was
held
for
six
months
and
subjected
to
torture
in
police
custody
so
that
when
he
was
released
he
had
become
permanently
disabled.
▲back
to top
21
new
duplex
houses
were
handed
over
to
the
Government
of
Lesotho
at
Ha
Mabote
in
the
northeastern
suburbs
of
Maseru
on
Friday
6
July
2001.
The
houses,
financed
by
the
Central
Bank
at
a
cost
of
M6.8
million,
were
handed
over
to
the
Prime
Minister
by
the
Governor
of
the
Central
Bank,
Mr
Stephen
Swaray.
They
adjoin
the
Mabote
Police
Station
and
will
also
adjoin
a
planned
Recreation
and
Cultural
Centre
for
the
Central
Bank
of
Lesotho,
shortly
to
be
constructed.
▲back
to top
Four
National
Assembly
seats
remained
vacant
in
July
2001
as
a
result
of
the
deaths
of
their
incumbent
Members
of
Parliament.
It
had
become
a
general
expectation
that
they
would
not
be
filled
until
the
General
Election
now
scheduled
for
May
2001,
and
indeed
one
of
the
commissioners
of
the
Independent
Electoral
Commission,
Mafole
Sematlane,
had
commented
to
the
press
that
he
did
not
believe
it
technically
feasible
to
hold
by-elections
before
then.
However,
Lesotho’s
present
electoral
law
states
that
when
a
seat
becomes
vacant
six
months
before
the
next
General
Election,
a
by-election
is
required.
Thus
by-elections
would
apparently
have
to
be
held.
It
was
apparent,
and
Public
Eye
of
6
July
confirmed
this,
that
the
by-elections
were
already
becoming
a
source
of
disputes,
particularly
in
relation
to
the
voters’
rolls
to
be
used.
Justin
Metsing
Lekhanya
and
Molapo
Qhobela
(respectively
leaders
of
the
BNP
and
one
faction
of
the
BCP)
said
that
the
by-elections
were
also
a
ploy
to
delay
the
holding
of
the
General
Election.
▲back
to top
Queen
Karabo,
wife
of
King
Letsie
III,
is
expecting
their
first
child
in
October
according
to
a
report
in
Public
Eye
of
13
July
2001,
which
was
based
on
information
provided
by
King
Letsie’s
mother,
Queen
’Mamohato.
If
the
child
is
male
he
will
become
heir
to
the
Lesotho
throne.
▲back
to top
An
announcement
from
the
Government
Secretary,
Semano
Sekatle,
prohibits
smoking
in
Lesotho
government
offices
with
effect
from
July
2001.
The
ban
extends
to
both
employees
and
visitors.
The
declaration
followed
a
motion
in
the
Senate
in
which
the
Ministry
of
Health
had
been
applauded
for
making
its
premises
and
vehicles
smoke
free
zones,
and
calling
for
this
to
be
extended
to
all
public
offices.
▲back
to top
In
a
High
Court
ruling,
Mr
Justice
Semapo
Peete
dismissed
with
costs
an
application
of
the
Interim
Political
Authority
which
had
taken
the
Government
to
court
following
an
80%
cut
in
its
salaries
and
allowances.
The
cut,
authorised
by
the
then
Minister
of
Finance,
Kelebone
Maope,
in
effect
paid
for
the
IPA
to
meet
for
the
equivalent
of
one
day
a
week
instead
of
five
until
its
term
of
office
finally
runs
out
two
days
after
the
next
General
Election.
Details
of
the
judgment
were
given
in
Public
Eye
of
13
July
2001.
On
one
matter
relating
to
access
to
media
by
the
IPA
and
political
parties,
the
IPA
had
its
application
upheld.
Justice
Peete
ordered
that
the
IPA
be
entitled
to
a
minimum
of
a
weekly
slot
on
Radio
Lesotho
and
periodic
access
to
Lesotho
Television.
He
also
ordered
that
all
parties
registered
with
the
IEC
be
entitled
to
make
official
announcements
about
annual
general
meetings
and
district
rallies
over
Radio
Lesotho.
▲back
to top
The
King’s
Birthday
on
17
July
was
a
public
holiday
and
amongst
the
celebrations
was
an
Awards
Ceremony
at
which
408
persons
received
various
awards,
the
largest
number
being
for
long
service
in
the
police
or
army,
awards
being
particularly
given
to
those
who
hade
served
10,
20
or
30
years.
The
more
important
decoration,
the
Order
of
Ramatšeatsana
was
awarded
to
only
a
few
people,
and
these
included
James
Motlatsi,
former
President
of
the
National
Union
of
Mineworkers
in
South
Africa;
Kenneth
Mohlabi
Tsekoa,
former
Government
Secretary
and
now
Minister
of
Finance;
Tšeliso
Motlatla
Nthane,
a
prominent
businessman;
Mrs
’Mabolaoana
Khotle,
Commissioner
of
Girl
Guides;
and
Dr
Maboee
Moletsane,
former
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho.
▲back
to top
’Mamosebi
Pholo,
who
is
the
Chief
Executive
of
the
Water
&
Sewerage
Authority
and
also
an
advocate,
was
reported
in
Mopheme
of
17
July
2001
to
be
defending
her
husband
Major
Pholo,
who
was
being
accused
at
a
Court
Martial
of
using
military
property
for
other
than
military
purposes
without
authority.
He
is
also
accused
of
removing
government
property
from
its
proper
place
without
authority.
The
offences
relate
alleged
wrongful
use
of
military
vehicles.
The
hearing
was
continuing
when
the
newspaper
went
to
press.
Courts
Martial
of
this
kind
were
quite
unknown
during
the
period
of
military
government
and
indeed
up
until
the
events
of
1998,
when
government
had
still
been
unable
to
control
army
excesses.
They
appear
to
be
evidence
of
increasing
discipline
being
reinstated
(or
perhaps
created)
within
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force.
▲back
to top
The
Irish
Consul-General,
Mr
Tom
Wright,
left
Lesotho
for
Mozambique
on
Friday
20
July
2001,
where
he
will
be
Irish
Ambassador
to
Mozambique.
Tom
Wright
was
appointed
Irish
Consul-General
in
1997,
coming
from
Zimbabwe,
where
he
had
been
working
with
an
NGO
supporting
rural
agriculture.
He
presided
over
Irish
aid
in
Lesotho
at
a
time
when
there
was
some
doubt
about
its
continuing,
and
was
credited
with
persuading
the
Irish
Prime
Minister
that
Irish
aid
should
continue.
The
Irish
Prime
Minister
visited
Lesotho
during
Tom
Wright’s
period
of
office
and
was
the
first
head
of
a
European
Union
country
to
visit
Lesotho.
Irish
aid
in
the
year
2000
amounted
to
M76.4
million,
of
which
the
largest
shares
went
to
health
(M12.4
million,
including
M2.4
million
for
combatting
HIV/AIDS),
‘governance’
(M11.9
million),
water
supplies
(M11.6
million),
education
(M11.2
million)
and
rural
access
(M10
million).
A
major
earlier
Irish
project,
the
Centre
for
Accounting
Studies,
had
been
successfully
and
sustainably
handed
over
to
government
during
Tom
Wright’s
period
of
office.
Another
achievement
had
been
significant
localization
of
the
Irish
aid
programme,
so
that
there
were
now
more
local
employees
paid
by
the
Irish
government
than
Irish
citizens.
▲back
to top
The
Mirror
newspaper
reported
in
its
issue
of
25
July
2001
that
its
editor,
Moeti
Thelejane,
was
being
sued
by
the
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili
for
M250
000
damages
following
the
publication
on
11
April
2001
of
a
letter
in
its
Sesotho
section,
Setsomi
sa
Litaba
(‘The
Newshound’).
The
letter
had
apparently
been
written
by
a
supporter
of
the
dissident
Lesiba
faction
of
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy,
and
had
described
the
Prime
Minister
as
being
a
drunkard,
an
opportunist,
a
law-breaker,
a
hypocrite,
a
corrupt
politician,
and
an
untrustworthy
person
without
moral
fibre.
These
allegations
were
made
without
any
substantial
evidence
and
had
led
to
the
civil
suit
against
the
newspaper.
Inaccurate
reporting
on
something
quite
different
was
the
complaint
of
a
reader
in
the
1
August
issue
of
The
Mirror.
Moeti
Thelejane
had
written
in
the
6
June
issue
that
‘12
Setlamo
activists,
mostly
youth,
have
between
1999
and
May
2001
died
from
complications
derived
from
the
teargas
used
to
disperse
crowds
at
the
Palace
gates
in
1998,
and
the
death
toll
is
threatening
to
rise
as
more
are
reportedly
coughing
their
way
to
the
grave...’.
In
a
letter
to
the
newspaper,
Khethang
Maama
identified
himself
as
one
of
those
who
were
at
the
Palace
gates
vigil,
and
he
recalled
the
intense
cold
when
the
vigil
began
on
4
August
1998.
However,
he
stated
that
‘anyone
was
having
sex
with
anyone,
no
matter
whether
he
knew
her
or
not....
Is
it
not
logical
enough
to
attribute
the
deaths
to
AIDS?
After
all,
we
are
told
that
AIDS
and
TB
are
bedmates’.
The
last
statement
was
apparently
a
reference
to
Moeti
Thelejane’s
statement
about
Palace
gates
veterans
coughing
their
way
to
the
grave.
Khethang
Maama
also
wrote
about
some
of
those
at
the
Palace
gates
using
drugs.
▲back
to top
Lesotho
newspapers,
all
of
which
are
based
in
or
close
to
Maseru,
generally
fail
to
provide
a
balanced
picture
of
activities,
including
criminal
activities,
countrywide.
However,
the
newspaper
Southern
Star,
using
police
reports
as
sources,
contains
a
regular
column
‘A
glance
at
crime’
which
provides
a
rather
depressing
picture
of
the
extent
of
criminal
activity
throughout
the
country.
Amongst
reports
appearing
in
the
newspaper
about
criminal
activities
in
July
were
the
following.
A
headless
and
otherwise
mutilated
corpse
of
a
46-year
old
man
was
found
at
the
base
of
a
cliff
at
Nkokomela
Ha
Rafolatsane
on
Friday
6
July
2001.
It
was
believed
that
he
had
been
a
victim
of
liretlo
(medicine
murder)
and
his
death
followed
reports
of
at
least
two
previous
liretlo
deaths
in
the
previous
month.
Anwary
Supermarket
in
Butha-Buthe
on
7
July
was
damaged
together
with
the
manager’s
vehicle
and
a
nearby
vehicle
by
an
angry
crowd
which
developed
spontaneously
after
a
street
vendor
was
shot
dead.
The
incident
occurred
after
a
person
allegedly
stole
a
stick
of
roll-on
deodorant
from
the
supermarket,
and
ran
into
a
crowd
of
people
pursued
by
a
security
guard.
The
guard
fired
into
the
crowd
killing
an
innocent
bystander.
After
this
happened
the
security
guard
himself
had
to
flee
for
his
life.
He
was
later
taken
into
police
custody.
One
youth
died
following
a
stick
fight
between
two
21
year
old
youths
at
an
initiation
school
at
Moeaneng
near
Mphaki
in
Quthing
District.
The
surviving
youth
handed
himself
over
to
the
police
at
Tšitsong
Police
Station.
Two
members
of
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
based
at
Maseru
Central
Charge
Office
were
arrested
on
Monday
9
July
and
charged
with
accepting
M200
in
bribes.
Six
civil
servants
were
arrested
after
a
government
vehicle
belonging
to
the
Department
of
Civil
Works
was
stopped
at
Mphosong
in
Leribe
District
on
11
July
and
found
to
be
transporting
four
bags
of
marijuana.
A
herdboy
was
seriously
injured
on
Friday
13
July
at
Tlhanyaku
Ha
Joang,
a
remote
village
in
Mokhotlong
District,
when
he
was
sprayed
with
bullets
by
an
unknown
assailant.
Two
Dutch
tourists
were
stopped
by
armed
men
near
’Moteng
Pass
on
14
July,
and
robbed
of
their
vehicle
and
various
belongings.
A
robbery
occurred
on
24
July
outside
Christie
House,
an
office
block
in
central
Maseru.
A
Jordanian
engineer
who
works
for
the
Water
and
Sewerage
Authority
was
robbed
of
M15
000
and
his
white
Toyota
Corolla
sedan
car.
In
an
incident
at
Nyakosoba
near
Roma
on
the
night
of
27
July
2001,
a
group
of
unidentified
men
opened
fire
on
a
particular
household
and
ordered
the
residents
to
stay
inside.
They
then
set
fire
to
the
houses
with
petrol
resulting
in
two
persons
being
burnt
to
death
and
a
4-year
old
child
receiving
burns
which
required
him
to
be
taken
to
St
Joseph’s
Hospital.
This
incident
was
also
reported
in
the
newspaper
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
of
16
August
2001,
where
it
was
also
reported
that
investigations
had
progressed
to
the
point
where
all
that
remained
was
to
apprehend
the
suspects.
▲back
to top
A
Catholic
priest
attached
to
the
Cathedral
of
Our
Lady
of
Victory
in
Maseru,
Father
Thabo
Anthony
Monyau,
appeared
with
six
other
Maseru
residents
on
25
July
2001
before
the
Maseru
Magistrate
on
a
charge
of
having
misappropriated
a
cheque
for
M660
000
belonging
to
the
CGM
clothing
firm
at
Ha
Thetsane.
It
was
alleged
that
the
cheque
had
been
deposited
in
the
account
of
the
mission
on
14
July,
and
large
sums
of
money
in
three
instalments
together
exceeding
M280
000
had
been
withdrawn
from
the
account
on
19
July.
The
accused
in
the
case
were
granted
conditional
bail
by
the
Maseru
magistrate.
Father
Monyau
is
no
stranger
to
allegations.
Evidence
by
a
senior
army
officer
Colonel
Mathealira
Letsitsi,
presented
to
the
Leon
Commission
(which
still
has
to
report)
had
implicated
him
in
supporting
soldiers
to
topple
the
Commander
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force.
However,
even
more
problems
were
surfacing
for
Father
Monyau.
A
day
after
his
appearance
in
court,
two
vehicles
were
stopped
at
a
police
roadblock
at
Setibing
between
Maseru
and
the
Mohale
Dam.
The
vehicles
were
carrying
44
bags
of
cement
and
445
litres
of
diesel
fuel
believed
to
have
been
stolen
from
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project.
Police
investigations
showed
that
the
owners
of
the
vehicles
were
priests
at
Our
Lady
of
Victories.
▲back
to top
An
annual
World
disasters
report
published
by
the
International
Federation
of
Red
Cross
and
Red
Crescent
Societies
documents
disasters
around
the
world,
a
disaster
being
defined
as
a
situation
or
event
which
overwhelms
local
capacity,
where
at
least
one
of
the
following
criteria
has
to
be
fulfilled:
10
or
more
people
reported
killed;
100
people
reported
affected;
a
call
for
international
assistance;
and/or
a
declaration
of
a
state
of
emergency.
In
the
statistical
section
of
the
report
Lesotho
statistics
state
that
for
the
period
1981-1990,
40
persons
were
killed
and
680
000
affected;
while
for
the
period
1991-2000
(with
2000
omitted
as
statistics
were
not
yet
available)
no
people
were
killed
and
501750
people
were
affected.
The
assumption
must
be
that
these
reported
Lesotho
disaster
figures
derive
from
droughts,
or
perhaps
also
for
the
earlier
decade
from
serious
road
accidents
(if
these
were
reported).
For
the
decade
1991-2000,
Lesotho
and
Swaziland
are
the
only
countries
reported
in
Africa
with
no
people
reported
killed
in
disasters.
The
country
with
the
highest
number
of
reported
deaths
in
the
same
period
is
Nigeria
with
5591
persons
killed.
In
the
same
period
the
country
with
the
largest
total
number
of
persons
affected
was
Ethiopia
with
38512493
persons
affected,
presumably
most
of
them
from
famine.
▲back
to top
The
weekly
newspaper
Mololi
of
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
reappeared
on
25
July
2001.
Financial
difficulties
had
apparently
caused
its
non-appearance
for
an
eight
month
period
beginning
in
November
2000.
Its
reappearance
enabled
it
shortly
afterwards
to
report
that
Mr
Justice
Ramodibedi
had
dismissed
the
High
Court
action
brought
by
a
former
Secretary-General
of
the
LCD,
Mabusetsa
Makharilele
and
four
others
challenging
the
validity
of
the
results
of
the
very
closely
fought
election
for
the
Executive
Committee
at
the
Party
Conference
in
January.
In
these
elections,
the
Secretary-General,
Shakhane
Mokhehle
had
lost
his
position
to
Sephiri
Motanyane
by
710
votes
to
717,
and
the
former
Minister
of
Finance,
Leketekete
Ketso
had
been
elected
Treasurer,
beating
his
rival,
Mpho
Malie
by
711
votes
to
702.
On
the
other
hand,
the
Deputy
Leader
of
the
party,
Kelebone
Maope,
had
been
re-elected
unopposed.
▲back
to top
The
Chief
Executive
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority,
Makase
Marumo,
died
in
the
Leribe
Trauma
Unit,
on
26
July
2001.
He
had
been
ill
for
some
time
with
a
brain
tumour.
Makase
Marumo
was
born
at
Mahobong,
Leribe
District
on
11
October
1949
and
educated
at
Peka
High
School
in
the
days
when
the
Headmaster
was
Tšeliso
Makhakhe
and
Mathematics
was
taught
by
the
late
Selometsi
Baholo.
The
School
Certificate
Mathematics
syllabus
in
those
days
was
completed
in
Form
IV,
leaving
Form
V
to
be
devoted
to
the
study
of
Additional
Mathematics,
which
all
students
were
expected
to
take.
As
a
result
it
was
a
school
that
managed
frequently
to
achieve
100%
credits
in
Mathematics.
Marumo
(along
with
several
others
who
distinguished
themselves
in
later
life)
was
a
Peka
pupil,
and
he
completed
his
studies
at
the
end
of
1969,
shortly
before
the
coup
and
State
of
Emergency
which
resulted
in
Peka
losing
its
best
teachers.
(The
loss
of
Makhakhe
and
Baholo
initiated
the
deterioration
to
Peka’s
present
dismal
state
which
is
so
low
in
the
league
table
of
high
school
performance
that
in
some
years
it
achieves
no
credits
at
all).
At
what
was
then
the
University
of
Botswana,
Lesotho
and
Swaziland
at
Roma,
Marumo
proved
to
be
one
of
the
best
students
in
the
Science
Faculty,
often
scoring
marks
of
90,
when
80
was
all
that
was
needed
for
the
top
grade
of
A.
In
his
third
year
in
1972,
he
transferred
to
the
University
of
Southampton
in
England
and
in
1975
obtained
a
degree
in
Civil
Engineering,
following
which
he
proceeded
to
the
University
of
Birmingham
where
he
completed
an
MSc
in
1976,
specializing
in
highway
engineering
for
developing
countries.
On
his
return
to
Lesotho
in
1976,
Marumo
was
employed
in
the
Ministry
of
Works,
and
rose
rapidly
to
become
Chief
Road
Engineer
and
by
1985
was
Acting
Principal
Secretary.
From
1985
to
1996
worked
with
the
African
Development
Bank
in
Abidjan,
Côte
d’Ivoire,
during
which
time
he
travelled
extensively
ensuring
the
successful
construction
of
roads,
airports,
railways
and
seaports
funded
by
the
Bank.
As
is
well
known,
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority
ran
into
serious
difficulties
in
the
mid-1990s,
when
as
a
result
of
a
management
audit
it
had
first
to
suspend,
then
dismiss,
and
finally
initiate
legal
proceedings
against
its
Chief
Executive,
Masupha
Sole.
It
was
at
this
point
that
it
sought
the
services
of
Makase
Marumo,
who
on
his
return
to
Lesotho
in
1996
provided
much
needed
leadership
of
a
high
calibre.
Sadly,
however,
his
tenure
of
the
leadership
of
LHDA
was
cut
short.
He
was
buried
in
Kokobela
Cemetery
in
Maseru
West
on
Saturday
4
August
after
a
service
at
Machabeng
High
School.
He
leaves
a
wife,
the
former
Helen
Wright
whom
he
married
in
Freetown,
Sierra
Leone
on
16
October
1976.
He
is
also
survived
by
their
two
children,
a
daughter,
Tebello,
and
a
son,
Khotso.
▲back
to top
A
three
person
palaeontological
expedition,
led
by
Dr
Bernard
Battail
of
the
Institut
de
Paléontologie
in
Paris
spent
three
weeks
during
July
2001
at
Likhoele
in
Mafeteng
District,
searching
for
early
dinosaurs
and
mammal-like
reptiles
in
the
Elliot
Formation,
also
known
as
the
Red
Beds.
These
friable
red
shales
have
proved
a
happy
hunting
ground
for
palaeontologists
in
Lesotho,
and
have
yielded
world
famous
fossils
such
as
Megazostrodon
rudnerae
found
at
Pokane
in
Quthing
District
and
Erythrotherium
parringtoni
found
at
Likhoele.
In
the
1960s
and
1970s
these
gave
Lesotho
the
distinction
of
being
the
source
of
the
world’s
earliest
known
mammals.
Other
fossils
from
China
and
the
United
States,
however,
eventually
resulted
in
these
Lesotho
fossils
having
to
relinquish
their
earliest
known
mammal
status.
Bernard
Battail
is
no
stranger
to
Lesotho,
which
he
first
visited
in
1968.
With
permits
from
the
Lesotho
Government
Protection
&
Preservation
Commission
he
has
excavated
with
French
expeditions
five
times,
leading
the
four
later
expeditions
himself.
Dinosaurs
including
Massospondylus
and
Euskelosaurus,
as
well
as
an
advanced
cynodont
still
being
prepared
and
described,
have
been
recovered
from
places
such
as
Ha
Sekake
and
Ha
Noosi
in
Qacha’s
Nek
District
as
well
as
Maphutseng
in
Mohale’s
Hoek
District
and
Thabana-Morena
in
Mafeteng
District.
The
2001
expedition
found
a
number
of
interesting
fossils,
including
a
Tritylodontid,
a
member
of
the
family
named
after
Tritylodon
longaevus,
a
fossil
originally
found
in
1882
at
Thaba-Tšoeu
in
Mafeteng
District.
It
was
this
fossil
which
originally
put
Lesotho
on
the
palaeontological
map,
and
indeed
for
more
than
half
a
century
Tritylodon
was
regarded
as
the
world’s
earliest
mammal.
Even
though
it
was
later
demoted
to
being
a
mere
mammal-like
reptile,
as
has
been
seen,
Lesotho
was
later
able
to
reclaim
for
a
while
the
distinction
of
being
the
source
of
the
world’s
earliest
known
mammals.
Lesotho
fossils
in
Paris
include
some
on
display
at
the
Muséum
d’Histoire
Naturelle.
However,
many
of
the
Lesotho
fossils
in
France
were
taken
there
on
temporary
export
permits
and
thus
remain
the
property
of
Lesotho.
They
could
one
day
be
returned
and
on
display
in
Maseru,
if
Lesotho
finally
creates
its
own
working
National
Museum,
a
project
which,
despite
there
having
been
a
paid
Museum
Director
and
other
staff
for
over
25
years,
has
still
not
been
brought
to
reality.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Statistical
Yearbook
was
annual
in
the
days
before
computers
facilitated
publication.
More
recently
its
appearance
has
been
sporadic,
with
the
only
volumes
in
the
1990s
until
recently
being
for
1992
and
1994.
The
alternate
year
sequence
was
maintained
by
the
appearance
in
July
2001
of
the
yearbook
for
1996,
in
which
the
introduction
apologizes
for
the
delay
and
says
that
work
on
the
1997
yearbook
is
ongoing
and
that
it
will
be
published
soon.
There
is
also
an
apology
that
despite
it
being
the
1996
yearbook,
much
of
the
information
pertains
to
1995.
Given
that
the
information
for
the
intervening
five
years
must
have
already
been
collected,
it
is
difficult
to
see
why
the
statistical
yearbook
is
so
late.
The
reason
which
is
given
is
that
the
staff
of
the
Bureau
were
kept
busy
by
the
1996
census.
If
so,
it
is
a
pity
that
the
quality
of
the
census
data
is
not
better.
Undercounting
which
could
not
be
reliably
estimated
has
resulted
in
a
1996
census
figure
which
is
of
little
worth,
and
creates
an
anomaly
by
which
the
yearbook
shows
a
steady
population
growth
from
1991
to
1995
followed
by
a
drop
from
2.08
million
people
in
1995
to
a
‘smoothed
population’
of
1.96
million
people
in
1996.
The
yearbook
is
divided
into
12
sections
which
provide
detailed
statistics
on
climate,
population,
education,
health,
tourism
and
migrant
labour,
agriculture,
foreign
trade,
national
accounts,
transport
and
communications,
money
and
banking,
price
indices
and
prisons.
One
of
the
largest
sections
is
on
agriculture
and
includes
surprisingly
detailed
data
in
some
areas.
For
example
four
pages
of
statistics
are
devoted
to
the
numbers
of
donkeys
recorded
for
the
1994/5
and
1995/6
agricultural
years
by
district
and
age
of
donkey.
Numbers
of
donkeys
born,
purchased,
died
from
disease,
slaughtered
or
died
from
other
causes
(what
could
these
be?)
are
recorded.
In
1995/6
Maseru
District
had
the
most
donkeys,
and
Qacha’s
Nek
District
the
least.
On
the
other
hand,
Berea
District
had
the
highest
donkey
birth
rate.
Like
the
human
statistics
from
the
1996
census,
the
donkey
statistics
have
many
anomalies.
In
1994/5,
Butha-Buthe
District
had
no
donkeys
born
at
all,
while
Leribe
District
next
door
had
700
donkey
births.
Yet
a
year
later
in
1995/6,
there
were
520
donkeys
in
Butha-Buthe
District
(145
male
and
375
female)
under
the
age
of
one
year.
Next
door
in
Leribe
District
there
were
500
donkeys
(375
male
and
125
female)
under
the
age
of
one
year.
Quite
apart
from
the
problem
of
where
the
donkey
foals
in
Butha-Buthe
came
from,
there
is
the
problem
of
the
strangely
different
donkey
sex-ratios
in
neighbouring
districts.
Since
the
yearbook
has
nothing
about
donkey
census
methodology,
one
has
only
the
statistics
themselves
as
evidence,
and
these
can
only
arouse
suspicions
as
to
whether
some
of
the
statistics
presented
were
ever
collected
at
all.
▲back
to top
Property
attached
as
a
result
of
a
High
Court
Judgment
against
the
former
Chief
Executive
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority,
Masupha
Sole,
was
advertised
in
full
page
newspaper
advertisements
in
July
prior
to
the
sale
on
1
September
2001
at
the
front
entrance
of
the
High
Court.
Amongst
items
being
sold
were
four
motor
vehicles
including
one
Mercedes
and
two
BMWs,
and
three
residential
properties,
one
of
which
at
Lower
Thetsane
has
five
bedrooms,
a
sauna
and
swimming
pool.
132
items
of
movable
property
were
listed
for
sale
ranging
from
4
colour
TV
sets
down
to
assorted
cutlery,
a
wheelbarrow
and
a
digging
fork.
▲back
to top
An
article
in
the
Central
Bank
of
Lesotho
Quarterly
Review
of
July
2001
noted
that
as
at
the
end
of
the
year
2000,
Lesotho’s
total
public
debt
was
at
the
level
of
153%
of
its
annual
export
earnings.
It
considered
that
Lesotho’s
debt
was
below
‘the
internationally
accepted
sustainability
limit
of
200%’,
unlike
that
of
Argentina,
which
in
a
recent
article
in
the
19
July
2001
issue
of
The
Economist
was
shown
to
have
a
total
debt
over
420%
of
exports,
leading
to
a
severe
financial
crisis.
The
CBL
Quarterly
Review
article
noted
that
Lesotho’s
debt
has
a
favourable
maturity
structure
and
is
not
expected
to
grow
to
unsustainable
levels.
▲back
to top
Roma
suffered
two
serious
road
accidents
a
week
apart
in
late
July
and
early
August.
About
9
p.m.
on
Saturday
28
July,
a
25-seater
Venture
bus
collided
head-on
with
a
4
x
4
vehicle
at
Lengoeleng,
1
km
on
the
Roma
side
of
the
Liphiring
Bridge.
The
bus
was
bringing
passengers
from
Maseru
to
Roma,
and
the
other
vehicle
had
just
left
the
Speakeasy
Bar
in
Roma.
At
least
5
persons
died
in
this
collision,
including
Paseka
Mafa
who
was
a
staff
member
in
the
University
Herbarium,
and
had
recently
completed
a
Master’s
Degree
in
Cape
Town.
Amongst
those
who
were
seriously
injured
was
Mrs
’Mantsane
Lelala
of
Tenhouse,
Roma,
who
received
injuries
from
which
she
later
died.
At
about
9
a.m.
on
Sunday
5
August,
there
was
a
second
serious
accident
at
Mangopeng,
Roma,
when
a
vehicle
carrying
nine
members
of
the
Mohoebi
family
of
Ha
Leutsoa
overturned,
after
running
off
the
road
and
hitting
a
cement
drainage
structure.
Three
members
died
as
a
result
of
the
accident,
including
Ntate
Mohoebi,
who
was
a
Zionist
bishop,
his
wife
’Matebello,
and
their
son-in-law,
Thabonyane
Motemekoane.
They
had
been
attending
a
weekend
(one
day
and
two
nights)
religious
ceremony
at
Roma.
All
six
other
members
of
the
family
were
injured,
although
within
a
week
all
but
two
had
been
discharged
from
hospital.
In
a
third
accident
four
people
died
and
eleven
were
seriously
injured
when
a
minibus
taxi
overturned
near
Peka
in
Leribe
District
on
the
evening
of
Sunday
August
12
2001.
▲back
to top
Tšolo
Lelala
and
his
wife
’Mantsane
had
a
narrow
escape
in
1986,
when
soldiers
came
to
their
house
and
abducted
them
together
with
their
guests,
’Manapo
and
Desmond
Sixishe
and
Vincent
Makhele
and
his
wife.
The
Sixishes
and
Makheles
were
murdered
shortly
afterwards
at
Bushmen’s
Pass
(Khalong-la-Baroa),
murders
for
which
a
military
officer
and
a
former
member
of
the
Council
of
Ministers,
Colonel
Joshua
Sekhobe
Letsie
are
still
serving
long
sentences.
The
Lelalas
escaped
in
the
darkness
while
the
soldiers
who
had
abducted
them
were
still
debating
as
to
whether
they
should
also
be
killed.
Desmond
Sixishe
and
Vincent
Makhele
had
been
cabinet
ministers
in
the
Basotho
National
Party
Government
overthrown
in
the
military
coup
in
January
1986.
Tšolo
Lelala
had
not
had
the
same
high
profile,
but
in
the
1998
Parliamentary
elections
he
was
one
of
two
rival
BNP
candidates
for
the
Maama
Constituency,
the
other
being
a
former
Captain
in
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police,
Pius
Leseteli
Malefane.
The
Maama
Constituency,
which
includes
Roma,
has
a
large
Catholic
population
which
in
the
past
regarded
the
BNP
as
its
party.
It
was
therefore
the
constituency
in
1998
which
the
BNP
would
have
been
most
likely
to
win.
However
the
dispute
as
to
who
might
be
the
candidate
was
not
resolved
by
the
closing
date
for
nominations,
and
as
a
result
there
was
no
BNP
candidate
in
Roma,
and
the
seat
was
held
by
the
sitting
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
Member
of
Parliament,
Thabiso
Melato.
In
the
early
hours
of
Friday
10
August
2001,
the
kitchen
and
living
room
areas
of
Tšolo
Lelala’s
house
at
Tenhouse,
Roma,
were
badly
damaged
by
an
explosion,
although
fortunately
no
members
of
the
family,
who
were
in
bedrooms
elsewhere
in
the
house,
were
injured.
Tšolo
Lelala’s
wife,
’Mantsane
Lelala,
a
teacher
at
St
Mary’s
High
School,
was
not
in
the
house
at
the
time,
because
she
had
been
seriously
injured
in
the
road
accident
at
Roma
on
28
July.
Tragedy
struck
Tšolo
Lelala
a
second
time
less
than
48
hours
later,
when
his
wife
died
from
her
injuries
in
hospital
at
Mapoteng.
There
was
no
immediate
information
about
who
had
planted
the
bomb
at
the
Lelala
house.
However,
it
was
noted
that
Lelala
was
again
an
aspirant
candidate
for
the
coming
General
Election
and
commanded
considerable
support
amongst
local
BNP
members.
Despite
this,
it
was
also
known
that
Pius
Malefane
was
the
favoured
candidate
for
the
Maama
Constituency
of
the
BNP
leader,
Major-General
Justin
Lekhanya.
▲back
to top
A
man
who
has
been
in
the
forefront
of
workers’
protests,
trade
union
leader
Macaefa
Billy,
is
the
leader
of
a
new
political
party,
the
Lesotho
Workers
Party,
which
was
registered
on
2
August
2001.
The
party’s
ten-strong
executive
includes
eight
women,
reflecting
the
large
role
that
women
play
as
workers
in
the
clothing
and
textile
sectors.
▲back
to top
Tracker
Network
is
a
South
African
company
which
fits
into
vehicles
small
radio
transponders,
which
can
be
located
in
any
one
of
a
number
of
different
hidden
places
in
the
vehicle.
In
the
event
of
the
vehicle
being
stolen,
the
Tracker
National
Control
Centre
in
South
Africa
sends
out
an
activation
signal
via
satellite
and
various
‘high
sites’
which
result
in
the
stolen
vehicle
emitting
an
inaudible
signal
which
can
be
picked
up
by
police
tracking
computers.
As
reported
by
Joe
Molefi
in
Public
Eye
of
10
August
2001,
in
South
Africa,
134
000
vehicles
are
fitted
with
the
system,
and
9
200
stolen
vehicles
fitted
with
the
system
have
been
recovered.
The
system
was
officially
extended
to
Lesotho
with
effect
from
August,
when
police
vehicles
were
fitted
with
transponders.
However,
Tracker
Network
said
that
they
had
already
recovered
six
cars
in
Lesotho
since
1996
with
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
assistance.
Apart
from
Lesotho,
the
system
was
also
expanded
to
Swaziland
in
2000.
▲back
to top
The
Minister
of
Tourism,
Sports
&
Culture,
Mr
Hlalele
Motaung,
resigned
after
the
government
vehicle
that
he
was
driving
hit
two
boys
aged
13
and
15
when
he
was
driving
along
the
straight
stretch
of
road
between
the
Phuthiatsana
Bridge
and
Teyateyaneng
on
Sunday
5
August
2001.
One
boy
died
on
the
spot
and
the
other
while
being
taken
to
hospital.
The
vehicle
rolled
and
the
Minister
and
his
passenger
were
also
injured
although
not
seriously.
Government
vehicles
are
not
supposed
to
be
used
for
private
purposes,
and
the
minister
shortly
after
the
accident
announced
his
resignation
which
took
effect
from
8
August
2001.
The
case
recalled
a
similar
one
on
Sunday
4
July
1999
when
the
then
Minister
of
Finance,
Dr
Leketekete
Ketso,
also
had
to
resign
when
he
was
driving
a
government
vehicle
at
a
weekend
and
this
was
also
involved
in
a
fatal
accident.
▲back
to top
A
small
Robinson
44
helicopter
carrying
two
South
Africans
who
were
attending
a
software
tendering
meeting
at
the
Central
Bank,
landed
in
the
nearby
Central
Park,
Maseru
on
Wednesday
morning,
8
August
2001.
The
occupants
had
apparently
already
landed
in
Ladybrand
and
travelled
to
the
Maseru
Border
Post
to
have
their
passports
stamped
before
flying
on
to
Maseru.
They
had
also
contacted
the
Control
Tower
at
Moshoeshoe
I
Airport
but
they
had
apparently
contravened
air
navigation
regulations
by
flying
into
Maseru
without
having
filed
a
flight
plan.
They
were
required
to
appear
before
the
Maseru
Magistrate,
where
the
pilot
was
found
guilty
and
fined
M1000,
half
of
which
was
suspended
for
a
year
on
condition
that
no
similar
offence
was
committed.
▲back
to top
A
novel
form
of
protest
against
the
length
of
bank
queues
has
made
its
début.
Although
Lesotho
Bank
had
promised
better
service
under
new
management,
queues
at
counters
seem
to
be
just
as
long
as
ever.
Customers
on
occasion
to
relieve
the
tedium
and
as
a
form
of
protest
have
recently
taken
to
singing
hymns.
It
is
perhaps
now
only
a
matter
of
time
before
relevant
words
will
be
composed
to
fit
the
delightful
four
part
harmony
of
the
hymns.
▲back
to top
The
most
senior
civil
servant
within
a
particular
ministry
was
at
Independence
termed
Permanent
Secretary,
reflecting
the
idea
that
while
governments
might
come
and
go,
the
civil
service
continued
to
exist
and
to
serve
whoever
might
be
elected
to
power.
This
idea
was
not
appreciated
during
the
regime
of
Leabua
Jonathan
who
politicized
appointments,
and
appointed
and
dismissed
Permanent
Secretaries
in
such
a
way
that
‘permanent’
became
a
misnomer.
The
heads
of
the
civil
service
within
the
ministries
were
as
a
result
restyled
Principal
Secretaries,
and
experience
showed
that
their
tenure
of
office
in
a
particular
office
was
usually
quite
short.
The
present
government
has
retained
the
system
of
rotating
Principal
Secretaries
and
indeed
they
only
receive
two
year
contracts
which
may
or
may
not
be
renewed.
On
Friday
10
August,
it
was
announced
that
a
number
of
changes
had
been
made,
indeed
it
seemed
more
as
if
a
game
of
musical
chairs
was
being
played
by
top
civil
servants,
particularly
since
several
of
the
principal
secretaries
in
question
had
been
in
their
present
posts
for
less
than
eighteen
months.
In
the
changes,
Tlohang
Sekhamane,
formerly
Permanent
Secretary
for
Education
became
the
new
Government
Secretary,
essentially
replacing
Kenneth
Mohlabi
Tsekoa,
who
was
now
Minister
of
Finance,
although
the
Principal
Secretary
for
the
Public
Service,
Semano
Sekatle
had
briefly
been
Acting
Government
Secretary.
Mr
J.
T.
Metsing
who
had
been
Principal
Secretary
for
Natural
Resources
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Home
Affairs;
Mr
B.
Leleka
who
had
been
Principal
Secretary
for
Public
Works
&
Transport
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Natural
Resources;
Mr
Monyane
Mathibeli
who
had
been
Principal
Secretary
for
Employment
and
Labour
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Public
Works
and
Transport;
Mr
P.
K.
Motholo,
who
had
been
briefly
Principal
Secretary
for
Environment,
Gender
&
Youth
Affairs
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Justice,
Human
Rights
and
Prisons;
Mrs
M.
Ramakoae
who
had
been
Principal
Secretary
for
Defence
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Communications;
Mr
E.
M.
Mohafa
who
had
been
Principal
Secretary
for
Home
Affairs
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Defence.
From
these
permutations
it
can
be
seen
that
the
Principal
Secretary
for
Communications,
Mr
Bore
Motsamai
and
the
Principal
Secretary
for
Justice,
Human
Rights
and
Prisons,
Mr
Ncholu
Ncholu,
both
lost
their
chairs
in
the
latest
round
of
the
game.
On
the
other
hand
it
is
musical
chairs
with
a
difference
because
the
number
of
chairs
is
not
changing
and
they
lost
their
chairs
because
new
persons
had
entered
the
game.
These
were
Mrs
M.
Malie
who
occupied
the
vacated
post
of
Principal
Secretary
of
Environment,
Gender
&
Youth
Affairs;
Mr
M.
C.
Moshapane
who
occupied
the
vacated
post
of
Principal
Secretary
for
Education;
and
Mr
M.
Mandoro
who
occupied
the
vacated
post
of
Principal
Secretary
for
Employment
and
Labour.
There
were
two
other
new
appointments
and
consequent
retirements
from
principal
secretaryships.
Mr
T.
Kitleli
replaced
Dr
Makhetha
Mosotho
as
Principal
Secretary
for
Health
and
Social
Welfare;
and
Mr
T.
Ramotšoari
became
Principal
Secretary
for
Development
Planning.
No
doubt
there
was
an
expectation
that
in
this
last
case
the
new
PS
might
ensure
that
the
country
might
at
last
have
a
Seventh
National
Development
Plan,
particularly
since
it
was
over
two
years
since
the
end
of
the
Lesotho
Sixth
National
Development
Plan
1996/7
-
1998/9.
The
Ministry
of
Development
Planning
under
its
previous
PS
had
not
delivered
the
goods,
the
more
so
because
the
Sixth
Plan
had
been
intended
to
be
a
rolling
plan,
i.e.
a
plan
to
be
superseded
by
a
new
plan
before
the
planning
period
had
expired.
However,
the
outgoing
principal
secretary,
Ms
Molelekeng
Rapolaki,
was
presumably
not
altogether
disappointed
with
her
move,
because
she
was
to
become
the
new
Lesotho
Ambassador
to
the
USA.
▲back
to top
The
National
University
Bursar,
Mr
Matsobane
Putsoa,
who
had
been
suspended
during
an
on-going
forensic
audit,
was
reinstated
on
Monday
13
August
2001
as
a
result
of
a
court
order
that
he
should
resume
duty
and
that
the
university
should
present
any
case
against
him
and
give
him
a
fair
hearing
within
24
hours.
Despite
this,
the
three
unions
representing
academic,
non-academic
and
senior
administrative
staff
mounted
a
joint
toyi-toyi
demonstration
on
the
day
of
his
reinstatement,
asking
that
he
be
excluded
from
the
university
pending
the
finalization
of
the
forensic
audit
report.
A
petition
was
received
by
the
Pro-Vice-Chancellor,
Dr
Nqosa
Mahao,
who
said
that
management
was
both
abiding
by
the
court
ruling
and
doing
its
best
to
ensure
that
the
forensic
audit
was
not
compromised.
Putsoa
and
the
Deputy
Bursar,
John
Sekoere,
had
been
suspended
by
the
university
some
six
months
earlier
when
the
forensic
audit
commenced.
▲back
to top
Voter
registration
began
on
Monday
13
August
and
was
expected
to
continue
until
Sunday
9
September
2001.
If
the
M130
million
being
spent
on
the
election
seemed
excessive,
it
was
at
least
beneficial
to
those
who
were
receiving
temporary
employment.
The
Independent
Electoral
Commission
was
employing
7
000
people
to
assist
with
voter
registration
and
a
further
200
voter
educators.
According
to
a
report
in
Southern
Star
of
3
August
2001,
registration
made
use
of
a
computerised
registration
form,
indelible
ink
to
prevent
double
registration
and
photographs
of
those
registered
to
be
attached
to
the
voters’
list.
All
eligible
voters
over
the
age
of
18
in
Lesotho
are
bound
by
law
to
register.
In
the
event
the
period
to
Sunday
9
September
proved
inadequate
and
registration
was
extended
for
three
further
weeks
to
Sunday
30
September
2001.
By
mid-September
the
Independent
Electoral
Commission
was
reporting
that
more
than
650000
voters
had
registered,
including
1740
prisoners
for
whom
special
registration
facilities
had
had
to
be
devised.
IEC
had
originally
set
a
registration
target
of
900000
voters.
▲back
to top
The
names
of
the
members
of
the
newly
formed
Urban
Boards
for
eight
of
Lesotho’s
towns
were
published
in
various
issues
of
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
in
August.
The
number
of
members
in
each
council
ranges
from
9
(in
the
case
of
Butha-Buthe)
to
13
in
the
case
of
most
of
the
other
towns.
The
Urban
Board
Act
1983
under
which
the
boards
have
been
appointed
was
an
Act
of
the
nominated
Interim
National
Assembly
during
the
Leabua
Jonathan
regime.
It
gave
the
minister
wide
powers
of
appointment
or
otherwise
choosing
urban
boards,
which
at
the
time
it
was
expected
would
be
used
to
appoint
persons
politically
acceptable
to
the
ruling
party.
However,
in
the
event,
the
government
of
the
time
chose
to
do
without
urban
councils
altogether,
and
there
was
no
local
government
anywhere
until
the
Maseru
City
Council
was
established
under
the
Urban
Board
Act
1983
during
the
period
of
military
rule.
Currently,
however,
this
Maseru
City
Council
no
longer
exists,
because
elections
were
not
held
when
the
term
of
the
last
council
expired.
The
Local
Government
Act
1996,
a
misnomer
because
it
was
actually
enacted
in
1997,
has
been
on
the
statute
book
as
dormant
legislation
for
the
past
four
years,
only
requiring
the
minister
to
bring
it
into
force
for
it
to
become
operational.
Unable
to
use
the
more
recent
and
more
appropriate
legislation,
staff
of
the
Ministry
of
Local
Government
experimented
with
the
creation
of
a
Semonkong
Urban
Board
during
the
year
2000
using
the
Urban
Board
Act
1983.
The
experiment
is
now
in
the
course
of
being
extended
to
Lesotho’s
other
proclaimed
urban
areas.
However,
if
the
Local
Government
Act
1996
is
brought
into
force,
the
various
urban
boards
now
being
created
will
disappear
overnight,
because
the
newer
act
once
in
force
repeals
the
older
legislation.
▲back
to top
The
High
Court
case
before
Mr
Justice
Brendan
Cullinan
in
which
Masupha
Sole
is
charged
with
sixteen
charges
of
bribery
and
fraud
had
originally
opened
on
Monday
11
June.
The
sources
of
the
alleged
bribes
were
from
a
list
of
high
profile
construction
and
engineering
firms.
The
case
resumed
in
mid-August
after
an
adjournment,
by
which
time
the
defence
attorney,
Mr
Hae
Phoofolo
had
been
joined
by
Mr
Sipho
Mdhluli,
a
former
Director
of
Public
Prosecutions.
Much
court
time
was
consumed
on
whether
Mr
Mdhluli
could
be
allowed
now
to
appear
for
the
defence,
given
that
he
had
appeared
for
the
Crown
when
Sole
had
been
first
charged
in
a
subordinate
court.
Justice
Cullinan
initially,
in
a
ruling
on
14
August,
allowed
Mdhluli
to
co-defend
Sole,
stating
that
the
right
of
an
accused
to
choose
his
own
legal
practitioner
should
take
precedence.
However,
after
Guido
Penzhorn,
prosecuting
attorney,
had
raised
extensive
objections,
Justice
Cullinan
on
24
September
rescinded
his
earlier
ruling
▲back
to top
A
newspaper
announcement,
dated
14
August
2001,
offered
rewards
to
anyone
who
can
provide
evidence
to
secure
the
conviction
of
persons
vandalising
or
stealing
Lesotho
Electricity
Corporation
property.
The
announcement
makes
reference
to
the
cutting
of
cables,
poles
and
lines.
Observers
of
the
peri-urban
landscape
of
Maseru
might
have
wondered
why
LEC
had
not
taken
steps
earlier
in
regard
to
dismantling
and
selling
for
scrap
its
redundant
lines.
Several
11
kV
electricity
lines
in
the
urban
periphery
had
long
been
redundant,
as
a
result
of
which
they
had
provided
self-employment
for
some
individuals
who
had
started
covertly
marketing
the
poles,
insulators
and
wire
for
scrap.
Around
Masianokeng,
for
example,
several
stretches
of
wire
between
poles
progressively
disappeared,
leaving
untidy
wires
hanging
from
the
poles
themselves.
Later
the
poles
also
disappeared
except
for
a
few
isolated
examples
located
in
residential
gardens.
In
this
matter,
thieves
were
following
the
lead
given
by
those
responsible
(perhaps
they
were
the
very
same
persons)
for
the
theft
of
telephone
wires.
These
thieves,
after
initial
small
forays
into
lines
made
redundant
by
fibre
optic
cables,
graduated
to
active
lines.
By
two
years
ago
they
had
already
stolen
the
whole
line
(and
later
they
stole
the
poles)
to
Thaba-Bosiu,
which
now
has
no
fixed
telephone
line
link.
Other
rural
lines
to
places
such
as
Pitseng
have
suffered
similar
loss
of
communication
links.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Unit
Trust
was
launched
by
the
new
Minister
of
Finance,
Mohlabi
Tsekoa,
on
Thursday
16
August
2001.
In
his
launching
speech
he
said
that
‘for
the
first
time
members
of
the
general
public
would
be
able
to
invest
their
savings
in
enterprises
that
have
the
potential
to
be
profitable’.
In
the
privatisation
process
government
had
retained
a
10%
to
30%
shareholding
in
companies
with
a
view
to
this
being
transferred
to
private
investors.
The
Lesotho
Unit
Trust
now
made
it
possible
for
citizens
of
Lesotho
to
purchase
shares
in
a
diversified
portfolio
which
consists
of
30%
Lesotho
privatised
industries,
30%
foreign
investments,
30%
Lesotho
and
South
African
gilts
and
treasury
bonds,
and
10%
money
markets.
The
daily
operations
of
the
unit
trust
are
being
carried
out
by
Standard
Bank
Lesotho
Unit
Management
(Proprietary)
Limited
in
which
Standard
Bank
(Lesotho)
has
a
51%
shareholding
and
PMB/Harley
and
Morris
(Lesotho)
has
a
49%
shareholding.
The
minimum
sum
required
to
invest
in
the
Lesotho
Unit
Trust
is
M500.
Unit
holders
are
exempted
from
paying
income
tax
during
the
first
five
years
following
the
establishment
of
Lesotho
Unit
Trust.
▲back
to top
A
well
known
resident
of
Roma
and
veteran
politician,
Phoka
Chaolana,
died
after
a
short
illness
on
18
August
2001.
Born
nearby
in
Mokhokhong
in
1932,
Chaolana
was
educated
in
Catholic
schools
in
Roma
and
Kimberley.
He
worked
in
South
Africa
from
1954
to
1958
and
it
was
during
that
time
in
1955
that
he
joined
the
Basutoland
African
Congress,
forerunner
of
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party.
In
1960
he
became
Chairman
of
the
BCP
for
Maseru
District.
He
was
a
staunch
supporter
of
Mohau
Mokitimi
(Meshu),
an
active
member
of
the
BCP
Youth
League.
In
a
confrontation
with
the
colonial
administration,
there
was
a
disturbance,
part
of
the
responsibility
for
which
was
attributed
to
him,
as
a
result
of
which
he
spent
two
years
in
gaol
from
1961
to
1963.
In
1965,
he
contested
the
Ha
Maama
Constituency
for
the
BCP,
a
difficult
task,
because
Ha
Maama
included
Roma,
a
Catholic
stronghold
which
strongly
supported
the
opposition
BNP,
even
though
a
few
BCP
members
like
himself,
were
also
Catholics.
In
1970,
Chaolana
stood
for
and
won
the
neighbouring
Koro-Koro
Constituency,
but
the
election
results
were
overtaken
by
a
coup
and
instead
of
ending
up
in
Parliament
he
ended
up
in
gaol.
He
did,
however,
become
a
parliamentarian
in
1973
when
he
was
one
of
the
BCP
members
who
accepted
nomination
to
the
Interim
National
Assembly.
Amongst
the
lures
was
an
American
offer
to
host
a
visit
by
an
all-party
group
of
MPs,
and
Chaolana
did
indeed
go
on
the
tour
to
the
USA.
Later
quarrels
with
the
BCP
led
to
his
being
a
co-founder
of
the
Hareeng
Basotho
Party
which
unsuccessfully
fought
the
1993
elections,
and
although
he
eventually
returned
to
the
BCP
fold,
it
was
to
a
party
by
now
divided
by
internal
divisions.
Phoka
Chaolana
had
business
interests
in
Roma
close
to
the
university
gate.
He
leaves
a
wife,
daughter-in-law
and
three
grandchildren.
His
only
son,
Sekoala,
died
in
1998.
▲back
to top
A
number
of
people
who
lost
their
houses
or
fields
to
the
Mohale
Dam
Project
were
resettled
some
two
years
ago
in
the
outer
Maseru
suburb
of
Makhoakhoeng
close
to
its
border
with
Ha
Matala.
Land
already
acquired
but
not
yet
developed
by
the
Lesotho
Housing
and
Land
Development
Corporation
was
transferred
in
turn
to
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority
who
built
a
small
compact
housing
estate
for
the
former
Mohale
residents,
who
named
it
Likalaneng
after
the
largest
centre
in
the
Mohale
catchment.
However
all
is
not
well
at
new
Likalaneng.
It
seems
that
the
boundary
at
that
point
between
the
Ha
Matala
and
Makhoakhoeng
local
jurisdictions
is
not
clear
(although
both
fall
under
the
Maseru
City
Council
and
the
Principal
Chief
of
Thaba-Bosiu),
and
the
people
who
originally
sold
(or
were
compensated
for)
their
mainly
fallow
fields
had
not
known
when
they
parted
with
their
land
that
there
was
the
prospect
of
a
presumed
more
lucrative
sale
to
the
LHDA.
Friction
has
resulted
in
the
newcomers
having
unanticipated
problems,
even
to
the
extent
of
being
prevented
from
burying
their
dead
in
the
local
village
cemetery.
A
letter
in
Moeletsi
oa
Basotho
of
26
August
2001
by
the
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs,
Motsoahae
Thomas
Thabane,
expanded
on
the
problems
at
Makhoakhoeng.
Tom
Thabane
is
himself
a
Lekhoakhoa
and
a
Makhoakhoeng
resident.
As
he
reported,
the
matter
had
come
to
a
head
when
the
long-term
residents
of
Makhoakhoeng
had
not
been
represented
at
a
recent
LHDA
Stakeholders
Conference.
Moreover,
following
cordial
discussions
which
had
been
proceeding
with
the
late
Chief
Executive
of
LHDA,
Makase
Marumo,
they
had
been
broken
off
by
his
successor,
the
Acting
Chief
Executive.
An
irony
of
the
situation
is
that
Makhoakhoeng
village
was
itself
founded
some
120
years
ago
by
persons
resettling
from
elsewhere.
The
Makhoakhoa
come
from
the
Mohokare
headwaters
east
of
Butha-Buthe,
which
is
still
their
heartland.
In
the
1870s,
however,
three
Makhoakhoa
brothers,
Letsoalo,
Nkhoakhoa
and
Boi,
were
engaged
in
a
profitable
wheat
export
business,
transporting
wheat
from
Butha-Buthe
to
Aliwal
North.
An
area
near
Masianokeng
was
used
as
a
staging
post
and
waggon
repair
depot,
and
they
sought
from
the
local
chief
Akime
Mapetla
permission
to
settle
in
his
area,
because
it
was
well
placed
on
the
trade
route
to
Aliwal
North,
and
thus
well
suited
as
a
site
for
managing
their
business.
They
also
named
their
new
village
after
the
place
they
had
come
from
(hence
the
name
Makhoakhoeng),
and
today
a
large
proportion
of
the
inhabitants
of
the
village
are
their
descendants.
▲back
to top
Three
men
aged
31,
37
and
38,
who
killed
a
Construction
Company
worker,
Peter
Groenewald
in
June
1997
were
in
August
2001
each
sentenced
to
35
years
in
gaol.
Groenewald
had
been
killed
after
his
car
had
been
hijacked.
The
car
had
subsequently
been
sold
to
a
Chinese,
Lin
Ming
Wren,
who
apparently
escaped
gaol
by
skipping
bail
and
fleeing
the
country.
Chief
Tšiu
Mopeli,
aged
65,
Chief
of
Ha
Paki,
the
village
which
includes
Mazenod
Mission,
was
sentenced
to
three
years
in
gaol
for
his
part
in
the
selling
of
Groenewald’s
vehicle.
▲back
to top
A
legal
notice
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
of
3
August
2001
provides
details
of
a
new
Hardship
Allowance
payable
to
civil
servants
including
teachers
serving
in
remote
areas
of
Lesotho.
Such
persons
irrespective
of
their
basic
salaries
are
being
paid
M275
extra
per
month
back
dated
to
1
April
2001.
The
Gazette
provides
a
list
of
the
remote
areas
stated
to
qualify
for
the
allowance,
and
while
this
includes
the
whole
of
Mokhotlong,
Thaba-Tseka
and
Qacha’s
Nek
Districts,
the
‘areas’
where
it
applies
in
other
districts
present
a
confused
list,
with
many
places
being
placed
in
the
wrong
districts,
or
even
the
same
place,
such
as
Semonkong,
being
placed
in
three
different
districts.
The
Teaching
Service
Department,
which
already
often
fails
to
pay
new
teachers
until
six
months
or
more
after
they
have
been
appointed,
will
no
doubt
have
some
justification
for
yet
further
delays,
since
the
new
regulation
will
be
difficult
to
apply
fairly
until
it
is
further
clarified
and
related
either
to
areas
delineated
on
maps
or
to
the
school
list
itself.
The
hardship
allowance
has
been
sought
by
teachers
for
a
long
time.
Arguments
in
favour
of
it
quoted
the
already
existing
‘Mokhotlong
Allowance’
which
had
been
enshrined
in
the
Public
Service
Regulations
from
colonial
days.
In
1969,
this
had
been
set
at
M6
to
M24
per
month
for
officers
serving
in
Mokhotlong
depending
on
whether
they
were
married
or
single
and
also
depending
on
whether
their
basic
salary
was
M124
or
above
per
month.
Allowing
for
inflation,
M275
per
month
in
2001
is
equivalent
to
M8
in
1969,
but
today
many
of
the
areas
designated
for
the
hardship
allowance
are
far
less
remote,
quite
a
number
of
them
even
having
tarred
roads.
On
the
other
hand
there
still
remain
over
200
schools
in
areas
which
cannot
be
reached
by
even
a
four-wheel
drive
vehicle.
▲back
to top
Newspapers,
always
on
the
lookout
for
news
stories
which
will
help
to
sell
more
copies,
at
the
end
of
August
gleefully
pounced
on
a
story
in
which
an
18-year
old
man,
Lehlohonolo
Khatha,
of
the
Maseru
suburb
of
Khubetsoana
Ha
Hlathe
was
on
the
afternoon
of
22
August
2001
caught
engaged
in
bestiality
with
a
black
pig,
the
property
of
Mrs
’Mamponeng
Monese.
According
to
a
report
in
Public
Eye
of
31
August
2001,
a
girl
working
near
the
pigsty
had
reported
‘a
man’s
head
bobbing
up
and
down
in
the
pigsty
and
making
movements
as
if
he
was
doing
push-ups’.
A
crowd
of
villagers
including
Mrs
Monese
chased
Lehlohonolo
Khatha
who
fled
to
his
house,
where
his
grandmother
closed
the
gate
on
them
and
would
not
let
them
in,
even
though
Mrs
Monese
told
her
that
her
grandson
had
just
raped
her
pig.
The
villagers
then
proceeded
to
the
chief,
who
put
pressure
on
the
grandmother
to
pay
for
the
pig,
which
Mrs
Monese
said
she
no
longer
wanted
to
keep.
The
pig
was
later
slaughtered
at
the
Chief’s
residence
and
eaten
by
the
villagers
in
a
braai.
Cases
of
bestiality
appear
to
have
become
commoner
in
recent
years
(or
perhaps
they
are
more
often
reported
in
the
press).
Those
who
are
accused
often
state
in
their
defence
that
they
are
afraid
to
have
relationships
with
women
because
they
might
thereby
contract
HIV/AIDS.
Sesotho
versions
of
the
pig
story
went
into
great
detail
and
in
one
newspaper
occupied
over
90
column
centimetres.
▲back
to top
Edward
Omotoso,
who
had
been
United
Nations
Development
Programme
Resident
Representative
in
Lesotho,
left
Lesotho
at
the
end
of
a
three
year
term
of
service
on
31
August
2001.
A
native
of
Nigeria,
he
had
arrived
in
Lesotho
at
a
turbulent
time
following
the
1998
elections,
and
played
a
major
role
in
hosting
negotiations
at
UN
House
between
political
parties.
The
Interim
Political
Authority
also
met
at
UN
House
during
its
first
two
months.
The
new
United
Nations
Resident
Coordinator
and
United
Nations
Development
Programme
Resident
Representative,
Mrs
Scholastica
Kimaryo,
arrived
in
Lesotho
to
assume
duty
on
19
September.
A
native
of
Tanzania,
Mrs
Kimaryo
hold
an
MSc
degree
in
Social
Policy
and
Planning
from
the
London
School
of
Economics.
Her
previous
UN
posting
had
been
in
Liberia.
▲back
to top
A
notice
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
of
3
August
2001
announced
that
Esslen
Motlatsi
Matekane
had
been
appointed
Governor
of
the
Central
Bank
of
Lesotho
for
a
period
of
5
years
with
effect
from
10
September
2001.
The
new
Governor
replaces
Stephen
Swaray
of
Sierra
Leone
who
had
been
Governor
since
the
retirement
of
Anthony
Mothae
Maruping,
the
first
Mosotho
to
hold
the
post.
▲back
to top
The
new
management
of
the
Lesotho
Electricity
Corporation
(LEC)
placed
advertisements
in
August
to
the
effect
that
all
existing
‘credit’
meters
were
to
be
exchanged
and
all
customers
in
future
would
have
to
use
prepayment
meters.
8834
meters
would
be
exchanged
without
cost
to
facilitate
the
change.
LEC
is
at
present
under
an
Interim
Management
Task
Force
to
improve
its
financial
and
operational
efficiency
prior
to
a
planned
privatization.
▲back
to top
The
newspaper
Mololi,
which
has
been
the
party
newspaper
ever
since
the
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
split
from
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party
in
1997,
during
August
appeared
to
be
increasingly
favouring
the
views
of
the
party
dissident
group,
commonly
known
as
Lesiba
and
apparently
led
by
Shakhane
Mokhehle.
Finally
with
the
issue
of
Wednesday
5
September
it
appeared
that
there
had
been
a
showdown
between
party
executive
and
newspaper,
with
the
5
September
issue
being
printed
in
Bloemfontein
(instead
of
at
Epic
Printers
in
Maseru)
and
containing
articles
hostile
to
the
party
leader,
the
Prime
Minister
Pakalitha
Mosisili.
▲back
to top
A
former
Military
Councillor,
Colonel
Sekhobe
Letsie,
was
released
from
gaol
on
12
September.
He
had
been
gaoled
for
his
part
in
protecting
those
involved
in
the
1986
murder
of
two
cabinet
ministers
and
their
wives
at
Khalong-la-Baroa
(Bushmen’s
Pass).
Originally
sent
to
prison
for
15
years,
he
earned
good
conduct
remission
and
was
released
after
10
years.
His
wife
died
while
he
was
in
gaol.
▲back
to top
Newspapers
in
mid-September
contained
details
of
insults
being
traded
between
Ministers
and
the
Government.
The
Foreign
Minister,
Tom
Thabane,
reacted
publicly
to
comments
by
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister,
Kelebone
Maope,
a
well-known
supporter
of
the
Lesiba
Faction
which
threatens
to
secede
from
Prime
Minister’s
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy.
According
to
The
Mirror
of
19
September
2001,
Maope
had
said
that
the
government
was
‘oppressive’.
Thabane
retaliated
in
a
press
briefing
that
the
Prime
Minister
(perhaps
ill-advisedly)
had
asked
him
to
host.
In
a
tirade
of
anti-Maope
remarks,
Thabane
referred
to
Maope’s
having
in
the
past
called
him
a
mandrax
dealer
and
a
spreader
of
unfounded
rumours
that
Thabane’s
Mercedes
Benz
was
a
stolen
vehicle.‘I
will
personally
welcome
his
resignation
with
open
arms’,
he
was
quoted
as
saying.
The
war
of
words
continued
on
Tuesday
18
September
2001
in
the
early
morning
phone-in
programme,
Seboping,
on
Radio
Lesotho,
when
both
Ministers
were
available
to
answer
questions
from
callers.
Maope
defended
his
right
to
criticize
the
government
when
it
did
not
perform
correctly.
When
one
caller,
who
identified
herself
as
’Mabashanyana,
brought
up
an
incident
from
Maope’s
past,
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister
lost
his
cool,
alleged
that
he
knew
that
she
was
really
the
wife
of
a
fellow
cabinet
minister,
Vova
Bulane,
and
said
that
although
on
one
occasion
he
had
beaten
up
a
woman
in
Roma,
it
was
because
she
was
of
loose
morals
(letekatsana).
This
particular
exchange
became
the
talk
of
the
country
for
the
rest
of
the
week,
and
confirmed
in
the
eyes
of
most
that
the
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
was
no
longer
a
single
political
party.
However,
despite
predictions
to
the
contrary,
there
was
no
formal
no
confidence
motion
in
Parliament
which
would
finally
announce
the
split.
However
at
the
end
of
the
month,
on
Friday
28
September
2001,
it
became
known
that
Kelebone
Maope
had
resigned
from
the
cabinet,
thus
setting
the
stage
for
a
new
party
to
emerge.
▲back
to top
The
story
of
the
hijacking
of
four
US
passenger
planes
and
their
subsequent
use
to
create
massive
destruction
in
the
United
States
was
carried
by
most
Lesotho
newspapers,
although
not
as
lead
stories
except
in
Leselinyana
la
Lesotho.
Also
reported
was
the
message
of
condolence
sent
by
the
Lesotho
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili
to
President
George
W.
Bush.
The
message
began
‘It
is
with
great
shock
and
sorrow
that
I
have
learnt
of
the
tragedy
that
has
befallen
the
people
of
the
United
States
of
America
with
the
loss
of
many
lives
...
as
a
result
of
inhuman
acts
perpetrated
by
the
enemies
of
the
United
States
of
America.’
It
went
on
to
state
that
Lesotho
‘remains
available
to
render
any
assistance
which
may
be
needed’.
▲back
to top
According
to
Moeletsi
oa
Basotho
of
23
September
2001,
eight
police
had
been
dismissed
from
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Services
for
serious
offences.
Two
sergeants
in
different
police
stations
had
been
dismissed
for
raping
women
prisoners,
one
lance-sergeant
had
been
found
in
possession
of
a
large
amount
of
marijuana,
two
troopers
had
been
found
in
possession
of
a
stolen
vehicle,
another
had
stolen
a
vehicle
and
two
others
from
the
Mohale
Police
Station
had
st | 
