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SUMMARY
OF
EVENTS
IN
LESOTHO
Volume
11,
Number
1, (First
Quarter 2004)
Summary
of
Events
is
a
quarterly
publication
compiled
and
published
by
Prof.
David
Ambrose
since
1993
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
in
Roma.
Death of Moeketsi Khali
Commissioner
of
Police
Gives
Crime
Statistics
for
2003
33%
of
Pregnant
Mothers
Tested
Found
to
be
HIV
Positive;
Antiretrovirals
now
Available
Lesotho
Telephone
Directory
Published
and
Criticized
Letsies
Score
over
Other
Names
in
Telephone
Directory
Ministry
of
Education
Book
Loan
Scheme
for
Form
A
Pupils
Suffers
Delays
Stock
Theft
Suspect
Shot
Dead
by
Police
Basotho
Robbed
in
Zimbabwe
Compensated
Secondary
and
High
School
Examination
Results
Published
British
High
Commission
Terminates
Passport
and
Visa
Services
Numbers
of
Basotho
Sponsored
to
Study
in
South
Africa
to
be
Reduced
LCD
Wins
Thaba-Putsoa
By-Election
Lesotho
to
Establish
Diplomatic
Mission
in
New
Delhi
Free
Border
Movement
Agreement
to
be
Ratified
Rental
Flats
to
be
Demolished
Nigerian
Academic
Killed
in
Maseru
Lesotho
Academy
of
Arts
in
Disarray
MP
for
Mokhotlong
Expelled
by
LCD
Demerging
of
Lesotho
Agricultural
College
and
NUL
Faculty
of
Agriculture
Completed
Public
Accounts
Committee
Submits
Report
to
National
Assembly
Mosotho
Coach
Takes
on
RSA
National
Team
Villagers
Burn
Alleged
Thief
MP
for
Mohobollo
Dies
Drought
is
Broken,
but
Too
Late
for
Most
Crops
Commissioner
of
Police
Jonas
Malewa
Retires
67-year
old
Man
Sentenced
to
10
Years
for
Bestiality
Budget
Speech
Makes
Provision
for
Monthly
Pensions
of
M150
for
Senior
Citizens
over
70
Justice
Ramodibedi
becomes
President
of
the
Court
of
Appeal
of
the
Seychelles
White
Report
on
Prisons
Tabled
in
Parliament
Fourth
Highlands
Water
Project
Bribery
Case
Settled
with
M10
million
Fine
BAC
Conference
backs
Dr
Khauhelo
Raditapole
as
Leader
Lesotho
Workers
Party
Split
by
Divisions
Prince
Harry
in
Lesotho
Lesotho
Knocked
Out
of
COSAFA
Castle
Cup
Chieftainess
Succeeds
Mother-in-Law
in
Leribe
Ward
TEBA
Appoints
First
Mosotho
Regional
Manager
National
University
of
Lesotho
Required
to
Pay
Gratuities
in
Lieu
of
Pensions
Lowlands
Water
Supply
Scheme
Feasibility
Study
Holds
Public
Consultation
National
University
Holds
Successful
Open
Day
&
Cultural
Festival
Lesotho
Sends
Members
to
Pan
African
Parliament
Letšeng
Mine
Fully
Operational
Official
Opening
of
Phase
1B
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project
German
Tourist
Shot
Dead
Inflation
in
Lesotho
Continues
to
Fall
Death
of
Albert
Brutsch,
Missionary
and
Missionary
Archivist
Industrialist
Peter
Mokheseng
Gunned
Down
in
his
Car
New
Edition
of
Historical
Dictionary
of
Lesotho
Published
Summer
Rainfall:
Three
Dry
Months
Followed
by
Three
Wet
Months
A
prominent
businessman
and
accountant,
Moeketsi
Khali,
died
on
Christmas
Day
at
the
age
of
63,
and
was
buried
in
Maseru
on
3
January
2004.
Moeketsi
Khali
was
born
at
Qanya
Ha
Motšelo
in
Qacha’s
Nek,
and
educated
at
schools
in
Qacha’s
Nek
District
and
at
the
then
Basutoland
High
School,
Maseru.
He
trained
in
accounting
in
Antigonish,
Nova
Scotia
and
in
Barking,
London,
where
he
qualified
as
a
Chartered
Accountant.
He
lectured
for
a
while
at
the
Civil
Service
Training
Centre
and
also
at
the
University
of
Botswana,
Lesotho
and
Swaziland
while
on
secondment
from
the
Treasury
in
Maseru.
From
1975
to
1979
he
was
Accountant-General.
In
1980
he
formed
his
own
firm
of
Khali
&
Partners
(Chartered
Accountants),
and
established
a
restaurant
in
New
Europa,
Maseru,
which
in
1986
was
extended
to
become
Khali
Hotel.
The
hotel
eventually
had
70
rooms,
3
conference
halls
and
3
committee
rooms.
Amongst
offices
that
he
held
were
the
President
of
the
Lesotho
Hotels
and
Hospitality
Association
and
Chairman
of
the
Regional
Tourist
Organisation
of
Southern
Africa
(RETOSA).
Khali
was
a
keen
ballroom
dancer
and
tennis
player.
As
reported
in
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
of
8
January
2004,
by
his
first
wife,
Nandi
Phatela,
he
had
three
daughters
and
a
son.
On
her
death
he
remarried
and
also
had
three
daughters
and
a
son
by
his
second
wife,
Betty
Ntsane.
▲back
to top
In
an
end
of
year
message,
as
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
2
January
2004,
the
Commissioner
of
Police,
Mr
Jonas
Malewa,
reported
that
in
2003
at
least
1091
people
in
Lesotho
died
in
shooting
incidents.
Of
these,
313
were
carried
out
by
unidentified
people.
Stock
theft
had
increased
with
18
479
animals
being
reported
stolen
of
which
only
8
514
had
been
recovered.
Armed
robbery
had
increased
during
the
year
with
507
incidents
compared
with
397
in
2002.
1115
cases
of
rape
had
been
reported
compared
with
897
the
previous
year.
Car
theft
had
also
increased
with
267
cars
stolen
compared
with
197
in
2002.
The
figures
have
to
be
regarded
as
tentative
because
the
message
by
the
Commissioner
of
Police
was
issued
before
the
year
had
ended.
In
a
separate
report
it
was
announced
that
deaths
in
road
accidents
in
2003
showed
a
slight
decrease
from
329
in
2002
to
321.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
22
January
2004,
396
out
of
1201
mothers
tested
for
HIV
status
in
Lesotho
hospitals
were
found
to
be
HIV
positive.
The
paper
quoted
the
Reproductive
Health
Manager,
’Mamosa
Tlopo,
who
said
that
of
these
396
women,
149
had
so
far
delivered,
but
despite
the
Prevention
of
Mother
to
Child
Transmission
Programme,
only
71
babies
had
received
nevirapine
treatment.
Nevirapine
is
a
drug
administered
to
mothers
and
babies
which
reduces
the
chances
of
an
HIV
positive
mother
infecting
her
child.
Public
Eye
of
30
January
2004
reported
on
a
three-day
workshop
on
HIV/AIDS
recently
held
in
Maseru,
at
which
one
of
the
principal
speakers
was
Dr
’Molotsi
Monyamane.
He
stated
that
the
cost
of
antiretroviral
drugs
in
Lesotho
has
come
down
from
some
M6
000
per
month
to
M300
per
month.
The
administration
of
such
drugs
depended
on
the
patient’s
HIV
status,
and
the
state
of
their
immune
system
which
required
a
CD
4
count.
At
present
the
only
machine
able
to
undertake
CD
4
counts
is
in
Maluti
Hospital
at
Mapoteng,
but
it
was
hoped
to
install
a
similar
machine
at
Queen
Elizabeth
II
Hospital
in
Maseru.
Persons
with
a
CD
4
count
below
200
should
be
allowed
to
take
antiretrovirals,
which
would
restore
their
count
to
normal
if
they
took
the
drugs
each
day
at
the
same
time.
▲back
to top
Fixed
line
telephones
in
Lesotho
are
controlled
by
the
privatized
company,
Telecom
Lesotho,
although
they
in
turn
commission
a
Pietermaritzburg
based
company,
Brabys,
to
produce
the
Lesotho
Telephone
Directory.
The
Lesotho
Telephone
Directory
2004
became
available
in
January
2004,
commendably
prompt,
but
unfortunately
with
many
defects
which
were
soon
spotted
by
users
and
ventilated
in
the
Radio
Lesotho
phone-in
programme,
Seboping.
The
2003
directory
had
already
become
less
user-friendly
because
the
font
size
had
been
reduced
by
two
points
since
2002
and
numbers
crammed
into
four
columns
instead
of
three.
This
was
at
a
time
when
cellphones
had
become
more
numerous
than
fixed
line
phones,
and
in
the
absence
of
a
cellphone
directory,
it
was
convenient
to
have
space
to
write
in
numbers
which
one
needed
to
refer
to.
Moreover,
the
directory
had
used
unfamiliar
abbreviations
for
Lesotho
towns,
such
as
MOK
for
Mohale’s
Hoek,
an
abbreviation
which
most
might
expect
to
stand
for
Mokhotlong.
Mokhotlong
in
fact
is
abbreviated
MQQ
in
the
new
directory,
while
Qacha’s
Nek,
which
could
reasonably
and
unambiguously
be
abbreviated
QN
is
in
fact
QSK.
In
2004,
the
directory
compilers
went
one
further
in
saving
space.
They
reduced
all
first
names
to
initials.
As
is
well
known,
approximately
50%
of
Sesotho
names
begin
with
M.
There
are
126
subscribers
with
the
surname
Letsie,
and
of
these
no
less
than
46
appear
as
M
Letsie,
while
there
are
also
another
19
with
names
ranging
from
MA
Letsie
to
MR
Letsie
(7
of
them
MM
Letsie).
If
you
want
to
phone
up
Makhobalo
Letsie
(who
does
not
have
a
postal
address
recorded
in
the
directory),
you
have
46
different
numbers
to
try.
However,
if
you
have
kept
your
2003
directory,
you
can
find
the
number
immediately.
The
directory
has
many
other
defects.
For
example,
it
retains
the
names
of
subscribers
long
since
deceased
or
otherwise
departed
from
Lesotho.
Moreover
its
system
of
alphabeticizing
names
is
erratic.
For
example
some
names
are
listed
under
titles
such
as
DR,
REV,
PROF.
There
are
also
several
entries
under
THE,
including
THE
REVEREND
MICHAEL
EDWIN
WORSHIP
AND
JANE
CATHRINE.
The
reverend
gentleman
(whose
name
was
Worsnip,
and
his
wife’s
name
Catherine)
in
fact
left
Lesotho
some
15
years
ago.
It
is
also
not
very
helpful
for
anyone
wanting
to
contact
the
Principal
of
Lesotho
High
School
to
have
to
find
him
under
THE
PRINCIPAL
Box
46
Msu.
Not
many
people
know
that
Lesotho
High
School’s
post
box
number
is
46,
but
even
if
you
did,
would
you
think
of
looking
under
THE?
Visitors
to
Lesotho
trying
to
use
the
directory
will
often
become
very
frustrated.
They
might
(although
it
is
not
standard
practice)
successfully
look
up
Palace
Hotel
under
THE
PALACE
HOTEL,
which
is
where
its
number
is
to
be
found.
But
what
about
Katse
Lodge,
the
hotel
overlooking
the
Katse
Reservoir?
Probably
not
one
in
a
hundred
directory
users
would
expect
to
find
its
number
under
FEDICS
FOOD
SERVICES
with
a
Butha-Buthe
address!
If
business
and
tourism
are
to
succeed
in
Lesotho,
the
country
deserves
a
better
service.
But
where
to
complain?
There
is
in
fact
a
statutory
LESOTHO
TELECOMS
REGULATORY
AUTHORITY,
a
name
which,
mirabile
dictu,
actually
appears
correctly
in
the
alphabetical
sequence.
However,
if
you
ring
the
number
you
are
bombarded
by
a
cacophony
of
electronic
noise
and
appear
to
be
speaking
to
a
computer
or
fax
machine.
The
LTRA
has
a
box
number,
so
one
can
of
course
write
a
letter
of
complaint.
However
experience,
indeed
a
written
complaint
about
the
shortcomings
of
the
2003
directory,
has
shown
that
such
letters
go
unanswered.
▲back
to top
One
interesting
feature
of
the
Lesotho
Telephone
Directory
2004
is
its
provision
of
raw
material
to
calculate
the
relative
frequency
of
surnames.
Lesotho
has
no
surname
Dlamini,
which
in
the
Swaziland
telephone
directory
constitutes
some
10%
of
all
entries.
In
the
case
of
Lesotho,
there
is
no
surname
constituting
even
1%
of
all
names.
Formal
surnames
in
Lesotho
are
a
recent
introduction,
so
that
most
people
bear
as
surnames
the
names
of
their
grandfather,
great-grandfather
or
a
more
distant
male
ascendant.
The
commonest
surnames
are
Letsie
with
126
entries
and
Molapo
with
106
entries,
names
which
reflect
descent
from
the
two
most
senior
sons
of
King
Moshoeshoe.
Both
Letsie
and
Molapo
had
numerous
wives,
producing
many
descendants,
although
in
some
cases
their
sons
themselves,
such
as
Lerotholi,
first
son
of
Letsie
(60
entries),
have
become
the
progenitors
of
common
surnames.
In
the
list
of
names,
Mohapi
(‘the
capturer’),
no
doubt
recording
valour
in
the
days
when
cattle
raiding
was
condoned,
is
a
non
clan-specific
name
and
is
the
third
most
common
surname
with
102
entries.
It
is
followed
by
the
further
Bakoena
names
Makhetha
(87)
and
Mohale
(also
87
entries).
Bakoena
surnames
in
fact
dominate,
and
the
first
unambiguously
non-Bakoena
surname
is
Makara
(84)
in
7th
place,
representing
descendants
of
the
Mofokeng
councillor
of
King
Moshoeshoe.
Other
typically
Bafokeng
names
are
Shale
(53),
15th
on
the
list,
followed
by
Matete
(50).
Bataung
come
further
down
the
list
with
Mokhele
(39),
Hlalele
(37)
and
Moletsane
(34),
although
no
doubt
some
Bataung
are
also
included
under
the
non
clan-specific
surname
Moeketsi
(61),
a
name
which
simply
means
‘an
addition’
(to
the
family).
Of
course
some
clans
are
concentrated
in
remote
areas
where
telephones
are
few
or
non-existent.
Thus
it
is
not
surprising
to
find
that
there
are
only
29
people
with
the
typical
Baphuthi
surname,
Moorosi;
and
only
16
with
the
typically
Batlokoa
surname,
Sekonyela.
A
child
may
be
born
at
a
time
of
grief
into
a
family
in
any
clan
and
given
the
name
Sello
which
has
86
entries,
making
it
6th
on
the
list.
Similarly,
a
child
may
be
born
into
a
family
in
any
clan
at
the
time
of
an
important
meeting,
and
this
accounts
for
the
common
surname
Pitso
(70
entries),
8th
on
the
list.
The
9th
place
on
the
list
is
occupied
by
Moshoeshoe
(65),
these
being
mainly
descendants
of
the
King’s
less
well-known
sons;
while
the
10th
place
is
occupied
by
Matsoso
(63),
the
son
of
King
Moshoeshoe
placed
at
Qoaling
in
the
suburbs
of
Maseru.
One
of
Matsoso’s
sons
was
Thamae
(61).
16
years
ago,
a
similar
count
of
surname
frequency
was
undertaken
in
the
Lesotho
Telephone
Directory
1988
and
published
in
the
magazine
Molepe.
This
showed
the
name
Molapo
with
46
entries
then
to
be
the
commonest.
Other
common
surnames
in
the
directory
in
descending
frequency
were
Makhetha
(26
entries),
Sello
(26),
Letsie
(25),
Mohale
(23),
Mohapi
(23),
Mohapeloa
(21),
and
Anwary
(20).
The
first
five
of
these
are
still
all
in
the
top
six.
However
Mohapeloa
now
has
just
23
entries,
while
Anwary
(including
business
premises)
has
22.
How
is
it
that
the
Letsies
have
overtaken
the
Molapos?
It
is
a
fairly
simple
procedure
to
change
one’s
surname
in
Lesotho
involving
the
payment
of
a
nominal
fee
and
having
the
old
and
new
names
published
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette.
In
the
early
years
after
Independence
the
Molapos
were
in
the
ascendant,
with
the
Prime
Minister,
Chief
Leabua
Jonathan
being
himself
a
grandson
of
Molapo.
However,
King
Moshoeshoe
II
had
relatives
on
the
Letsie
side,
some
of
whom
such
as
Sekhobe
Nako
and
Thaabe
Thaabe
had
become
high
ranking
army
officers.
He
personally
encouraged
them
to
adopt
the
surname
Letsie,
rather
than
use
the
surnames
which
they
were
using
which
were
derived
from
sons
of
Letsie.
When
the
military
coup
took
place
in
1986
and
King
Moshoeshoe
II
had
for
a
while
some
executive
power,
Colonel
Sekhobe
Letsie
and
Colonel
Thaabe
Letsie
became
members
of
the
Military
Council.
However,
those
who
changed
to
Letsie
might
well
now
be
wishing
that
they
had
not
done
so,
because
there
are
now
in
the
telephone
directory
five
names
S
Letsie,
and
7
names
T
Letsie.
Under
their
original
names
they
could
each
have
had
a
unique
entry.
▲back
to top
The
Ministry
of
Education
has
progressively
sponsored
free
education
for
primary
school
children
since
2000,
and
with
effect
from
January
2004,
the
first
five
classes,
Standards
1
to
5,
of
primary
school
will
be
without
school
fees,
leaving
just
Standards
6
and
7
where
pupils
pay
fees.
For
over
15
years,
with
World
Bank
Assistance,
the
Ministry
has
also
sponsored
free
textbooks
for
primary
school
children
delivered
through
the
School
Supply
Unit.
As
of
January
2004,
the
system
was
supposed
to
be
extended
to
children
in
Form
A
of
secondary
schools.
Books
were
to
be
provided
to
schools,
to
be
issued
to
pupils,
who
would
only
have
to
meet
the
cost
if
the
books
were
lost
or
damaged.
While
the
new
system
was
welcomed,
because
it
reduced
the
heavy
cost
of
secondary
schooling
to
parents,
it
got
off
to
a
slow
start.
Several
weeks
after
the
new
school
year
had
begun,
most
schools
had
still
not
received
their
books,
creating
a
crisis
for
the
Form
A
pupils
and
teachers.
▲back
to top
A
stock
theft
suspect,
Tekesele
Shai,
generally
known
as
Makhoathi,
died
on
the
morning
of
7
January
2004
at
his
home
at
Ha
Setenane
near
Ha
Mofoka
after
a
gun
battle
with
police
which
lasted
some
40
minutes.
His
wife,
’Mathabo,
was
injured
in
the
gun
battle,
and
an
arm
later
had
to
be
amputated.
The
whole
incident
gained
considerable
media
attention,
particularly
because
it
appeared
to
show
defects
in
the
judicial
system.
Makhoathi
had
been
out
on
bail
since
July
2003,
while
awaiting
trial
on
two
murder
charges.
He
had
failed
to
meet
the
bail
conditions
and
indeed
for
a
while
lived
in
South
Africa,
but
on
his
return
had
been
arrested
in
November
2003
for
contempt
of
court.
After
several
postponements,
the
contempt
of
court
case
had
been
set
down
for
the
High
Court
on
20
February
2004.
Meanwhile
Makhoathi’s
lawyer
had
appeared
on
31
December
2003
before
the
Chief
Magistrate,
Molefi
Makara,
attempting
to
obtain
bail
for
Makhoathi
again.
Following
this
hearing,
Makhoathi
had
apparently
been
released
as
a
result
of
a
misunderstanding.
▲back
to top
21
Basotho
who
had
been
on
a
study
tour
in
Zimbabwe
in
September
2003,
were
collectively
robbed
there
of
most
of
the
M12
000
allowance
which
each
had
been
given
by
the
Conserving
Biodiversity
Project.
As
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
9
January,
the
Minister
of
Tourism,
Environment
and
Culture,
arranged
for
them
to
each
get
M6
700
in
compensation,
the
estimated
amount
which
each
had
not
yet
spent.
A
handing
over
ceremony
was
held
early
in
January.
The
members
of
the
party
had
been
government
officials,
chiefs
and
community
members
from
villages
in
the
southern
districts
of
Lesotho.
▲back
to top
The
publishing
of
secondary
and
high
school
examination
results
are
now
annual
events
which
bring
large
numbers
of
people
to
Maseru
to
queue
for
the
pass
lists.
The
Junior
Certificate
results
were
published
on
Monday
19
January,
and
the
queue
to
purchase
a
copy
had
already
begun
to
form
well
before
daybreak.
When
the
office
of
the
Examinations
Council
of
Lesotho
opened
at
7.30
a.m.
to
sell
the
pass
list,
the
queue
had
snaked
round
the
corner
of
Constitution
Road,
where
the
office
is
situated,
and
down
past
the
post
office
and
Standard
Bank
as
far
as
the
Pioneer
Road
junction,
more
than
half
way
round
the
whole
block.
The
numbers
writing
Junior
Certificate
in
2003
were
13
146,
up
from
12
545
the
previous
year,
but
still
less
than
the
14
975
of
the
peak
year
of
2001.
9
635
of
the
candidates
received
a
certificate,
73.3%
of
those
writing
the
examination.
Of
the
larger
subjects,
the
performance
in
Sesotho
was
best
with
51%
of
candidates
getting
a
credit.
In
Mathematics
and
Science
only
9%
of
candidates
received
a
credit
in
each
case.
There
were
similar
scenes
in
Maseru
on
9
February
2004
when
the
Cambridge
Overseas
School
Certificate
results
were
published.
As
is
well
known,
the
Junior
Certificate
is
a
much
easier
examination
to
pass,
and
compared
with
the
73.3%
in
Junior
Certificate,
only
51.1%
of
candidates
(3666
out
of
7189)
received
a
first,
second
or
third
class
COSC
certificate.
This
was,
however,
the
best
performance
since
1972,
being
a
slight
improvement
on
the
2002
performance
when
50.8%
received
a
certificate.
235
(3.3%)
of
candidates
received
a
first
class
certificate;
1126
(15.7%)
a
second
class;
and
2305
(32.1%)
a
third
class
certificate,
numbers
which
closely
parallelled
those
of
the
previous
year.
Performance
was
very
different
in
the
various
school
subjects.
Whereas
48%
received
a
credit
in
Sesotho,
only
8%
of
all
writing
(including
those
rewriting,
778
candidates
in
all)
received
a
credit
in
Mathematics.
Similarly
only
8%
(909
candidates
in
all)
received
a
credit
in
English
Language.
This
represented
a
slight
improvement
in
English
performance
(up
from
7%)
and
a
decline
in
performance
in
Mathematics
(down
from
10%)
compared
with
the
previous
year.
The
performance
in
the
various
science
options
ranged
from
20%
credits
in
Biology
and
Chemistry
to
54%
in
Combined
Science.
The
best
performance
of
all
was
in
Food
and
Nutrition
where
84%
of
those
writing
the
examination
obtained
a
credit,
although
it
was
a
subject
only
taken
by
some
5%
of
all
candidates,
apparently
candidates
mainly
from
better
performing
schools.
School
performance
in
COSC
as
usual
was
extremely
variable.
Five
schools
achieved
100%
of
candidates
receiving
a
school
certificate
in
one
of
the
three
classes:
Leribe
English
Medium
High
School
in
Hlotse;
Mount
Tabor
High
School
in
Mafeteng
District;
St
Catherine’s
High
School
in
Maseru;
St
James
High
School
in
Mokhotlong
District;
and
St
Stephen’s
High
School
in
Mohale’s
Hoek.
At
the
other
end
of
the
scale,
there
were
four
schools
where
less
than
10%
of
candidates
managed
to
get
a
school
certificate;
Maseru
High
School;
Peka
High
School;
Qacha’s
Nek
High
School;
and
St
Theresa’s
Seminary
in
Roma.
Two
schools
which
were
formerly
high
performers,
namely
Machabeng
College
and
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
International
School,
no
longer
take
the
COSC.
Their
pupils
write
the
International
General
Certificate
in
Secondary
Education
(IGCSE)
instead.
▲back
to top
The
British
presence
in
Lesotho
has
progressively
diminished
since
Independence,
with
staff
reductions
at
the
British
High
Commission
so
that
by
January
2004,
there
were
just
two
UK-based
staff.
The
other
symbol
of
British
presence,
the
British
Council,
had
at
first
been
serviced
by
local
rather
than
UK-based
staff
and
then
finally
closed
in
June
2001.
Its
French
equivalent,
Alliance
Française,
however,
flourishes
in
Maseru,
French
influence
being
boosted
by
the
provision
since
early
in
2002
of
Radio
France
Internationale
broadcasts
in
English
and
French
relayed
on
VHF
from
a
local
transmitter.
Other
countries
with
a
significant
diplomatic
presence
in
Maseru
are
the
Peoples
Republic
of
China,
Ireland
(recently
upgraded
to
Embassy
status),
Libya,
South
Africa
and
the
United
States,
which
has
recently
increased
the
staff
complement
at
its
embassy.
Canada,
Denmark,
Germany,
Guinea
and
Sweden
are
represented
by
Honorary
Consuls.
In
January
2004,
the
British
High
Commission
suffered
a
further
reduction
in
its
UK-based
staff
by
the
axing
of
the
post
of
its
consular
officer,
Andrew
Osborne.
As
a
result,
the
High
Commission
announced
that
with
effect
from
26
January
2004,
it
was
no
longer
able
to
provide
the
service
of
renewing
UK-passports
for
British
subjects,
nor
the
issuing
of
visas
for
visiting
the
United
Kingdom.
Basotho
do
not
in
fact
need
visas
to
visit
the
UK,
although
they
do
need
work
permits
if
they
take
up
work
there,
as
a
number
of
nurses
have
done.
Most
of
the
visas,
some
150
a
year,
have
been
issued
to
Indian,
Nigerian
and
Ghanaian
citizens
working
in
Lesotho,
and
the
service
included
the
issuing
of
visas
for
some
other
countries
which
do
not
have
diplomatic
missions
in
Lesotho
and
were
represented
by
Britain.
Apparently
also
some
100
UK
passports,
mainly
renewals,
were
issued
per
year.
Botswana,
Swaziland,
Namibia
and
other
countries
in
southern
Africa
have
been
similarly
affected
by
British
expenditure
cuts,
which
are
popularly
believed
to
be
a
consequence
of
money
being
diverted
to
pay
for
the
war
in
Iraq.
Persons
resident
in
southern
Africa
must
now
use
the
British
High
Commission
in
Pretoria
for
passport
and
visa
services.
The
sudden
change
after
the
Iraq
War
from
an
expanding
to
a
contracting
British
presence
overseas
is
illustrated
by
the
British
presence
in
Bamako,
Mali.
A
new
embassy
was
established
there,
but
the
first
British
Ambassador
also
became
the
last,
because
expenditure
cuts
forced
it
to
close
soon
afterwards.
It
seems
that
the
demands
of
new
technology
and
new
anti-terrorist
measures
are
making
life
considerably
more
difficult
for
travellers.
Passports
could
be
issued
at
one
time
at
any
High
Commission
or
Embassy
with
the
necessary
stationery,
embossing
machine
and
typewriter.
Now
a
£100
000
computer
dedicated
to
passport
production
is
required,
and
when
in
2005,
new
passports
with
biometric
data
(finger
prints
and
a
digitally
enhanced
picture)
are
introduced
to
meet
United
States
requirements,
the
additional
further
cost
of
the
equipment
will
probably
result
in
an
increase
in
passport
and
visa
fees.
The
passports
will
have
to
be
issued
in
the
presence
of
the
applicants,
and
travellers
from
Lesotho
and
other
countries
neighbouring
South
Africa
will
first
have
to
surmount
the
hurdle
of
obtaining
a
South
African
visa
to
travel
to
Pretoria.
The
only
UK-based
staff
at
the
British
High
Commission
in
Maseru
are
now
the
High
Commissioner,
Frank
Martin
and
his
deputy,
Mark
Watchorn.
Rumours
that
the
High
Commission
might
be
closed
down
altogether
have
been
denied.
There
is
no
precedent
for
this
happening
in
a
Commonwealth
country.
However
the
progressive
reduction
of
the
British
presence
in
Lesotho
is
seen
by
many
as
ominous.
▲back
to top
The
high
cost
to
the
National
Manpower
Development
Secretariat
of
Basotho
studying
in
South
Africa
is
to
be
reduced
to
a
future
quota
of
just
500
students
a
year.
This
was
announced
in
a
statement
from
the
Minister
of
Finance
&
Development
Planning,
Dr
Timothy
Thahane,
on
21
January
2004.
The
500
new
students
would
be
sponsored
in
priority
areas
of
study
not
already
available
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho.
The
new
500
students
will
obtain
loan
bursaries
worth
M20
million
per
year,
and
will
join
the
3345
students
already
at
South
African
universities
costing
M130
million
per
year.
Overall,
NMDS
sponsors
students
both
in
Lesotho
and
abroad
at
all
levels
from
primary
to
postgraduate.
The
2003/4
financial
year
allocated
budget
is
M249.8
million.
Actual
expenditure
has
risen
very
rapidly
in
recent
years,
having
been
just
M80
million
in
2000/1,
M122
million
in
2001/2
and
M177
million
in
2002/3.
▲back
to top
The
by-election
in
the
mountain
constituency
of
Thaba-Putsoa
in
Maseru
District
on
24
January
2004
was
won
by
’Mamolili
Marupelo
of
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy.
She
polled
2605
of
the
votes,
being
79.1%
of
the
total.
Other
parties
contesting
the
election
were
the
Marematlou
Freedom
Party
(313
votes),
Popular
Front
for
Democracy
(303
votes),
Lesotho
Workers
Party
(41
votes)
and
the
United
Party
(33
votes).
None
of
the
largest
opposition
parties
in
Lesotho,
the
BNP,
NIP,
LPC,
BCP
and
BAC
(those
with
more
than
one
member
in
the
National
Assembly)
contested
the
by-election.
Mrs
Marupelo
replaces
the
late
Molefe
Mokuena
as
MP
for
Thaba-Putsoa.
▲back
to top
India’s
Republic
Day
falls
on
26
January
annually,
but
it
was
convenient
in
Lesotho
to
mark
it
by
an
all
day
festival
at
the
Maseru
Sun
Cabanas
Hotel
on
Sunday
25
January
2004.
At
the
well-attended
occasion,
there
was
song,
dance,
poetry
and
a
fancy
dress
parade
in
which
children
played
the
parts
of
Indian
patriots.
Those
attending
included
Lesotho
cabinet
ministers
and
the
Indian
Deputy
High
Commissioner
who
is
stationed
in
Pretoria.
A
large
number
of
Indians
working
in
Lesotho
also
attended,
including
members
of
the
Indian
Army
Training
Team
and
their
families,
and
also
Basotho
of
Indian
descent,
some
of
whom
had
trained
in
India.
It
was
announced
during
the
proceedings
that
Lesotho
will
shortly
establish
a
High
Commission
in
New
Delhi.
Meanwhile
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
in
the
field
of
small
trade
industries
was
signed
in
Maseru
on
22
January
by
the
Indian
High
Commissioner,
Mr
Shiv
Shankar
Mukherjee
and
the
Chief
Executive
of
Basotho
Enterprises
Development
Corporation
(BEDCO),
Mr
Phallang
Mokhesi.
The
agreement
is
intended
to
facilitate
exchange
of
skills
and
transfer
of
technology
between
the
countries.
▲back
to top
In
a
press
conference
on
Monday
26
January,
the
Minister
of
Home
Affairs,
Mr
TomThabane,
indicated
that
an
agreement
on
the
free
movement
of
persons
between
Lesotho
and
South
Africa
was
soon
to
be
ratified.
This
would
enable
citizens
from
both
countries
to
pass
through
border
posts
without
restrictions,
although
investors,
students
and
migrant
workers
would
still
need
appropriate
documentation.
The
free
movement
would
only
apply
to
tourists
from
each
country.
▲back
to top
A
row
of
nearly
completed
brick
houses
at
Lower
Thetsane,
apparently
intended
to
be
rented
to
Chinese
residents
at
the
Thetsane
Industrial
Estate,
was
erected
without
permission
from
the
Maseru
City
Council
and
has
to
be
demolished.
This
was
the
outcome
of
a
court
case
between
the
property
developer,
Sally
Moosa,
and
the
Maseru
City
Council
which
showed
that
the
flats
had
been
constructed
illegally
and
contrary
to
the
provisions
of
the
Maseru
Development
Plan.
▲back
to top
A
Nigerian
academic,
Dr
Joseph
Jegede,
was
killed
by
robbers
at
his
house
in
Hillsview,
Maseru,
on
the
evening
of
27
January
2004.
According
to
the
report
in
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
of
6
February
2004,
three
youths
who
apparently
knew
the
name
of
one
of
the
Jegedes’
employees
tricked
their
domestic
assistant,
’Mamasheane
Thejana,
into
letting
them
into
the
house
at
about
7
p.m.
They
then
tied
her
up,
and
demanded
money
or
to
know
where
they
could
find
keys
for
money
locked
away.
They
then
searched
the
bedroom.
When
Jegede
and
his
younger
brother
arrived
about
an
hour
later,
they
found
the
house
in
a
disorderly
state
and
the
thieves
still
searching.
Jegede
was
shot
dead
by
the
intruders
and
his
brother
had
a
narrow
escape.
Dr
Jegede,
an
educationalist
with
a
PhD
from
the
University
of
Ilorin
in
Nigeria,
arrived
in
Lesotho
some
ten
years
ago
and
was
Senior
Lecturer
in
the
Department
of
Educational
Foundations
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho.
Jegede
was
also
the
pastor
in
Lesotho
of
Deeper
Life
Ministries,
an
evangelical
Christian
church.
On
leaving
the
University,
he
established
a
bakery
at
Thabong
in
Maseru
and
also
worked
for
the
World
Food
Programme.
At
the
time
of
his
death,
he
was
said
to
be
employing
15
people
at
his
bakery,
and
according
to
the
report
in
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
it
was
suggested
by
his
brother
that
those
responsible
for
his
death
might
have
been
former
employees
sacked
because
of
theft.
The
police
were
pursuing
this
lead.
Mrs
Jegede
arrived
from
Nigeria
shortly
after
her
husband’s
death
and
only
learned
what
had
happened
after
her
arrival.
The
couple
have
four
children.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Academy
of
Arts
in
Maseru
has
buildings
which
are
precariously
situated
on
a
steep
slope
just
above
Maseru’s
inner
relief
road,
Mpilo
Boulevard.
Its
establishment
in
1991
(at
a
time
when
the
Relief
Road
route
was
apparently
not
generally
known)
was
at
the
initiative
of
Tšokolo
’Muso,
a
flamboyant
and
talented
musician
and
writer
(although
afflicted
with
logorrhoea),
who
persuaded
donors
to
fund
a
modest
institution
to
develop
talents
of
the
kind
not
catered
for
by
formal
education.
However,
as
is
well
known,
the
fees
deriving
from
provision
of
secondary
and
high
school
education
can
make
it
a
lucrative
operation,
and
it
appears
that
Tšokolo
’Muso
was
approached
by
a
Zambian
entrepreneur,
Francis
Ngoma,
in
2002,
who
deceived
him
into
believing
that
he
already
had
a
recognized
high
school,
Maseru
Technical
Institute.
He
was
prepared
to
undertake
a
joint
enterprise
with
’Muso
to
be
known
as
the
Lesotho
Academy
of
Arts
High
School
(LAAHS).
In
fact
neither
high
school
was
recognized
and
in
May
2003,
the
LAAHS,
as
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
29
January
2004,
had
been
ordered
to
close
by
the
Ministry
of
Education.
Despite
this,
as
of
January
2004,
LAAHS
apparently
still
had
students,
but
was
the
subject
of
an
open
dispute
between
’Muso
and
Ngoma
about
control
over
the
students,
the
finances,
the
buildings
and
the
furniture.
’Muso
locked
all
the
buildings,
preventing
Ngoma
from
operating
in
the
buildings,
but
Ngoma
then
obtained
a
court
order
on
29
January
2004
on
behalf
of
the
Maseru
Technical
Institute,
the
court
ruling
that
the
contract
between
MTI
and
LAA
had
been
terminated
due
to
breach
of
contract
by
the
Lesotho
Academy
of
Arts.
The
court
required
’Muso
to
allow
the
MTI
to
operate,
but
he
refused
to
open
any
of
the
buildings
unless
a
police
officer
was
present.
However,
on
12
February
2004,
the
buildings
were
opened
and
emptied
of
all
property
deemed
to
belong
to
the
school.
This
resulted
in
an
diatribe
by
Tšokolo
’Muso
denouncing
foreign
teachers
in
Lesotho
Today
of
26
February
2004.
Such
teachers,
he
alleged,
had
discovered
Lesotho
was
a
‘financial
paradise’
where
through
opening
schools
in
shacks,
calling
them
high
schools,
and
charging
exorbitant
fees,
they
could
in
effect
mine
gold.
▲back
to top
The
Member
of
Parliament
for
Mokhotlong,
Lehlohonolo
Tšehlana,
has
been
expelled
from
the
ruling
party,
the
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy.
According
to
Lesotho
Today
of
5
February
2004,
he
was
expelled
by
the
party’s
National
Executive
Committee
for
‘alleged
misconduct
against
the
Constitution
of
the
party’.
Mr
Tšehlana,
who
has
challenged
the
expulsion
in
court,
was
subsequently
ordered
by
the
Speaker
in
Parliament
to
move
from
his
seat
amongst
the
LCD
members.
He
remains
a
constituency
MP,
but
is
now
de
facto
an
Independent
Member
of
Parliament.
▲back
to top
In
a
notice
dated
2
February
2004
issued
by
the
Information
&
Public
Relations
Office
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
the
Vice
Chancellor,
Dr
T.
H.
Mothibe,
gave
details
of
the
demerging
of
the
Lesotho
Agricultural
College
(LAC)
and
the
University’s
School
of
Agriculture.
The
original
fusion
of
the
two
parallel
tertiary
agricultural
education
institutions
had
taken
place
following
the
signing
of
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
signed
by
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
and
National
University
of
Lesotho
on
18
May
2000.
However
a
letter
of
15
July
2003
from
government
required
the
demerging
of
the
institutions.
No
reasons
were
given,
although
there
was
considerable
speculation
on
the
matter
(see
Summary
of
Events
(3rd
Quarter
2003)).
Soon
after
the
demerger
was
announced,
the
Vice-Chancellor
had
addressed
the
School
of
Agriculture
staff
to
the
effect
that
he
had
been
reliably
informed
that
four
factors
had
probably
influenced
the
Cabinet
decision.
These
were
that
the
standard
and
quality
of
training
in
agriculture
was
not
meeting
Government
expectations
in
terms
of
academic
and
practical
aptitude;
the
cost
of
training
was
too
high;
the
farm
facilities
of
the
former
LAC
had
fallen
into
a
state
of
neglect
since
the
merger
and
the
farmland
had
remained
fallow;
and
NUL
was
said
to
have
allowed
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture
to
be
run
by
expatriates
to
the
detriment
of
the
college
programmes.
After
being
briefed
on
the
matter,
and
being
told
that
the
university
management
had
attempted
but
had
failed
to
discuss
the
matter
with
government,
the
University
Council
accepted
the
government
decision
and
formed
a
joint
task
force
to
work
out
the
modalities
of
the
demerger.
Meanwhile
a
government
decision
was
relayed
to
the
University
that
the
control
of
the
Maseru
and
Hlotse
campuses
of
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture
should
be
transferred
back
to
the
LAC
by
31
March
2004.
The
demerger
has
considerable
financial
implications,
because
LAC
staff
members
were
taken
on
by
NUL
on
an
enhanced
salary
scale.
The
task
force
has
recommended
that
the
Lesotho
Government
either
pay
separation
packages
to
the
NUL
staff
reverting
to
LAC
or
else
takes
over
the
contractual
obligations
of
NUL
staff
reverting
to
LAC
without
prejudice
to
their
benefits
under
NUL
employment.
There
are
also
implications
for
students
registered
for
NUL
qualifications.
Final
year
students,
even
though
they
will
complete
their
courses
after
the
formal
demerger,
will
have
their
qualifications
conferred
by
the
Senate
of
the
University.
These
include
diploma
and
certificate
students
in
Home
Economics,
General
Agriculture,
Forestry
and
Agricultural
Mechanization.
Other
students
are
deregistered
from
the
University.
As
a
result
of
the
demerger,
assets
and
equipment
held
by
both
parties
at
the
time
of
the
merger
return
to
the
original
owners.
The
University
has
now
lost
the
ownership
of
many
vehicles
including
commuter
buses
and
a
coaster.
Some
new
agricultural
equipment
bought
during
the
period
of
the
merger
has
been
transferred
to
the
Roma
Campus,
although
there
is
little
use
for
it
there.
The
notice
indicates
that
government
is
not
providing
for
the
relocation
costs
of
the
School
of
Agriculture.
At
the
time
of
the
merger,
the
School
of
Agriculture
was
known
as
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture,
but
under
NUL
transformation
proposals
(de
facto
implemented
but
not
yet
legally
gazetted),
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture
has
become
a
School
of
Agriculture
within
an
enlarged
Faculty
of
Sciences,
Applied
Sciences
and
Engineering.
Of
the
two
institutions,
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture
was
founded
at
NUL
in
1990,
while
the
Lesotho
Agricultural
College
was
established
much
earlier
in
1955.
With
the
return
of
the
Faculty
(School)
of
Agriculture
to
the
crowded
Roma
campus,
there
has
to
be
doubt
about
its
future.
The
Roma
Campus
has
minimal
facilities
for
teaching
practical
agriculture
within
its
90
hectares,
because
less
than
10
ha
are
available
for
agricultural
purposes.
Some
100
ha
land
to
the
north
of
the
campus
had
been
allocated
for
university
expansion
(but
never
enclosed)
when
Roma
was
declared
an
urban
area
in
1980.
However,
these
have
been
lost
because,
when
Roma
lost
its
urban
status
in
1986,
the
university
did
not
take
the
trouble
to
get
this
land
set
aside
under
the
Land
Act
1979
as
land
needed
in
the
public
interest
for
special
purposes.
The
land
has
now
been
largely
built
on
by
local
residents
including
university
staff,
the
buildings
including
many
malaene
rented
out
to
university
students
who
are
without
hostel
places.
In
comparison
with
the
University,
the
Lesotho
Agricultural
College
and
associated
Ministry
of
Agricultural
Research
Division
(formerly
the
Agricultural
Experimental
Station)
has
some
200
ha
of
land
available
for
research
and
teaching
purposes.
However,
it
may
lose
some
of
this
land
bordering
the
Mohokare
because
of
a
proposed
(although
seriously
environmentally
damaging)
urban
relief
road
along
the
banks
of
the
river.
The
LAC
and
Research
Division
have
for
a
long
time
used
the
river
as
a
source
for
irrigating
crops.
▲back
to top
In
February
2004,
the
Public
Accounts
Committee
submitted
a
report
to
the
National
Assembly,
the
Report
of
the
Public
Accounts
Committee
of
the
Sixth
Parliament
of
Lesotho
for
the
three
financial
years
1993/94-95/96.
The
report
is
dated
3
February
2004,
and
although
nearly
a
decade
late,
is
a
report
on
the
public
accounts
in
the
years
immediately
following
the
restoration
of
democracy
in
1993.
Lesotho’s
public
accounts
have
been
in
disarray
for
a
long
period,
although
the
present
government
has
attempted
to
restore
some
order.
However
it
has
been
an
uphill
task.
The
accounts
for
the
first
of
the
three
years
reported
on
were
submitted
to
the
Auditor-General
only
in
February
1999,
and
the
accounts
for
the
following
year
only
in
January
2000.
This
is
despite
a
statutory
requirement
for
the
Accountant-General
to
submit
the
annual
accounts
to
the
Principal
Secretary
of
Finance
not
later
than
six
months
after
the
end
of
each
financial
year.
In
short,
the
accounts
were
3
to
4
years
late.
No
doubt
the
preparation
of
the
accounts
was
not
helped
by
the
fact
that
the
Accountant-General
and
his
Deputy
were
themselves
implicated
in
serious
fraud
during
the
reporting
period
and
subsequently
sentenced
to
long
terms
in
prison.
After
the
accounts
had
reached
the
Auditor-General,
he
published
his
audit
report,
dated
July
2001.
This
report
documented
numerous
irregularities
and
examples
of
fraud
and
carries
the
audit
statement
that
‘due
to
the
seriousness
of
the
observations
raised
in
this
Report,
I
am
not
able
to
express
an
opinion
on
the
fairness
or
reasonableness
of
the
state
of
the
Public
Accounts
for
the
[three]
years
ended
31
March
1996’.
After
the
Auditor-General’s
Report
had
been
tabled
in
the
National
Assembly
it
was
referred
to
the
Public
Accounts
Committee,
which
resulted
in
the
Report
of
the
PAC
published
in
February.
The
members
of
the
Public
Accounts
Committee
included
Dr
Leketekete
Victor
Ketso
of
the
Lesotho
Peoples
Congress
as
Chairman
and
14
other
Members
of
Parliament.
The
Committee’s
method
of
procedure
was
largely
to
interview
Chief
Accounting
Officers
of
the
Ministries
where
financial
irregularities
were
noted
in
the
Auditor-General’s
Report.
A
long
list
of
financial
losses
and
failures
to
take
appropriate
action
is
listed
for
each
Ministry
with
a
total
disregard
of
Financial
Regulations
often
noted.
Wide
ranging
recommendations
include
the
need
for
Ministries
to
reconcile
accounts
on
a
monthly
basis;
the
development
by
the
Treasury
of
a
strategy
to
collect
non-tax
revenues
efficiently;
the
development
by
the
Treasury
of
a
system
to
warn
Ministries
which
are
about
to
overspend;
that
controls
should
exist
to
protect
public
funds
from
those
who
‘loan
themselves’
public
monies
against
the
law;
that
the
National
Assembly
should
establish
Portfolio
Committees
as
soon
as
possible
to
oversee
and
monitor
Government
Ministries/Departments;
that
the
Constitution
should
be
amended
to
make
the
Auditor-General
responsible
to
Parliament;
that
all
public
servants
must
upon
accession
to
public
office,
and
thereafter
every
year,
make
a
declaration
of
their
wealth
and
sources
thereof,
and
that
the
Government
should
establish
a
unit
similar
to
the
South
African
Scorpions
to
deal
with
cases
of
theft
and
fraud
at
national
level;
and
that
there
should
be
a
general
review
or
performance
appraisal
of
the
Public
Service
Commission,
courts,
police
investigations,
the
Director
of
Public
Prosecutions
Office
and
the
public
service
itself.
An
appendix
lists
22
pages
of
losses
and
cases
pending
with
courts,
the
police
and
the
Public
Service
Commission.
The
performance
appraisal
called
for
no
doubt
reflects
the
Public
Accounts
Committee’s
discovery
that
even
some
10
years
later,
money
embezzled
had
not
been
recovered
even
though
the
perpetrators
were
known,
and
legal
cases
or
disciplinary
actions
were
still
pending
in
large
numbers
of
cases
while
those
accused
were
still
suspended
or
in
some
cases
still
at
work
pending
the
outcome.
▲back
to top
After
a
dispute
with
the
national
coach,
Ephraim
‘Shakes’
Mashaba,
the
South
African
Football
Association
first
suspended
and
then
dismissed
him.
It
was
a
crucial
time,
because
the
South
African
National
Team,
Bafana
Bafana,
were
due
shortly
to
go
to
Tunisia
to
play
in
the
Africa
Cup
of
Nations.
In
place
of
Mashaba,
the
SAFA
appointed
April
‘Styles’
Phumo,
the
Lesotho
national
coach,
now
aged
63,
who
in
the
past
had
coached
South
African
teams
such
as
Bloemfontein
Celtic
and
Ria
Stars.
He
travelled
with
Bafana
Bafana
to
Tunisia,
but
hopes
that
he
could
inspire
Bafana
Bafana
to
glory
were
unfortunately
dashed
in
the
First
Round
of
the
cup,
when
the
team
was
knocked
out
of
the
tournament,
suffering
in
particular
a
devastating
4-0
defeat
by
the
Nigerian
national
team,
Super
Eagles.
▲back
to top
Incidents
in
which
villagers
take
the
law
into
their
own
hands
and
lynch
alleged
thieves
have
become
increasingly
common
in
recent
years.
In
the
latest
incident,
villagers
of
Mokhokhong
Ha
Matete
accused
a
25-year
old
man,
Polao
Taole,
from
the
same
village
of
stealing
their
property.
He
was
found
with
a
cellphone,
allegedly
stolen,
and
after
rough
handling
in
the
early
hours
of
Wednesday
4
February
revealed
a
place
in
a
rock
shelter
where
he
had
hidden
blankets
and
utensils
from
three
houses
in
the
village.
The
villagers
then
bound
him
up,
collected
firewood
and
set
him
alight.
He
was
not
the
first
member
of
his
family
to
be
killed
for
alleged
theft.
An
older
brother
had
been
similarly
extrajudicially
executed
not
far
from
the
same
village
when
accused
of
stock
theft
a
few
years
earlier.
After
the
incident,
Inspector
Teboho
Masaile
of
Roma
Police
Station
instituted
action
to
arrest
the
perpetrators.
However,
the
whole
village
then
walked
to
Roma
Police
Station
and
surrounded
it
saying
that
they
should
all
be
arrested
because
they
had
all
participated
in
the
incident.
They
were
no
doubt
aware
that
villagers
at
several
nearby
villages
had
participated
in
similar
incidents
and
similar
mass
marches
to
the
police
station
without
arrests
being
made.
Inspector
Masaile
was
quoted
in
Lesotho
Today
of
12
February
2004
as
saying
‘that
criminal
offences
of
this
nature
are
increasing
because
people
claim
that
they
are
tired
of
living
in
fear,
because
the
courts
of
law
are
slow
to
administer
justice’.
▲back
to top
At
the
official
opening
of
the
Sixth
Meeting
of
the
Sixth
Parliament
on
Friday
6
February,
the
Speaker
Ms
Ntlhoi
Motsamai
announced
the
sudden
passing
away
on
29
January
2004
of
the
Member
of
Parliament
for
the
Mohobollo
Constituency
in
the
Leribe
District,
Mr
Motsoantoeng
Morallana.
▲back
to top
The
severe
drought
conditions
of
October
to
December,
when
rainfall
was
far
below
average
for
three
consecutive
months,
were
broken
early
in
January,
which
in
most
parts
of
Lesotho
recorded
rains
well
above
average.
The
good
rains
continued
into
February.
Unfortunately,
the
rains
were
too
late
for
planting
crops
in
most
parts
of
the
Lowlands
of
Lesotho.
However,
farmers
who
had
already
sown
in
November
and
December,
in
many
cases
found
that
where
the
meagre
rains
of
those
months
had
kept
their
crops
alive,
they
revived
with
the
abundant
January
rains.
The
situation
was
very
varied
across
Lesotho,
being
better
in
the
northern
Lowlands
and
Foothills.
In
the
central
and
southern
Lowlands,
very
few
crops
other
than
beans,
which
can
be
planted
as
late
as
January,
could
be
expected
to
succeed.
The
National
University
of
Lesotho
Roma
Campus
delayed
its
opening
in
January
by
one
week
because
of
a
water
crisis.
The
missing
days
were
made
up
by
teaching
on
Saturdays.
Although
by
early
February
the
Lesotho
countryside
was
looking
lush
and
green,
the
many
fallow
fields
portended
a
humanitarian
crisis.
Anticipating
the
serious
situation
which
would
develop,
the
Prime
Minister
declared
a
State
of
Emergency
on
10
February
2004
specifically
in
relation
to
the
food
crisis.
▲back
to top
After
four
years
as
Commissioner
of
Police,
Jonas
Malewa,
retired
with
effect
from
10
February
2004.
He
had
reached
the
age
of
55,
which
has
remained,
since
colonial
times,
the
standard
retirement
age
for
civil
servants.
His
deputy,
Tšokolo
Shadrack
Koro,
is
now
Acting
Commissioner
of
Police.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
several
newspapers
in
February,
67-year
old
Nketjoane
Makhemeng
of
Ha
Sefuli
near
’Mantšebo
was
sentenced
by
the
Maseru
magistrate,
Lesimola
Moletsane,
to
10
years,
of
which
5
years
were
suspended,
after
being
found
guilty
of
indulging
in
sexual
intercourse
with
a
bitch.
According
to
evidence
given
in
court,
his
wife,
’Manthabiseng
aged
64,
caught
him
in
the
act
at
midnight,
and
threw
stones
at
him,
several
hitting
him
on
the
head.
He
fought
back,
but
neighbours
were
called
who
overpowered
him.
Police
arrested
him
the
following
day.
Lesotho
newspapers
have
covered
a
number
of
stories
of
bestiality
at
length
in
recent
months.
One
story,
to
which
much
newspaper
coverage
was
devoted,
concerned
a
man
at
Ha
Matala
in
the
suburbs
of
Maseru
who
had
intercourse
with
a
pig
after
which
the
sow
was
said
to
have
farrowed
a
piglet
with
partially
human
features.
The
story
gained
wide
circulation
in
January
2004,
even
though
scientists
and
doctors,
when
asked
for
opinions,
said
that
it
was
genetically
impossible
for
two
completely
different
species
to
produce
offspring.
The
lead
story
in
the
newspaper
Mosotho
of
23
January
2004
was
prefaced
by
the
headlines
Monna
o’a
photholeha:
o
fetola
nku
mosali
oa
boraro
(Man
acts
shamelessly;
he
turns
a
sheep
into
his
third
wife).
The
man
in
question,
Mosala
Kabi,
aged
55,
of
Lihaseng,
Thaba-Bosiu,
who
had
been
resettled
from
the
Mohale
Dam
area.
He
was
found
guilty
by
magistrate,
’Masekano
Mahamo,
of
bestiality
with
a
neighbour’s
sheep
and
was
sentenced
to
12
months
imprisonment
or
a
fine
of
M300.
According
to
the
article,
Inspector
Moferefere
Lelingoana
of
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
said
that
69
cases
of
bestiality
had
been
reported
in
the
year
2002-3.
The
commonest
perpetrators
were
herdboys
in
rural
areas,
who
most
frequently
abused
sheep,
goats
and
donkeys.
In
urban
areas,
the
crime
was
most
commonly
committed
by
drunkards
and
the
preferred
animals
were
pigs.
The
two
reported
cases
in
which
men
were
sentenced
seem
to
suggest
that
the
courts
lack
uniformity
in
punishment
for
bestiality.
▲back
to top
The
Minister
of
Finance,
Dr
Timothy
Thahane,
presented
the
annual
Budget
Speech
to
Parliament
on
16
February
2004
for
the
Fiscal
Year
which
runs
from
1
April
2004
to
31
March
2005.
In
reviewing
the
current
situation,
the
Minister
noted
that
Lesotho
was
now
the
largest
textile
exporter
to
the
USA
under
that
country’s
African
Growth
and
Opportunity
Act
and
that
the
textile
sector
was
now
the
largest
formal
employer
in
the
country.
However,
a
major
threat
to
the
industry
was
the
expiry
in
January
2005
of
the
Multi-Fibre
Agreement,
which
removes
AGOA
preferential
access
to
markets
and
would
mean
that
Lesotho
would
be
in
direct
competition
for
the
United
States
market
with
China,
India
and
Bangladesh.
It
was
therefore
urgent
that
the
Lesotho
Government
used
its
Least
Developed
Country
status
to
negotiate
new
markets
in
Australia,
Canada,
the
European
Union
and
Japan.
In
relation
to
HIV/AIDS
the
UN
Global
Fund
had
given
Lesotho
a
grant
of
$34
million,
to
be
spent
over
5
years,
for
HIV/AIDS
and
Tuberculosis.
A
drug
company,
Bristol
Meyer-Squibb,
was
working
with
the
Ministry
of
Health
&
Social
Welfare
to
establish
a
testing
and
counselling
clinic
and
was
also
providing
a
donation
of
antiretrovirals.
The
economy
was
estimated
to
have
grown
by
3.7%
in
2002,
but
was
projected
to
grow
by
only
3.4%
in
2003,
because
of
the
strong
loti/rand
which
reduced
the
profitability
of
the
textile
sector.
However,
projections
for
2004,
2005
and
2006
were
respectively
3.6%,
3.9%
and
4.0%.
The
2003/4
budget
had
anticipated
a
fiscal
deficit
of
5.2%
of
Gross
Domestic
Product,
although
this
was
fortunately
likely
to
be
reduced
to
3%
as
a
result
of
additional
revenue
raising
measures
and
expenditure
containment
strategies.
For
2004/5
a
budget
surplus
of
M251
million
or
2.7%
of
GDP
was
anticipated
and
would
be
used
to
repay
maturing
loans
and
treasury
bills.
It
was
made
possible
by
a
windfall
in
Southern
African
Customs
Union
revenue
as
a
result
of
adjustments
from
previous
years.
For
the
first
time,
it
was
proposed
that
old
people
aged
70
or
more
would
receive
a
pension
of
M150
per
month.
This
would
be
implemented
before
the
end
of
the
2004/5
fiscal
year
after
setting
up
administrative
arrangements
and
registering
those
qualified
to
receive
the
pension.
M45
million
was
being
set
aside
for
this
purpose.
In
relation
to
roads,
M280
million
was
set
aside
for
Public
Works
and
Transport,
much
of
it
for
a
project
to
upgrade
the
road
from
Likalaneng
to
Thaba-Tseka
to
bitumen
standard.
A
second
bitumen
road,
already
under
construction
from
Mpharane
to
Bela-Bela
in
Berea
District,
would
also
be
completed.
In
regard
to
domestic
water
sources,
the
project
to
raise
Maseru’s
storage
reservoir,
the
Maqalika
Dam,
by
1.5
metres
was
mentioned.
This
was
an
old
project,
in
preparation
for
which
those
living
in
the
proposed
additional
inundation
area
had
already
been
compensated
and
required
to
move
some
years
back.
When
the
raising
of
the
wall
had
not
actually
been
accomplished
on
schedule,
others
had
moved
back
into
the
inundation
area
and
were
now
also
wishing
to
be
compensated
with
consequential
long
court
cases.
Overall,
the
total
budget
allocation
was
M4337
million
for
2004/5
of
which
M483
million
would
be
financed
by
loans
and
grants
and
the
remaining
M3854
million
by
the
Lesotho
Government.
The
largest
share
would
go
to
the
Ministry
of
Education
and
Training,
21.7%
compared
with
19.5%
in
2003/4,
the
additional
allocation
meeting
particularly
the
escalating
costs
of
free
primary
education.
This
is
being
incrementally
implemented
a
year
at
a
time
so
that
this
calendar
year
all
classes
up
to
and
including
Standard
5
receive
free
education.
▲back
to top
The
first
Mosotho
judge
appointed
to
the
Lesotho
Court
of
Appeal,
Mr
Justice
Michael
Mathealira
Ramodibedi,
has
been
appointed
President
of
the
Court
of
Appeal
of
the
Seychelles.
It
was
announced
in
February
that
as
a
result
of
his
additional
commitments,
he
was
retiring
as
a
judge
of
the
Lesotho
High
Court,
a
parallel
position
which
he
had
still
held
despite
his
Lesotho
Court
of
Appeal
responsibilities.
▲back
to top
Amongst
action
taken
following
the
escape
on
7
August
2003
of
one
of
Lesotho’s
most
notorious
prisoners,
the
former
policeman
Phakiso
Molise,
was
the
appointment
on
1
October
2003
of
a
three
person
Commission
of
Inquiry
headed
by
a
South
African,
Mr
Justice
Colin
Stewart
White.
The
terms
of
reference
for
the
inquiry
included,
apart
from
the
circumstances
surrounding
Molise’s
escape,
a
review
of
the
management
and
administration
of
the
Lesotho
Prisons
Service
and
the
treatment
of
prisoners.
The
White
Commission
Report
was
tabled
before
Parliament
on
Tuesday
24
February
2004
by
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister
Lesao
Lehohla,
who
together
with
the
Prime
Minister
could
hardly
be
indifferent
to
its
extremely
critical
account
of
prison
conditions.
They
had
both,
after
all,
spent
several
months
in
the
Maseru
Central
Prison
in
1970
as
political
prisoners,
following
the
coup
of
January
1970,
when,
following
a
General
Election,
Lesotho’s
democratically
elected
government
had
been
overthrown,
by
what
should
have
been
the
outgoing
government.
As
quoted
in
Mopheme
of
2
March
2004,
the
Report
states
that
‘prisoners
are
housed
in
abysmally
dilapidated
prisons,
which
are
mostly
antiquated,
overcrowded
and
devoid
of
basic
maintenance’.
90
prisoners
had
died
in
the
Maseru
Central
prison
in
the
period
2001
to
2003,
and
overcrowding
was
undoubtedly
one
of
the
major
causes
of
the
increase
in
mortality
rates.
In
November
2003,
Maseru
Central
Prison
had
a
capacity
of
600
prisoners,
but
the
prison
population
was
1
066.
A
medical
doctor
visiting
prisoners
twice
a
week
had
reported
that
on
each
visit
at
least
20
of
those
who
reported
sick
were
suffering
from
malnutrition.
Most
of
the
money
allocated
to
the
Lesotho
Prison
Service
was
spent
on
salaries
and
the
amount
remaining
was
manifestly
not
enough
to
meet
the
requirements
for
food
and
facilities.
‘We
have
been
advised
that
the
Lesotho
Prison
Service
has
presently
run
out
of
funds
for
food.
We
fail
to
understand
how
the
staff
is
supposed
to
manage
and
administer
the
Lesotho
Prison
Service
if
there
are
no,
or
insufficient,
funds
for
food,
repairs,
projects
or
recreation....
We
recommend
that
the
allocation
of
further
funds
to
the
LPS
be
made
a
priority
of
the
Government
of
Lesotho.’
The
squalor
of
life
in
Lesotho’s
prisons
is
documented
in
detail
in
the
Report.
‘...
the
sanitation
facilities
[are]
conspicuous
by
their
absence;
no
water-borne
sanitation
-
whilst
in
their
cells
prisoners
must
defecate
and
urinate
into
buckets,
in
which
they
must
wash
themselves
and
their
clothes
during
the
day.
Despite
the
severe
winters
of
Lesotho,
there
are
no
hot
water
showers,
or
hot
water
in
which
they
can
wash
themselves....
No
workshops,
projects
or
recreational
facilities
are
provided
for
prisoners
due
to
lack
of
funds....
Prisoners
are
idle,
bored
and
dissatisfied,
and
due
to
the
conditions,
resigned
to
a
feeling
of
hopeless
despair.’
The
Report
found
that
the
Mafeteng,
Quthing,
Qacha’s
Nek
and
Mohale’s
Hoek
prisons
were
so
old
and
dilapidated
that
they
must
be
demolished
and
rebuilt.
‘The
Central,
Berea
and
Leribe
prisons
are
presently
uninhabitable
and
need
major
repairs
to
render
them
fit
for
human
habitation.
All
the
remaining
prisons
are
in
urgent
need
of
formal
maintenance.
A
new
maximum
security
prison
must
be
built
in
Maseru
to
relieve
the
pressure
and
overcrowding
in
the
Central
Prison.’
The
Commission
recommends
that
as
an
interim
measure
to
alleviate
overcrowding,
a
judicial
board
be
established
to
review
the
sentences
of
all
prisoners
and
to
recommend
who
can
be
granted
amnesty
without
serious
implications
to
themselves
or
members
of
the
public.
‘A
parliamentary
committee
must
be
constituted
to
visit
and
see
for
themselves
the
inhuman
conditions
prevailing
in
the
Central
Prison,
Maseru,
and
after
having
contrasted
them
with
the
conditions
in
the
Ladybrand
Prison,
to
move
for
an
immediate
increase
of
the
funds
allocated
to
the
Lesotho
Prison
Service.’
Overall,
the
LPS
controls
12
prisons
with
a
total
capacity
of
2
660,
but
in
fact
currently
housing
3
333
prisoners.
The
overcrowding
is
in
part
the
result
of
recent
legislation
which
has
prescribed
long
mandatory
sentences
for
stock
theft
and
sexual
offences.
Parliament
has
apparently
passed
this
legislation
without
making
provision
for
the
additional
prison
accommodation
needed.
Moreover
the
Lesotho
Prison
Service
seems
to
have
lost
its
once
innovative
and
successful
methods
of
improving
life
for
prisoners.
The
present
Maseru
Central
Prison
with
its
neat
sandstone
blocks,
was
built
entirely
by
prison
labour,
prisoners
in
the
process
acquiring
valuable
building
skills
of
value
to
them
after
release.
The
first
wing
of
the
Maseru
Central
Prison
was
completed
by
1949,
and
throughout
the
1950s,
successive
wings
were
added,
built
by
prisoners
living
in
the
wings
of
the
prison
already
completed.
By
1960,
they
had
constructed
what
was
at
the
time
Maseru’s
and
Lesotho’s
largest
single
building.
In
a
response
to
the
White
Commission
Report,
as
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
4
March
2004,
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister
indicated
that
the
government
was
responding
to
criticism
of
the
prison
system.
The
Ministry
of
Works
had
already
been
commissioned
to
provide
quotations
for
new
prisons
in
Maseru,
Quthing
and
Qacha’s
Nek
as
well
as
for
a
new
women’s
prison
in
Mohale’s
Hoek.
A
task
force
had
been
established
to
look
into
the
construction
of
a
new
Maseru
Central
Prison.
Measures
were
being
taken
to
address
the
problem
of
overcrowding
by
using
different
forms
of
punishment.
United
Kingdom
support
was
being
negotiated
to
improve
skills
training
for
prisoners
to
address
the
issue
of
idle,
bored
and
unhappy
prisoners.
Inadequate
bedding,
clothing
and
food
were
being
addressed
in
the
current
budget.
▲back
to top
In
October
2002,
the
Canadian
engineering
firm,
Acres
International,
has
been
fined
$2.2
million
(M22
million)
for
its
part
in
bribing
the
Chief
Executive
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority,
Masupha
Sole,
a
fine
which
was
eventually
reduced
to
M15
million
on
appeal.
Shortly
after
the
Acres
appeal,
a
second
company,
Lahmeyer
International,
was
found
guilty
on
seven
counts
of
having
bribed
Masupha
Sole
and
was
fined
R10
650
000.
In
a
third
related
case,
Jacobus
Michiel
du
Plooy
of
the
Italian
firm
Impregilo
was
found
guilty
of
bribery
on
17
September
2003,
and
sentenced
to
five
years
imprisonment
with
the
option
of
a
fine
of
M500
000.
A
fourth
case
was
settled
late
in
February
2004.
Schneider
Electric
SA,
which
has
inherited
the
assets
and
liabilities
of
the
French
company
Spie
Batignolles,
pleaded
guilty
to
16
counts
of
bribery
and
offered
to
pay
a
M10
million
fine.
The
offer
was
accepted.
According
to
the
report
in
Public
Eye
of
5
March
2004,
Schneider
Electric
employs
100
000
people
in
140
countries.
The
legal
representative,
Antoine
Tchekoff,
based
in
France,
was
quoted
as
saying
‘When
Spie
Batignolles
was
sold,
it
was
just
a
shell
company.
We
didn’t
know
there
were
crimes
attached
to
it.
Because
Schneider
today
is
the
leading
company
fighting
crime,
we
could
not
settle
this
matter
but
to
plead
guilty.’
Although
the
fines
may
seem
very
large,
so
far
totalling
over
M35
million,
they
do
little
to
remedy
the
extremely
damaging
financial
impact
to
Lesotho
that
resulted
from
bribery.
The
long
path
to
uncovering
corruption
began
after
the
meeting
when
sealed
tenders
were
to
be
opened
for
the
’Muela
Hydropower
Complex.
Some
of
those
tendering
protested
because
the
Chief
Executive
was
seen
to
have
more
envelopes
than
were
actually
opened.
This
led
to
a
management
audit
and
eventual
suspension
and
gaoling
of
the
Chief
Executive,
Masupha
Sole.
It
also
led
to
delays
in
the
construction
of
the
’Muela
power
station,
resulting
in
a
M40
million
bypass
having
to
be
constructed
so
that
South
Africa
could
receive
its
water
from
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project
on
time.
Worse
still,
when
rumours
of
corruption
became
generally
known,
the
international
bodies
granting
concessionary
loans
distanced
themselves
from
the
hydropower
component,
the
only
one
which
Lesotho
was
funding.
In
order
for
it
to
go
ahead,
commercial
loans
had
to
be
taken
out
at
much
higher
interest
rates.
The
total
cost
to
Lesotho
of
the
Chief
Executive’s
accepting
bribes
was
at
least
of
the
order
of
M300
million.
The
’Muela
Hydropower
Project
had
originally
been
planned
to
provide
Lesotho
with
cheap
electricity,
but
ultimately
the
electricity
became
more
costly
than
electricity
bought
from
ESKOM.
The
Lesotho
Government
had
to
inject
several
hundred
million
Maloti
into
the
project
so
that
the
Lesotho
Electricity
Corporation
would
in
fact
buy
’Muela
rather
than
ESKOM
power
supplies,
and
this
led
to
large
extraordinary
budget
items
in
the
1999/2000
and
2000/1
budgets
for
debt
servicing
and
special
financial
allocations.
▲back
to top
A
bitterly
fought
struggle
between
the
former
Basutoland
African
Congress
leader,
Molapo
Qhobela,
and
his
former
deputy
leader,
Dr
Khauhelo
Deborah
Raditapole,
was
settled
at
the
party’s
annual
conference
attended
by
some
300
delegates
on
Saturday
28
February
2004.
The
party
confirmed
Dr
Raditapole
as
party
leader.
She
had
been
interim
leader
since
Qhobela
had
been
suspended
on
15
November
2003.
Qhobela
made
an
urgent
application
to
the
High
Court
to
have
his
expulsion
as
leader
overturned
on
the
grounds
that
the
annual
conference
had
not
been
properly
constituted.
This
was
however
rejected
by
Justice
Ntšabeng
Mofolo
on
Tuesday
2
March
2004
after
a
hearing
of
less
than
5
minutes.
The
new
Executive
Committee
of
the
BAC
includes
Dr
Raditapole
as
Leader;
Deputy
Leader,
Paanya
Phoofolo;
Chairperson,
Hape
Tsakatsi;
Deputy
Chairperson,
Khachane
Sekutu;
Secretary-General,
Hilda
Chakela;
Deputy
Secretary-General,
Moeketsi
Phalatsi;
and
Treasurer-General,
Dr
Molefi
Thelejane.
Despite
his
defeat
by
the
party
and
the
High
Court,
Molapo
Qhobela
went
ahead
with
his
own
planned
annual
conference
the
following
weekend.
Predictably,
the
Qhobela
group
suspended
Dr
Raditapole,
and
elected
its
own
Executive
which
includes
Molapo
Qhobela
as
Leader;
Deputy
Leader,
G.
M.
Kolisang;
Chairman,
Khotsang
Moshoeshoe;
Deputy
Chairman,
Tonane
Letaka;
Secretary-General,
Tsie
Pekeche;
Deputy
Secretary-General,
Tokonye
Kotelo;
and
Treasurer,
Peo
Moejane;
and
Publicity
Secretary,
Nkhetse
Monyalotsa.
This
is
the
third
time
that
Molapo
Qhobela
has
led
a
party
split.
He
was
the
leader
of
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party
when
the
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
split
and
managed
to
retain
a
parliamentary
majority.
Later
the
BCP
split,
with
the
courts
ruling
in
favour
of
Tšeliso
Makhakhe’s
faction
as
the
legal
BCP.
This
led
to
the
formation
of
the
Basutoland
African
Congress,
the
name
which
the
BCP
had
had
long
ago
before
it
reconstituted
itself
as
a
party
to
fight
the
1960
Elections.
It
is
not
clear
what
name
the
Qhobela
faction
will
now
choose.
The
historical
BAC
did
in
fact
have
a
predecessor,
the
Lekhotla
la
Bafo
or
Commoners’
League,
which
few
people
now
alive
will
remember.
Perhaps
it
may
be
revived?
From
the
point
of
view
of
Parliament,
three
members
of
the
Basutoland
African
Congress
are
members
under
the
proportional
representation
rules.
They
are
Molapo
Qhobela,
Khauhelo
Deborah
Raditapole
and
Hape
Tsakatsi.
Two
are
members
of
the
legally
recognized
BAC,
and
Molapo
Qhobela
also
remains
a
Member
of
Parliament
representing
the
BAC
unless
or
until
he
resigns
from
or
is
expelled
from
the
party.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Workers
Party,
like
the
BAC,
also
has
a
major
split
in
its
leadership.
It
is
represented
by
a
single
Member
of
Parliament,
Billy
Macaefa,
but
at
a
press
conference
early
in
February,
as
reported
in
The
Mirror
of
18
February
2004,
his
fellow
party
members
called
him
a
thief
and
stated
that
they
had
notified
the
Speaker
of
the
National
Assembly
that
they
had
suspended
him
from
party
affairs
including
representing
the
party
in
Parliament.
Amongst
those
at
the
press
conference
were
the
General
Secretary,
Mateketoa
Makoa;
the
Deputy
Leader,
’Matšepo
Lehlokoane;
and
the
party’s
publicist,
Thabo
Nyamane
Thelingoane.
Those
present
at
the
press
conference
said
that
’Matšepo
Lehlokoane
should
be
representing
the
party
in
Parliament.
(In
the
General
Election
she
had
polled
better
than
any
other
LWP
candidate,
coming
third
in
the
poll
in
the
Maputsoe
Constituency
with
1023
votes,
13.4%
of
votes
cast.)
The
divisions
in
fact
go
back
some
time,
and
are
closely
related
to
a
bitter
dispute
over
control
of
workers’
unions
between
Macaefa
and
Daniel
Maraisane.
In
May
2003,
Billy
Macaefa
formed
his
own
Factory
Workers
Union
(FAWU),
with
himself
as
Secretary-General,
following
a
power
struggle
in
the
Lesotho
Clothing
and
Allied
Workers
Union
(LECAWU)
between
Macaefa
and
the
Secretary-General,
Daniel
Maraisane.
As
reported
in
The
Mirror
of
25
February
2004,
Billy
Macaefa
was
supposed
to
have
appeared
before
a
LWP
disciplinary
hearing
on
Sunday
22
February.
However,
Macaefa
turned
up
at
the
hearing
with
a
throng
of
FAWU
members
in
yellow
t-shirts,
and
LWP
members
supposed
to
be
holding
the
hearing
disappeared
from
the
scene,
fearing
violence
against
them.
Some
violence
did
in
fact
occur
four
days
later,
according
to
The
Mirror
of
3
March
2004.
Party
publicist,
Thabo
Nyamane
Thelingoane,
was
then
forcefully
ejected
from
the
LWP
office
in
the
Manonyane
Centre
on
Thursday
26
February
by
supporters
of
Macaefa.
Thelingoane
was
not
seriously
hurt,
but
he
reported
the
assault
on
him
to
the
police.
As
with
the
BAC,
and
as
reported
in
Mohahlaula
of
3
March
2004,
Macaefa
held
his
own
conference
and
a
parallel
set
of
officers
was
appointed
including
Deputy
Leader,
Bernard
Tseko
Kapa;
General-Secretary,
Paul
Qhasho;
Party
Chairman,
Litaba
Ntaote;
and
Publicity
Secretary,
Seabata
Malibeng.
▲back
to top
The
19-year
old
Prince
Harry,
second
son
of
Britain’s
Prince
Charles
and
the
late
Princess
Diana,
arrived
in
Lesotho
in
February
for
an
eight-week
stay
in
Lesotho.
Although
the
purpose
of
his
visit
was
billed
to
do
charity
work
with
HIV/AIDS
sufferers
and
other
vulnerable
people,
he
had
plenty
of
time
also
to
go
sightseeing.
Throughout
his
time
in
Lesotho
he
was
accompanied
by
a
British
friend,
George
Hill,
and
two
Scotland
Yard
security
officers.
During
his
time
in
Lesotho,
accompanied
by
the
King’s
brother,
Chief
Seeiso
Seeiso,
Prince
Harry
visited
rock
paintings
at
the
Liphofung
Nature
Reserve;
stayed
at
Oxbow
Lodge;
was
the
guest
of
Principal
Chief
Mathealira
Seeiso
at
Mokhotlong;
and
also
stayed
at
the
Mountaineers’
Chalet
at
Sani
Top,
although
the
weather
was
too
wet
for
a
planned
trip
to
the
summit
of
Thabana-Ntlenyana.
Other
trips
were
to
the
’Maletsunyane
Falls
at
Semonkong
and
to
Katse
and
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project.
Between
such
sightseeing,
he
had
visits
to
the
Kananelo
Centre
for
mentally
handicapped,
deaf
and
mute
children
at
Qalaheng,
and
Mazenod
Counselling
Centre.
Journalists
were
asked
to
avoid
harassing
Prince
Harry,
whose
previous
experience
as
a
‘jackaroo’
on
an
Australian
sheep
station
had
been
subject
to
unwelcome
press
intrusion.
However,
as
a
concession,
one
day
of
Prince
Harry’s
time
in
Lesotho
was
made
a
public
occasion
at
which
the
press
was
welcomed.
On
the
day
in
question,
he
was
working
at
’Mantšase
Orphanage,
a
remote
and
struggling
institution
of
the
Anglican
Church
in
the
Taung
Ward
of
Mohale’s
Hoek
District.
The
press
was
able
to
see
and
photograph
Harry
helping
to
fence
the
site
and
also
planting
a
peach
tree.
Prince
Harry,
who
completed
formal
schooling
at
Eton
College
last
year,
is
undertaking
a
gap
year,
after
which
he
is
reported
to
be
considering
entering
the
British
Military
Academy
at
Sandhurst.
In
the
keenly
contested
COSAFA
Castle
Cup,
an
annual
competition
for
national
soccer
teams
of
southern
Africa,
Lesotho’s
national
team,
Likuena,
met
the
Botswana
Zebras
at
Setsoto
Stadium
in
Maseru
on
Sunday
29
February
2004.
Even
after
extra
time
the
score
was
0
-
0.
In
the
ensuing
penalty
shootout,
Botswana
won
by
the
narrowest
of
margins,
11-10.
The
Zebras
proceeded
to
the
quarter
finals,
and
Lesotho
was
left
hoping
to
have
better
luck
next
year.
▲back
to top
Chieftainess
’Mamosa
Molapo
Bolokoe
was
sworn
in
as
a
new
Senator
on
Thursday
4
March
2004.
She
succeeds
her
mother-in-law,
Chieftainess
’Mamolapo
Bolokoe,
who
had
been
Acting
Principal
Chief
and
Senator
since
1986,
because
her
husband,
Chief
Bolokoe
Motšoene
had
been
ill
for
many
years.
He
died
in
July
2002.
Succession
of
one
Chieftainess
by
another
is
a
rare
event,
but
in
this
case
was
inevitable
because
Chief
Bolokoe’s
eldest
son,
Molapo,
died
in
April
2003,
leaving
his
widow
’Mamosa
to
succeed
him.
The
new
Senator
is
the
youngest
member
of
the
upper
house.
She
was
born
in
1984
and
is
the
daughter
of
the
late
Mr
Seabata
and
Mrs
’Mamoshoeshoe
Lekhanya
of
Mathokoane
in
Leribe
District.
The
Leribe
Ward
is
one
of
two
wards
in
Leribe
District
(the
other
is
Tsikoane)
and
extends
into
the
Maloti
to
include
part
of
the
area
of
the
Katse
Reservoir.
▲back
to top
TEBA
is
an
acronym
for
‘The
Employment
Bureau
of
Africa’,
although
the
name
resonates
with
the
Sesotho
meaning
of
teba
which
means
‘go
deep’,
just
as
those
recruited
by
TEBA
as
miners
do
indeed
work
deep
in
the
mines.
As
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
5
March
2004,
TEBA
has
appointed
its
first
Mosotho
Regional
Manager.
He
is
Mokete
Mahula,
and
his
appointment
is
in
line
with
the
policy
which
resulted
in
Lesotho-born
James
Motlatsi
becoming
the
first
black
African
Chief
Executive
Officer
of
TEBA
in
2000.
Mokete
Mahula
was
born
at
Matelile
in
1934,
and
first
joined
TEBA
in
1976
as
a
junior
clerk.
He
subsequently
worked
in
a
number
of
TEBA
offices
in
increasingly
senior
roles.
As
Regional
Manager,
he
is
responsible
for
90
TEBA
staff
throughout
Lesotho
and
the
Free
State
whose
responsibilities
include
not
just
mine
recruitment
but
safeguarding
the
social
and
financial
welfare
of
mineworkers
and
their
families.
Mokete
Mahula
succeeds
Mr
Chris
Hechter
who
becomes
Regional
Manager
for
Northwest
South
Africa
and
Botswana.
▲back
to top
The
financial
woes
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
are
without
precedent
in
its
history.
The
University
Bursar
and
Deputy
Bursar
have
now
been
suspended
for
nearly
three
years
while
disciplinary
charges
are
being
heard
against
them.
The
residual
bursary
staff,
several
of
whom
in
the
meantime
have
retired,
have
apparently
been
unable
to
cope
with
routine
procedures,
and
an
advertisement
in
Information
Flash,
the
University’s
weekly
newsletter,
of
5
March
2004
asks
for
qualified
accountants
to
tender
for
the
work
of
preparing
annual
financial
statements
for
the
past
three
financial
years
as
well
as
the
present
financial
year,
assistance
with
implementation
of
internal
controls,
and
assistance
with
establishing
an
internal
audit
function.
It
is
understood
that
the
university
is
currently
in
debt
to
the
extent
of
some
M26
million,
and
has
some
intractable
problems
such
as
its
venture
into
financing
the
Sefika
Shopping
Centre
in
Maseru,
originally
conceived
by
the
suspended
bursar
as
a
profitable
investment
for
the
pension
fund,
but
at
present
a
drain
on
finances
because
rents
received
fall
short
of
outgoings
by
a
substantial
sum
each
month.
There
are
other
losses
because
adjustments
required
to
take
account
of
inflation
have
been
applied
to
salaries
but
not
to
salary
deductions
for
services
provided.
Meanwhile
Public
Eye
of
19
March
2004,
reported
on
a
dispute
between
the
Lesotho
University
Teachers
and
Researchers
Union
(LUTARU)
and
the
University.
This
related
to
an
agreement
made
in
1996,
which
enabled
local
university
staff
to
opt
to
receive
gratuities
instead
of
a
pension,
putting
them
on
the
same
footing
as
expatriate
staff.
The
agreement
had
been
made
at
the
time
when
a
Nigerian
Vice-Chancellor,
Professor
Adamu
Baikie
was
heading
the
institution.
His
local
successor,
Dr
Maboee
Moletsane
reversed
the
agreement,
which
put
him
in
conflict
with
LUTARU,
which
did
all
it
could
to
hasten
his
departure.
The
present
Vice-Chancellor,
Dr
Tefetso
Mothibe,
whose
appointment
had
originally
been
supported
by
LUTARU,
did
not
take
any
action
on
the
gratuities
issue.
This
resulted
in
one
staff
member,
the
Director
of
Transformation,
Dr
M.
V.
Marake
going
to
the
Labour
Court,
which
ruled
that
the
1996
agreement
was
valid
and
that
the
gratuities
owed
from
1998
onwards
should
be
paid
with
18.5%
interest.
Other
staff,
encouraged
by
this
victory,
went
to
the
Directorate
of
Dispute
Prevention
and
Resolution,
which
ruled
in
their
favour,
requiring
that
gratuities
to
the
122
remaining
affected
staff,
if
they
opted
out
of
the
pension
scheme,
should
be
paid
out
in
four
instalments
in
June,
September
and
December
2004
and
March
2005.▲back
to top
Increasing
urbanization
and
industrialization
in
Maseru,
Maputsoe
and
a
number
of
other
centres
in
Lesotho’s
Lowlands
have
resulted
in
major
problems
of
water
supply.
The
firm
of
Parkman,
in
association
with
the
local
firm,
Sechaba
Consultants,
began
work
early
in
2003
to
plan
for
Lesotho’s
urban
water
needs,
providing
detailed
proposals
for
water
supply
provision
up
to
the
year
2020,
but
including
also
in
less
detail
needs
up
to
the
year
2035.
The
study
was
to
cover
the
needs
of
all
settlements
with
2500
or
more
people
in
the
year
2003.
Approximately
15
months
after
the
inception
of
the
study,
and
after
many
internal
workshops
and
discussions
with
the
staff
of
the
Commissioner
of
Water
Affairs,
a
public
consultation
on
the
Lesotho
Lowlands
Water
Supply
Scheme
was
held
at
the
’Manthabiseng
Convention
Centre
in
Maseru
on
Wednesday
10
March
2004.
Those
present
included
District
Secretaries,
representatives
of
NGOs
and
the
press,
and
the
Minister
for
Natural
Resources,
Mr
Monyane
Moleleki.
It
was
explained
that
the
requirement
to
identify
communities
with
a
population
of
2
500
or
more
had
resulted
in
a
list
of
106
Lowlands
and
Foothills
communities
from
Makhunoane
in
Butha-Buthe
District
to
Mount
Moorosi
in
Quthing
District.
However,
cost
considerations
made
it
desirable
to
seek
local
sources
of
water
for
many
of
these,
rather
than
water
piped
from
a
distance.
This
particularly
applied
to
settlements
distant
from
planned
water
pipelines,
which
might
still
be
serviced
by
the
Department
of
Rural
Water
Supply.
Discussion
proceeded
with
water
needs
from
south
to
north,
and
for
the
main
urbanized
areas
of
Quthing
District
from
Tele
Bridge
to
Moyeni,
the
Senqu
was
the
obvious
source
of
supply.
For
the
town
of
Mohale’s
Hoek,
the
Makhaleng
river
could
supply
an
adequate
supply
for
some
98%
of
the
time,
and
studies
were
still
under
way
to
try
to
provide
greater
water
security,
particularly
given
the
town’s
identification
as
an
industrial
growth
point,
with
the
first
factories
already
in
operation.
Mafeteng,
also
with
recent
industrial
growth,
presented
a
problem,
because
the
main
sources
of
supply
were
distant
at
the
Makhaleng
and
Mohokare
rivers,
requiring
expensive
pipelines.
A
possible
alternative
under
investigation
was
to
divert
waters
in
a
run-of-river
transfer
from
the
headwaters
of
the
Qhoqhoane
river.
Morija
and
Matsieng
were
also
considered
to
be
distant
from
major
supplies,
but
the
outcome
of
the
present
Six
Towns
Water
Supply
Project
was
awaited,
Morija
being
one
of
these
six
towns.
It
was
possible
that
failing
adequate
local
supplies
water
could
be
diverted
from
supplies
planned
for
Maseru.
By
far
the
largest
anticipated
demand
was
for
Maseru
and
neighbouring
settlements
such
as
Mazenod
and
Roma.
Together
they
required
nearly
40%
of
the
total
demand
for
Lowlands
towns,
a
demand
estimated
at
1.05
cumecs
(cubic
metres
of
water
per
second)
by
2020,
and
1.61
cumecs
by
2035.
After
investigating
a
large
number
of
possible
solutions,
it
had
been
concluded
that
all
reasonably
affordable
solutions
involved
the
building
of
the
Metolong
Dam
on
the
southern
Phuthiatsana
river,
upstream
from
Thaba-Bosiu.
This
had
been
the
subject
of
a
separate
feasibility
study,
with
the
report
recently
becoming
available.
The
problem,
however,
was
that
this
dam
could
not
possibly
supply
water
to
Maseru
before
2007
at
the
very
earliest
(and
probably
later),
and
there
was
a
need
to
investigate
‘fast
track’
solutions
which
could
provide
water
needed
immediately
for
the
rapidly
expanding
Maseru
industrial
estates.
Apart
from
the
raising
of
the
Maqalika
Dam
by
1.5
m,
which
was
in
any
case
overdue,
and
would
increase
offstream
storage,
other
offstream
storage
was
needed
to
capture
summer
runoff
for
use
when
winter
and
spring
flow
in
the
Mohokare
dwindled
to
negligible
amounts
or
even
zero.
Further
offstream
storage
on
the
Mohokare
on
the
Lesotho
side
was
difficult
because
of
the
difficulty
of
finding
suitable
sites,
all
of
which
involved
expensive
and
time-consuming
compensation
problems.
However,
a
project
which
raised
the
height
of
the
Cathcart’s
Drift
Dam
was
a
theoretical
solution
which
could
possibly
provide
water
within
18
months.
The
Cathcart’s
Drift
Dam
on
the
right
bank
of
the
Mohokare
is
offstream
storage
supplying
Ladybrand,
and
its
site
allows
for
considerable
expansion
of
the
capacity.
Such
a
scheme
would
of
course
require
South
African
approval,
and
also
a
pipeline
to
a
new
water
treatment
works
on
the
Lesotho
side
of
the
river.
It
was
demonstrated
that
although
the
Metolong
Dam
would
meet
the
needs
of
Maseru
and
adjacent
settlements
as
far
away
as
Teyateyaneng
and
Roma
to
the
year
2017,
long
term
further
supplies
would
be
needed.
A
solution
was
offered
by
which
the
Metolong
Dam
would
be
used
conjunctively
with
the
Mohokare,
the
Mohokare
supplying
the
main
needs
in
summer,
while
the
Metolong
Dam
was
used
at
a
much
higher
rate
in
winter
when
Mohokare
flow
was
low.
This
would
meet
most
of
Maseru’s
demands
to
2035,
but
in
a
crisis
situation
which
could
arise,
emergency
release
of
Highlands
water
would
be
needed,
as
had
occurred
in
October
2003,
which
set
a
useful
precedent
for
what
was
possible.
Recycling
of
water
was
discussed,
and
it
was
noted
that
two
factories
in
Maseru,
Presitex
and
Nien
Hsing,
concerned
about
the
reliability
of
the
Maseru
supply,
had
already
made
provision
to
recycle
80%
of
their
water.
The
recycling
plant
at
Presitex,
already
in
use,
was
to
produce
water
of
a
purity
such
that
fish
could
live
in
it,
and
a
fishpond
(not
yet
stocked)
was
included
in
the
recycling
plant
to
demonstrate
this.
The
industrial
demand
scenarios
for
Maseru
and
other
industrial
estates
up
to
2035
assumed
an
increasing
use
of
industrial
water
up,
with
typically
figures
up
to
40%
recycled
water
being
used
in
the
calculations.
Going
further
north,
the
problem
arose
of
supplying
areas
of
large
water
demand
such
as
Maputsoe
and
the
anticipated
industrial
area
at
Butha-Buthe.
In
this
regard
dams
had
been
considered
on
the
Hlotse
river
near
Ha
Seetsa
and
on
the
Ngoajane
river,
a
short
distance
downstream
from
Ha
Seboche.
The
cheaper
solution
however
would
be
the
abstraction
of
run-of-river
water
from
the
Hlotse
and
Hololo
rivers
(in
the
latter
case
just
downstream
of
the
Ngoajane
confluence),
backed
up
by
small
releases
of
water
from
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project
at
’Muela,
when
required
at
periods
of
low
flow.
The
LHWP
was
committed
to
release
water
at
’Muela
of
0.15
cumecs
equal
to
the
average
flow
of
the
Nqoe
river
on
which
the
’Muela
Dam
was
built.
The
consultant
believed
that
0.19
cumecs
was
a
more
realistic
figure.
If
this
water
could
be
‘saved
up’
(obviously
this
involved
the
Katse
Reservoir
being
used
like
a
water
bank,
because
it
would
not
be
the
very
same
water)
and
released
when
needed
from
the
LHWP,
this
would
go
a
long
way
to
meeting
the
requirements
at
Butha-Buthe.
A
problem,
however,
with
these
solutions
without
dams
was
that
they
required
LHWP
agreement,
and
the
price
of
the
LHWP
water
was
also
not
certain,
and
needed
to
be
agreed.
All
schemes
involved
new
or
massively
upgraded
water
treatments
and
pipelines
of
considerable
lengths.
Schemes
in
which
there
was
a
water
carrier
all
the
way
from
northern
Lesotho
to
Maseru
had
been
considered
but
rejected
as
too
costly.
Financially,
the
Lesotho
Lowlands
Water
Supply
Scheme,
in
its
cheapest
options
and
as
far
as
the
year
2035,
would
cost
some
M3.2
billion
at
present
prices,
about
the
same
as
the
present
annual
budget.
Assuming
loans
at
about
6%
interest
rates,
Lesotho
would
have
to
budget
M80
million
per
annum
in
interest
charges
for
some
15
years
until
there
was
sufficient
cash
flow
for
the
scheme
to
pay
for
itself.
The
public
consultation
was
to
try
to
identify
the
best
scheme
so
that
detailed
design
could
proceed.
However,
in
view
of
political
uncertainties
arising
from
the
possible
use
of
Ladybrand
(Cathcart’s
Drift
Dam)
and
Lesotho
Highlands
water,
it
seemed
that
probably
different
schemes
should
be
designed:
for
Maseru
with
and
without
the
Ladybrand
option;
and
for
northern
Lesotho
with
and
without
the
dams
which
would
be
needed
if
Lesotho
Highlands
water
was
not
available.
The
consultants
are
required
to
complete
their
work
by
the
end
of
June,
but
it
became
apparent
at
the
meeting
that
a
variation
order
was
being
negotiated
requiring
irrigation
water
to
be
considered
in
the
study.
This
would
mean
a
later
completion
date.
▲back
to top
The
National
University
of
Lesotho
held
on
its
Roma
campus
on
Friday
12
March
2004
its
second
annual
open
day,
intended
for
parents
and
prospective
students
to
become
familiar
with
its
life
and
activities.
Different
sections
of
the
university
mounted
appropriate
displays,
including
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture
which
had
cows,
pigs,
sheep
and
goats,
while
the
Research
Institute
displayed
the
many
available
publications
of
its
predecessor,
the
Institute
of
Southern
African
Studies.
Visitors
had
the
opportunity
to
talk
with
university
staff
about
university
courses
and
admission
procedures.
The
normal
minimum
entry
requirement
is
a
Second
Class
in
the
Cambridge
Overseas
School
Certificate,
with
a
credit
in
English
and
an
aggregate
score
in
six
qualifying
subjects
not
exceeding
34.
Several
school
parties
as
well
as
members
of
the
public
took
advantage
of
the
occasion
to
visit
the
university.
On
the
following
day
there
was
a
cultural
festival,
which
drew
in
72
different
performing
groups
from
as
far
away
as
the
Baphuthi
heartland
at
Daliwe
in
Quthing
District,
as
well
as
from
a
number
of
educational
establishments.
NUL
students
dressed
up
as
fairly
convincing
makoloane,
male
initiation
school
graduates,
reciting
appropriate
praise
poetry.
Women’s
events
were
represented
by
the
more
staid
mokhibo
performances
and
the
rather
more
sensual
litolobonya,
a
dance
until
recently
confined
to
all-female
gatherings,
but
now
acceptable
as
part
of
the
general
public
repertoire.
The
festival
was
popular
with
the
local
community
who
attended
the
open
air
performances
in
large
numbers.
▲back
to top
The
Pan
African
Parliament,
set
up
by
the
African
Union,
had
its
inaugural
meeting
in
Addis
Ababa
on
18
March
2004.
The
ultimate
aim
of
the
African
Parliament
is
to
have
an
institution
with
full
legislative
powers
and
members
elected
by
universal
adult
suffrage.
However
in
the
present
interim
period
the
Parliament
has
only
consultative
and
advisory
powers,
and
member
states
are
each
represented
by
five
parliamentarians,
who
must
represent
the
diversity
of
political
opinions
in
the
national
parliament,
and
at
least
one
of
whom
must
be
a
woman.
Lesotho
complied
with
this
requirement
by
sending
as
members
of
the
Pan
African
Parliament,
Mrs
F.
M.
Bulane
and
Mr
Hlalele
Motaung
of
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy;
Mr
Thabang
Nyeoe
of
the
Basotho
National
Party;
Dr
Khauhelo
Deborah
Raditapole
of
the
Basutoland
African
Congress;
and
Mr
Letuka
Nkole
of
the
National
Independent
Party.
▲back
to top
The
recommissioning
of
the
Letšeng
Mine
was
completed
in
the
first
quarter
of
2004.
The
mine
which
is
in
Mokhotlong
District,
adjoining
the
road
from
Oxbow
and
at
a
height
of
3000
metres,
has
cost
M210
million
to
rehabilitate,
and
is
expected
to
process
kimberlite
at
a
rate
of
2.5
million
tons
per
annum,
from
which
some
70
000
carats
of
diamonds
will
be
recovered.
Open-pit
mining
is
initially
concentrating
on
the
Satellite
Pipe,
which
closely
adjoins
the
Main
Pipe
mined
during
the
period
1977
82
by
De
Beers.
The
two
pits
together
are
estimated
to
give
the
mine
a
pit
life
in
excess
of
25
years,
after
which
the
more
expensive
underground
mining
option
could
be
pursued
if
markets
at
the
time
made
it
profitable.
Letšeng
Mine
is
co-owned
by
the
Lesotho
Government
(24%)
and
Letšeng
Diamonds
(Pty)
Ltd
(76%).
The
latter
is
co-owned
by
the
South
African
mining
and
investment
groups
Matodzi
Resources
and
JCI
Limited
through
Letšeng
Holdings
(Pty)
Ltd.
Its
re-opening
has
created
250
jobs
on
site,
with
many
other
work
opportunities
also
created
for
the
provision
of
goods
and
services.
▲back
to top
President
Thabo
Mbeki
of
South
Africa
and
King
Letsie
III
of
Lesotho
on
Tuesday
16
March
2004
jointly
inaugurated
Phase
1B
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Water
Project.
The
Phase
1B
works
have
included
the
Mohale
Dam,
at
144
metres
high,
the
highest
rockfill
dam
on
the
African
continent.
Work
began
on
it
in
1998
and
it
was
completed
in
2003.
The
Mohale
Reservoir,
which
impounds
the
waters
of
the
Senqunyane
river
and
its
tributaries
the
Bokong,
Jorotane
and
Likalaneng,
is
linked
to
the
Phase
1A
Katse
Reservoir
by
a
31.5
km
tunnel.
A
smaller
component
of
Phase
1B
was
the
construction
of
a
weir
on
the
Matsoku
river,
and
a
diversion
tunnel
6.5
km
long,
also
into
the
Katse
Reservoir.
At
its
construction
peak,
Phase
1B
created
some
8
000
jobs
for
local
and
regional
workers.
There
is,
at
this
point,
no
indication
that
the
next
phase
of
the
project,
Phase
II,
with
the
Mashai
Dam
on
the
Senqu,
will
go
ahead
in
the
near
future.
A
climax
of
the
inauguration
ceremony
was
the
presentation
to
President
Mbeki
of
a
black
stallion
by
King
Letsie
III,
expressing
the
wish
that
he
might
add
riding
to
his
hobbies.
▲back
to top
A
German
tourist
was
shot
dead
at
Malealea
in
Mafeteng
District
on
Wednesday
17
March,
while
a
companion
was
injured.
Their
car
had
been
attack |
