|
SUMMARY
OF
EVENTS
IN
LESOTHO
Volume
11,
Number
3, (Third
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.
Metsing
Lekhanya
Cleared
of
Gunrunning
History
of
BCP
Published
by
Veteran
Politician
Local
NEPAD
Hampered
by
Absence
of
LCCI
New
Book
Highlights
Problems
of
Teacher
Education
Sod
Turning
at
Site
of
National
Library
and
National
Archives
Diamond
Mine
to
be
Developed
at
Kao
New
Newspapers
Launched
Conditions
Improve
at
Maseru
Bridge
World
Bank
Blacklists
Acres
International
for
Three
Years
New
Chief
Executive
Appointed
at
LNDC
Taxi
Fares
Raised
Defence
Force
Implements
Retirement
at
45
more
than
Two
Years
Late
Third
Woman
Judge
Appointed
Vanity
Car
Registrations
to
Be
Allowed
in
Lesotho
Death
of
JRL
Kotsokoane
Justice
Sector
Development
Programme
Reveals
Shocking
Delays
and
Inefficiencies
Lesotho
Participates
in
Athens
Olympics
Sentencing
of
Soldiers
Guilty
of
Murder
of
Deputy
Prime
Minister
New
Principal
Chief
of
the
Batlokoa
Installed
New
Road
Transport
Regulations
Gazetted
New
AME
Bishop
Welcomed
Embarkation
Charge
Increased
on
International
Flights
Vice-Chancellor
of
NUL
Proceeds
on
Terminal
Leave
Professor
Moletsane
Moves
from
NMDS
to
LIPAM
Registration
for
Pensions
Hits
Hurdles
New
United
States
Ambassador
Arrives
Death
of
Principal
Chief
of
Ramabanta
Mohale
Feeder
Roads
Completed
UNFPA
Report
Predicts
Drop
in
Lesotho's
Population
Masianokeng
Cannery
to
Reopen
993
Receive
Certificates,
Diplomas
and
Degrees
at
National
University
of
Lesotho
Catholic
Priest
Sentenced
to
15
Years
for
High
Treason
Prince
Harry's
Lesotho
Video
Screened
Widely
on
Television
Death
of
Mofelehetsi
Moerane,
Minister
of
Public
Works
and
Transport
Inflation
Touches
Lowest
Level
for
35
Years
Before
Bouncing
Back
Upwards
New
Schedule
of
Minimum
Wages
Gazetted
Winter
Rainfall
Close
to
Average
▲back
to top
In
a
court
case
in
the
border
town
of
Ladybrand
in
June
2004,
one
Ian
Pretorius
had
been
charged
with
being
in
possession
of
18
unlicensed
firearms,
17
of
which
had
been
supplied
to
him
by
Brigadier
General
Metsing
Lekhanya,
former
head
of
the
Lesotho's
Military
Council
and
now
Leader
of
the
Basotho
National
Party.
A
Lesotho
police
spokesman,
Sergeant
Khoabane
Mpepe,
was
quoted
in
The
Mirror
of
30
June
2004
as
saying
that
the
arms
had
been
given
to
Lekhanya
by
friends
when
he
was
Head
of
Government
and
had
been
kept
at
police
headquarters
since
Lekhanya
had
been
toppled
as
Chairman
of
the
Military
Council
1991.
It
seems
that
Pretorius
had
recently
offered
to
sell
the
guns
on
behalf
of
Lekhanya,
and
had
indeed
been
issued
with
a
Lesotho
police
permit
to
take
them
to
the
border.
The
problem
arose
because
he
did
not
have
the
required
import
permit
for
the
South
African
side
of
the
border.
▲back
to top
The
veteran
Basutoland
Congress
Party
politician,
Ntsukunyane
Mphanya,
in
July
2004
released
A
brief
history
of
the
Basutoland
Congress
Party,
Lekhotla
la
Mahatammoho:
1952-2002.
Published
by
the
author,
the
book
covers
in
158
pages
a
personal
account
of
the
BCP
from
its
beginnings.
Mphanya,
born
in
1931,
himself
joined
the
party
in
1953,
one
year
after
it
was
founded
as
the
Basutoland
African
Congress.
Mphanya
describes
pre-Independence
colonial
society
and
its
overt
and
more
subtle
forms
of
racial
discrimination.
He
provides
an
explanation
as
to
how
the
Sesotho
name
of
the
Congress
Party,
Lekhotla
la
Mahatammoho
came
about
(it
was
in
1954)
and
also
how
the
political
slogan
Ea
lla
koto
('the
knobkerrie
rings
out',
meaning
in
effect
'we
are
fighting')
came
to
be
adopted
as
its
rallying
cry
in
1958.
In
the
1960
elections,
there
were
40
elected
members,
of
whom
30
supported
the
BCP,
5
the
Marematlou
Party
(MTP),
4
were
independents
and
1
supported
the
then
Basutoland
National
Party
(BNP).
The
BCP
remained
in
opposition
because
there
were
40
nominated
members
including
the
principal
chiefs.
As
far
as
District
Council
elections
were
concerned
in
1960,
the
BCP
had
a
majority
in
all
districts
except
Mokhotlong,
which
was
won
by
the
MTP.
Later
disputes
and
rivalries
in
the
BCP
are
covered
in
some
detail,
as
is
the
1965
General
Election,
which
the
BCP
lost.
On
the
question
of
why
the
BCP
opposed
the
extension
of
the
franchise
to
women,
Mphanya
admits
it
was
more
a
matter
of
political
expediency
than
of
principle.
The
BCP
was
afraid
that
more
women
would
vote
for
the
BNP,
as
in
fact
apparently
occurred.
There
are
details
of
the
campaign
strategy
for
the
1970
General
Election
and
of
the
BCP's
success
at
the
polls,
where
they
won
36
of
the
60
seats.
The
terrible
consequences
when
Leabua
Jonathan
did
not
abide
by
the
election
results
and
seized
power
are
described:
large
numbers
of
BCP
supporters
including
virtually
the
whole
leadership
were
arrested
and
mistreated,
while
others
countrywide
were
subjected
to
violent
attacks
from
the
BNP
Youth
League
or
Lebotho
la
Khotso.
The
account
covers
the
uprising
of
7
January
1974.
('It
wasn't
a
very
smart
plan.')
A
consequence
of
the
uprising
was
a
most
brutal
period
of
politically
motivated
violence
that
surpassed
even
1970'.
A
figure
of
1000
people
dead
is
quoted,
although
the
source
is
not
provided.
The
years
of
the
BCP
in
exile
are
covered
in
detail,
beginning
from
a
July
1974
meeting
in
Lusaka.
Divisions
developed
amongst
the
BCP
in
exile,
when
five
members
of
the
Executive
Committee
attempted
to
expel
Ntsu
Mokhehle
from
the
party.
His
position
was
saved
by
strong
support
from
Transvaal
BCP
members.
The
circumstances
which
led
Mokhehle
in
1979
to
become
associated
with
the
South
African
security
establishment
at
Vlakplaas
are
explained,
but
thereafter
the
period
1979
to
1991
remains
undocumented,
possibly
because
the
real
events
of
BCP
infighting
and
the
Lesotho
Liberation
Army
campaign
remain
still
too
sensitive
to
be
described.
Instead,
the
book
jumps
to
the
impending
restoration
of
democracy
and
the
emergence
of
the
'Pressure
Group'
of
the
BCP,
which
Mokhehle
described
as
'Mphanya's
people'
(Batho
ba
Mphanya).
The
party
conference
of
1992
(pictured
on
the
cover)
is
criticized
for
avoiding
issues
about
the
BCP
in
exile
which
should
have
been
discussed.
Mphanya
describes
this
conference
as
'deliberately
and
constitutionally
derailed'.
The
role
is
described
of
Tom
Thabane,
who,
despite
his
association
with
previous
regimes,
entered
the
Office
of
the
Prime
Minister
as
an
adviser.
It
is
stated
that
his
role
was
initially
to
help
bring
stability
in
the
army,
but
he
later
became
very
close
to
Ntsu
Mokhehle,
and
it
is
said
that
due
to
his
influence
Molapo
Qhobela,
Tseliso
Makhakhe,
Ntsukunyane
Mphanya
and
Sekoala
Toloane
were
expelled
from
the
cabinet.
Dr
Moeketsi
Senaoana
and
Dr
Khauhelo
Raditapole
later
resigned
in
protest.
In
the
1998
General
Election,
the
BCP,
led
by
Molapo
Qhobela,
was
fighting
against
the
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy
which
had
emerged
as
a
new
party
led
by
Ntsu
Mokhehle,
after
the
BCP
had
expelled
him
as
leader.
The
LCD
won
79
of
the
80
seats
and
the
BCP,
although
it
acquired
10.6%
of
the
votes,
won
none.
Following
the
election
Molapo
Qhobela
attempted
to
expel
members
from
the
remaining
BCP.
Ultimately
he
finished
up
being
himself
expelled
and
having
to
form
his
own
party,
which
adopted
the
old
name
of
the
Basutoland
African
Congress.
There
is
a
brief
account
of
the
2002
General
Election,
in
which
the
BCP
like
the
BAC
won
three
proportional
representation
seats.
Chapters
near
the
end
of
the
book
have
the
titles
'Our
achievements'
and
'Mistakes
we
committed
in
the
course
of
the
struggle'.
An
annotated
picture
gallery
of
important
persons
discussed
in
the
book
is
provided
on
the
last
pages.
Some
detail
in
the
book
must
be
treated
with
caution.
For
example
the
described
circumstances
which
led
Bob
Edgar
to
write
the
book
Prophets
with
honour:
a
documentary
history
of
Lekhotla
la
Bafo
are
totally
wrong.
(He
personally
confirms
this.)
Nevertheless,
the
book
is
an
important
source
for
those
wishing
to
gain
an
insight
into
the
politics
of
Lesotho
of
the
past
50
years.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
2
July
2004,
assistance
from
the
G8
countries
to
NEPAD
(the
New
Partnership
for
Africa's
Development)
would
be
providing
job
opportunities
for
Basotho
in
small
scale
industries.
However,
in
a
conference
on
NEPAD
in
Lesotho,
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry,
Mpho
Malie
told
delegates
that
government
was
concerned
that
there
was
no
representative
of
business
the
government
could
talk
to
because
the
government
could
not
talk
to
individuals.
He
was
referring
to
the
Lesotho
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
Industry
which
was
not
represented
at
the
meeting
and
has
not
been
functional
for
some
time.
In
fact,
the
Lesotho
Chamber
of
Commerce
&
Industry
(LCCI)
was
founded
in
March
1976,
replacing
an
earlier
Chamber
of
Commerce
which
had
its
roots
in
the
Basutoland
Chamber
of
Commerce
originally
founded
by
George
Hobson
in
1890.
The
first
President
(1976-8)
ofthe
new
LCCI
was
Ian
Dare
of
a
long
established
trading
family.
He
was
followed
by
J.
M.
Nthongoa
(1978-9
1),
G.
T.
Monaheng
(1992-4)
and
Makalo
Khiba
(1994-
?).
The
LCCI
apparently
became
dysfunctional
in
2000
after
some
internal
disputes.
When
investigated
by
Public
Eye,
it
was
found
that
LCCI
still
had
an
Acting
Executive
Secretary,
Thuso
Thokoa.
He
said
that
the
LCCI
was
working
on
a
restructuring
of
staff,
and
that
at
present
he
was
'the
only
active
member
of
staff.
According
to
Thuso
Thokoa,
LCCI
did
have
a
President,
Teboho
Mokau,
and
Vice-President,
Koena
Phafane.
▲back
to top
Copies
of
a
new
book,
Initial
primary
teacher
education
in
Lesotho,
recently
became
available
in
Lesotho.
Written
by
J.
Pulane
Lefoka
and
E.
Molapi
Sebatane
of
the
Institute
of
Education
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
the
book
summarizes
the
findings
of
the
MUSTER
Project
in
relation
to
Lesotho
primary
teacher
education.
MUSTER
stands
for
Multi-Site
Teacher
Education
Research,
and
is
the
acronym
for
a
project
in
which
experiences
were
compared
between
the
countries
of
Ghana,
Lesotho,
Malawi,
South
Africa
and
Trinidad
&
Tobago.
The
project
was
coordinated
by
the
Centre
for
International
Education
in
the
University
of
the
Sussex
in
UK
(where
Janet
Stuart,
formerly
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
was
one
of
the
coordinators),
and
sponsored
by
the
British
Department
for
International
Development
(DFID).
The
research
was
undertaken
mainly
in
the
period
1998-2000,
and
published
initially
in
the
period
1999-2002
as
a
series
of
discussion
papers,
nine
of
which
are
devoted
to
Lesotho.
A
special
double
issue
of
the
International
Journal
of
Educational
Development
for
May/July
2002,
edited
by
Janet
Stuart
and
Keith
Lewin,
summarized
the
findings
as
a
whole,
following
which
DFID
has
sponsored
books
reporting
the
findings
in
relation
to
each
country.
Teacher
education
has
a
long
history
in
Lesotho,
beginning
with
the
first
primary
school
which
was
opened
at
Beersheba
by
the
Pestalozzi-trained
Elizabeth
Rolland
in
1835.
As
elsewhere
in
the
world
at
the
time,
the
best
pupils
when
they
completed
formal
schooling
became
pupil-teachers.
They
learned
the
craft
of
teaching
by
actually
doing
it
under
more
experienced
colleagues.
It
was
the
Paris
Evangelical
Missionary
Society
which
introduced
western-style
education
into
Lesotho.
Although
their
earliest
teachers
were
women,
as
time
went
on
their
male
evangelists
also
had
to
function
as
teachers
in
the
many
mission
outstations.
The
need
for
these
and
other
teachers
to
have
a
formal
education
at
least
two
years
more
than
the
highest
class
of
pupils
in
their
schools
led
to
the
founding
of
the
Morija
Training
College
in
1868.
For
much
of
the
next
century,
Morija
Training
College,
popularly
known
as
Thabeng,
was
Lesotho's
leading
educational
institution.
At
the
time
of
Independence,
there
were
seven
teacher
training
colleges
in
Lesotho,
all
denominational.
The
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church
had
the
Morija
(or
Lesotho)
Training
College
(Thabeng)
for
men;
and
the
Morija
Girls'
Training
College
for
women.
The
Catholic
Church
had
four
colleges,
of
which
the
two
most
important
were
St
Joseph's
Training
College
(recently
moved
to
Maseru
from
Roma)
and
St
Mary's
Training
College
for
women
at
Roma.
Mazenod
Teacher
Training
College
specialized
in
domestic
science,
and
the
fourth
Catholic
College,
for
men
and
women
was
Hermitage
Training
College,
in
Qacha's
Nek
District,
specially
designed
to
meet
the
needs
for
teachers
in
the
mountain
districts.
The
third
denomination
with
teacher
education
facilities
was
the
Anglican
Church,
which
had
St
Catherine's
Training
College
to
train
women
teachers
in
Maseru.
For
many
years,
reports
on
education
in
Lesotho
had
recommended
that
there
be
a
government
teacher
training
institution.
This
proposal
can
be
found
as
far
back
as
a
report
by
F.
M.
Urling
Smith
in
1926
and
was
very
strongly
recommended
by
Sir
Fred
Clarke,
the
Director
of
the
University
of
London
Institute
of
Education,
who
headed
a
Commission
on
Education
to
Lesotho
in
1945.
In
the
event,
the
Colonial
Administration
spent
the
available
money
for
colonial
development
not
on
teacher
education,
but
on
controlling
soil
erosion
and
building
the
first
stage
of
the
Mountain
Road.
The
Clarke
Commission's
recommendation
was
not
to
replace
the
denominational
colleges,
but
to
redress
the
then
serious
shortage
of
trained
teachers
by
building
a
government
training
college
to
function
alongside
the
four
best
of
the
denominational
colleges.
The
matter
was
revisited
by
a
1964
UNESCO
Mission
Report
which
also
came
out
strongly
in
favour
of
a
government
college,
and
it
was
under
UNESCO
auspices,
and
with
support
also
from
Denmark
and
Britain,
that
this
institution
was
finally
created.
Along
the
way,
it
became
policy
that
the
new
institution
would
be
the
only
one
to
train
primary
teachers.
The
National
Teacher
Training
College
(NTTC)
first
opened
its
doors
to
students
in
April
1975,
temporarily
using
the
former
St
Joseph's
Training
College
during
1975,
until
its
own
buildings
were
ready
on
an
adjacent
site.
Teacher
training
at
the
existing
denominational
training
colleges
was
then
terminated
and
each
of
them
then
became
high
schools.
An
important
feature
of
the
structure
of
NTTC
in
the
first
years
was
that
the
three
year
programme
for
both
primary
and
secondary
teachers
included
a
full
year
of
teaching
practice
('the
internship
year')
between
the
first
and
third
years
of
the
programme.
Special
field
staff
('internship
supervisors')
were
appointed
as
NTTC
staff
at
35
centres
throughout
the
country,
each
of
them
supervising
a
number
of
the
eventual
300
or
so
students
undertaking
their
internship
year.
The
centres
helped
to
turn
NTTC
into
a
national
rather
than
a
single-site
institution.
As
time
went
on
and
the
initial
external
funds
for
the
institution
fell
away,
problems
of
financing
the
internship
year
developed,
particularly
funds
for
transport.
This
resulted
in
some
criticism
of
the
internship
system,
which
spilled
over
into
a
radical
decision
to
discontinue
it
after
1987.
A
high-powered
report
by
senior
educationists
was
commissioned
only
after
this
decision
had
been
taken.
This
report
pointed
out
that
the
internship
year,
for
all
its
imperfections,
was
serving
a
useful
purpose,
and
was
also
cost
efficient.
Its
abandonment
would
have
a
number
of
implications,
one
of
which
was
that
by
having
three
instead
of
two
residential
years,
NTTC
could
accommodate
one
third
less
students,
a
very
serious
matter
given
that
it
was
in
any
case
not
producing
enough
qualified
teachers
to
meet
the
national
need.
In
the
new
arrangement,
teaching
practice
was
scheduled
for
the
second
semester
of
the
second
academic
year
and
the
internship
supervisors
were
absorbed
into
the
Primary
Division
of
NTTC.
Following
the
practice
of
the
colleges
it
replaced,
NTTC
at
first
used
a
minimum
entrance
level
of
a
second
class
Junior
Certificate
for
the
Primary
Teacher's
Certificate
(PTC)
programme.
However,
by
this
time
the
real
standard
of
achievement
by
JC
pupils
was
far
less
than
it
had
been
in
the
1960s,
and
complaints
arose
about
the
amount
of
remedial
teaching
needed
to
be
given
to
PTC
entrants,
particularly
since
a
JC
pass
in
mathematics
was
not
a
prerequisite
for
entrance
to
NTTC.
Eventually,
with
effect
from
1994,
COSC
was
regarded
as
the
standard
entrance
requirement,
although
passes
rather
than
credits
in
English
and
Mathematics
were
deemed
sufficient.
Entrants
to
the
Diploma
in
Education
(Primary)
course
at
NTTC
in
1998
included
only
7%
with
a
credit
in
English
and
only
14%
with
a
credit
in
Mathematics.
The
problem
of
remedying
poor
communication
skills
in
English
in
fact
permeates
much
of
the
discussion
on
teacher
training.
Some
of
this
background
can
be
found
in
the
MUSTER
discussion
papers
and
book,
which
concentrate
on
providing
meticulous
documentation
of
the
state
of
teacher
education
at
the
NTTC
in
the
period
1998-2000
(NTTC
has
subsequently
been
renamed
the
Lesotho
College
of
Education
and
given
semi-autonomous
status).
Amongst
major
findings
with
very
serious
implications
are
that
whereas
the
supply
of
secondary
teachers
in
Lesotho
is
close
to
the
actual
demand,
the
number
of
qualified
primary
teachers
being
produced
at
NTTC
(which
peaked
at
227
in
1983)
has
in
recent
years
been
less
than
150
per
year,
far
less
than
the
projected
need
of
about
1200
per
year.
The
proportion
of
unqualified
primary
teachers
has
in
fact
been
rising,
despite
an
in-service
programme
designed
to
help
them
to
qualify
on
the
job.
It
seems
set
to
rise
further
as
free
primary
education
(now
provided
as
far
as
Standard
5)
works
its
way
through
the
primary
school
system,
and
as
also
significant
numbers
of
teachers
die
at
a
relatively
early
age
from
HIV/AIDS.
It
is
noted
that
the
cost
of
teacher
training
in
Lesotho
is
one
of
the
highest
in
Africa,
but
that
economies
are
possible,
and
in
particular
consideration
should
be
given
to
dedicating
NTTC
solely
to
primary
teacher
training.
NTTC
over
the
years
has
expanded
its
output
of
secondary
teachers,
the
distortion
towards
producing
secondary
teachers
reflecting
the
fact
that
its
own
staff
are
far
more
comfortable
in
the
secondary
education
area.
A
MUSTER
survey
of
the
tutors
found
agreement
with
the
statement
that
'most
tutors
do
not
know
much
about
teaching
primary
pupils'.
This
is
perhaps
hardly
surprising
in
the
light
of
the
typical
career
path
of
most
of
the
NTTC
tutors.
They
had
themselves
been
trained
at
NTTC,
and
after
a
period
of
secondary
teaching,
entered
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
for
a
four-year
education
degree,
after
which
some
had
proceeded,
either
at
NUL
or
overseas
to
a
Master's
degree
in
education.
At
no
point
had
they
themselves
taught
a
primary
class.
With
the
benefit
of
hindsight,
Lesotho's
policy
of
replacing
all
the
denominational
colleges
in
one
fell
swoop
with
a
single
national
college
in
the
capital
was
clearly
unwise.
Botswana
and
Swaziland,
which
both
have
smaller
populations
than
Lesotho,
have
both
retained
denominational
colleges
as
part
of
a
teacher
education
programme
which
is
spread
over
several
colleges
in
different
geographical
locations.
Teachers
from
the
mountains
in
Lesotho
were
once
trained
at
the
Hermitage
Training
College
in
Qacha's
Nek
District.
However,
qualified
primary
teachers
today
are
so
scarce
that
they
can
choose
their
schools
and,
having
experienced
urban
life
in
Maseru
during
their
training,
are
hardly
likely
to
opt
to
go
to
teach
at
one
of
the
more
than
250
primary
schools
in
Lesotho
which
still
have
no
access
by
wheeled
vehicle.
Yet
quality
primary
education
is
the
indispensable
foundation
needed
for
all
other
subsequent
education
and
training,
while
at
village
level
it
is
an
essential
prerequisite
for
creating
versatile
citizens
able
to
develop
their
rural
communities.
While
the
provision
of
free
primary
education
has
been
a
major
and
much
welcomed
development,
to
produce
the
primary
teachers
needed
to
provide
this
education
clearly
needs
a
comparable
major
national
effort.
Even
though
the
MUSTER
study
findings
do
not
go
as
far
as
saying
this,
the
creation
of
not
one
but
two
additional
primary
teacher
training
colleges,
both
located
away
from
the
capital,
would
seem
to
be
a
high
priority
needing
a
major
diversion
of
national
resources.
In
these
new
primary
teacher
training
colleges,
key
personnel
might
well
be
the
65
or
so
persons
taken
out
of
primary
schools
in
the
1990s
to
be
used
as
District
Resource
Teachers.
These
DRTs,
chosen
from
amongst
the
best
primary
school
teachers,
had
been
sponsored
by
the
US-financed
Primary
Education
Project
which
ran
through
the
years
1991
to
1997.
The
job
of
DRTs
was
to
move
around
and
to
assist
other
primary
teachers
in
their
areas.
However,
at
the
end
of
the
project,
they
found
themselves
stranded
with
inadequate
transport
and
resources
to
continue
their
work.
These
DRTs
have
already
played
the
role
of
helping
to
train
unqualified
teachers
on
site.
They
might
yet
have
a
major
role
to
play
as
teacher
trainers
complementing
that
of
other
trainers
with
a
succession
of
academic
qualifications
but
no
actual
primary
teaching
experience.
▲back
to top
Work
on
a
new
building
for
the
National
Library
and
National
Archives
was
formally
initiated
on
Friday
2
July
2004,
when
there
was
a
ceremonial
sod
turning
at
the
site
on
Kingsway,
Maseru's
main
thoroughfare.
Those
participating
in
the
ceremony
included
the
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili
and
the
Ambassador
of
the
People's
Republic
of
China,
Mr
Qiu
Bohua.
China
is
providing
financial
assistance
for
the
M25
million
building.
The
new
building
occupies
the
site
of
the
former
National
Library
building,
which
was
demolished
in
May
2003
to
make
way
for
the
new
building.
The
old
building,
which
consisted
of
a
modem
frontage
added
to
a
sandstone
house
(the
former
residence
of
the
Manager
of
the
adjacent
Standard
Bank)
had
in
recent
years
suffered
from
structural
design
problems,
and
in
particular
a
leaking
roof,
exacerbated
by
the
large
number
of
trees
on
the
site,
whose
leaves
blocked
the
drainage
provided.
No
plans
of
the
new
building
have
yet
been
published,
but
it
is
understood
to
be
a
four-storey
building
with
the
National
Library
below
and
the
National
Archives
upstairs.
Provision
is
made
for
a
roof
garden,
but
given
the
size
of
the
site
in
the
centre
of
Maseru
there
can
be
little
provision
of
parking
space.
Given
the
need
for
archives
to
expand
with
time,
it
is
hoped
that
the
plan
for
the
building
makes
provision
for
this
necessity
as
well
as
exhibition
areas.
The
wisdom
of
locating
the
National
Archives
in
the
heart
of
the
Central
Business
District
has
not
been
the
subject
of
public
debate.
Normally,
matters
pertaining
to
the
National
Archives
fall
under
the
Archives
Commission,
a
body
made
up
of
interested
persons
and
representative
of
users
of
the
National
Archives.
However,
this
body
at
present
does
not
exist
because
the
Minister
responsible
for
Culture
(under
whom
the
National
Archives
falls)
has
failed
to
nominate
members
to
the
Archives
Commission,
and
the
terms
of
office
of
previous
members
have
long
since
expired.
▲back
to top
The
source
of
diamonds
was
once
shrouded
in
mystery.
At
one
time,
the
only
known
source
was
India,
but
in
what
geological
formations
they
could
be
found
and
how
they
came
to
be
there
was
not
known.
This
changed
when
diamonds
were
found
in
southern
Africa.
After
the
discovery
of
alluvial
diamonds,
'yellow
ground'
rich
in
diamonds
was
found
in
1870
at
the
place
later
to
be
known
as
Kimberley.
It
was
soon
realised
that
the
harder
'blue
ground'
beneath
was
the
true
source
of
these
diamonds,
and
as
excavation
proceeded,
that
the
diamonds
were
located
in
a
tapering
conical
pipe
coming
from
deep
in
the
earth.
Such
kimberlite
pipes
are
now
known
to
have
originated
in
the
Earth's
interior
far
below
the
lithosphere
or
realm
of
solid
rocks.
Ancient
explosive
activity
accompanied
by
enormous
pressure
turned
graphite
from
great
depth
into
diamonds,
although
in
only
a
minority
of
pipes
was
the
pressure
(or
the
graphite)
sufficient
for
diamonds
to
form.
 100
million
years
of
erosion
have
taken
the
tops
off
the
pipes
and
created
alluvial
diamonds,
but
in
Lesotho
as
at
Letseng-la-Terae
and
Kao,
the
tops
of
the
pipes
are
less
weathered,
and
with
the
improvement
in
world
diamond
prices,
interest
has
again
developed
in
formal
mining
in
Lesotho,
excavating
the
pipes
to
great
depths.
Work
has
already
resumed
at
the
Letseng
Mine,
and
advertisements
in
the
press
in
July
by
the
National
Environment
Secretariat
invited
the
public
to
comment
on
a
proposed
diamond
mine
at
Kao
to
be
developed
by
the
Lesotho
Diamond
Corporation
(Serious
View
Trading
(Pty)
Ltd).
Comments
from
the
public
were
required
as
an
input
into
the
Environmental
Impact
Assessment
being
carried
out
before
a
licence
for
the
development
could
be
granted.
Kao,
in
Butha-Buthe
District
on
the
east
side
of
the
Malibamatso
valley,
has
had
the
longest
history
of
any
of
Lesotho's
diamond
diggings.
The
Colonial
Administration
had
for
many
years
dismissed
reports
of
diamonds
in
Lesotho.
However,
in
1954
it
was
forced
to
change
its
mind.
The
District
Commissioner
of
Butha-Buthe
had
received
a
report
from
a
remote
part
of
the
district
that
a
woman
had
been
killed
when
the
sides
of
a
pit
in
which
she
was
working
had
collapsed.
Since
the
circumstances
seemed
somewhat
unusual,
a
police
patrol
was
asked
to
investigate.
A
week
later
they
rode
back
into
the
district
headquarters
to
report
that
they
had
found
more
than
100
people
mining
diamonds
on
a
hillside
in
the
Kao
valley.
A
year
later,
a
prospecting
licence
was
granted
to
Colonel
Jack
Scott,
who
built
an
access
track
over
the
difficult
Letele
and
Rampai
passes
from
Hlotse
to
Kao,
and
in
the
period
1955
to
1959
produced
17
567
carats
of
diamonds
at
Kao,
including
a
fine
46
carat
blue-white
diamond.
In
1959,
Anglo-American
Corporation
joined
Scott
(as
Basutoland
Diamonds),
but
fewer
diamonds
were
reported
found
in
this
period.
(Very
possibly
just
as
many
were
found,
but
smuggling
was
less
adequately
controlled.)
After
Basutoland
Diamonds
had
left,
former
diggers
reoccupied
Kao,
providing
resistance
when
the
government
in
1968
tried
to
resettle
other
diggers
who
had
been
moved
from
Letseng-la-Terae.
In
1969,
no
less
than
1031
digging
licences
were
issued
for
Kao,
this
number
reflecting
the
very
large
extent
of
the
22
ha
main
pipe,
one
of
the
ten
largest
diamondiferous
pipes
in
the
world.
The
area
became
the
scene
of
conflict
after
the
January
1970
General
Election.
A
group
of
Basotho
diamond
diggers
calling
themselves
Liphokojoe
(Jackals),
took
over
the
Malibamatso
valley,
and
threatened
to
march
on
the
Lowlands
to
restore
a
legitimate
government.
Many
miners
had
arms
for
their
own
protection.
Lesotho
then
had
no
army
and
no
military
aircraft,
but
the
police
used
a
light
aircraft
and
on
5
April
flew
it
low
over
the
miners'
camp
at
Kao
tossing
hand
grenades
from
the
windows.
Some
miners,
who
had
retreated
to
the
ridge
above
the
camp,
fired
down
on
the
aircraft.
They
did
not
bring
it
down,
but
the
plane
came
back
with
bullet
holes
on
the
top
of
the
wings.
Kao
was
later
in
the
day
invaded
from
the
east
by
members
of
the
Police
Mobile
Unit
who
had
been
flown
to
Letsengla-Terae,
where
they
had
taken
over
vehicles
belonging
to
the
Rio
Tinto
Company.
Meanwhile
other
miners
using
commandeered
trucks
moved
over
the
Letele
Pass
on
the
same
day
en
route
for
the
Lowlands.
However
at
Ha
Koasa
at
the
foot
of
Letele
Pass,
another
group
of
police
was
waiting
for
them.
They
were
mown
down
by
police
gunfire
and
were
buried
in
a
mass
grave
near
the
Hlotse
Golf
Course.
To
this
day
no-one
knows
the
true
number
who
died.
As
a
result
of
the
uprising,
not
many
diamonds
were
mined
in
Lesotho
in
1970,
less
than
half
of
the
record
number
of
29
787
carats
in
1969.
The
only
diggers
allowed
back
to
Kao
had
to
have
government
approved
identity
cards.
In
September
1971,
Kao
was
taken
over
by
the
Maluti
Diamond
Corporation
(Newmont
Mining
Company
in
partnership
with
Lonrho).
World
demand
for
diamonds
fell,
however,
and
Kao
was
closed.
It
was
only
formally
reopened
after
the
military
coup
in
1986,
when
individual
diggers
were
again
allowed
concessions.
These
claims
were
excavated
to
depths
of
up
to
20
metres
in
the
blue
ground,
despite
water
which
flooded
many
diggings
overnight,
and
in
many
cases
had
to
be
pumped
out
for
two
hours
each
morning
before
work
could
resume.
The
effluent
from
the
diggings
became
a
significant
byproduct,
discolouring
the
water
down
the
Kao
and
Malibamatso
rivers
as
far
as
the
Katse
Reservoir.
The
situation
changed
again
in
2000,
when
no
prospecting
licences
were
renewed,
pending
negotiations
relating
to
a
major
mining
development.
In
February
2004,
the
mine
was
formally
enclosed
by
a
major
security
fence,
and
it
became
known
that
the
Lesotho
Diamond
Corporation
was
planning
to
open
a
major
mine.
A
Background
Information
Document
has
now
been
issued
to
enable
the
public
to
participate
in
the
Environmental
Impact
Assessment.
This
makes
it
clear
that
the
proposed
mine
will
create
a'big
hole'
at
the
top
of
the
diamond
pipe,
excavating
not
only
the
kimberlite
but
also
the
country
rock
around
the
pipe
to
create
benches
which
will
enable
vehicles
to
descend
in
a
spiral
path
to
the
bottom
of
the
hole
to
collect
the
blasted
rock
and
take
it
to
the
primary
crushing
plant.
Eventually
the
hole
could
reach
a
depth
of
300
metres.
The
diamond
recovery
process
will
proceed
through
several
stages
from
the
primary
crusher
on
site
to
a
final
diamond
concentrate
which
will
be
flown
to
Maseru
for
final
sorting
at
the
company's
offices.
The
startup
phase
is
planned
for
October
to
December
2004,
and
after
two
years
will
be
built
up
to
a
plant
capacity
of
5.75
million
tons
per
annum
with
potential
for
raising
this
to
8.5
million
tons
per
annum.
There
is
an
estimated
life
of
25
years
for
the
mine
as
an
open
pit,
during
which
time
a
huge
tailings
dam
will
accumulate
in
the
Mabunyaneng
valley
adjoining
the
mine.
This
dam,
if
the
mine
runs
for
its
full
estimated
life
of
25
years,
could
reach
some
380
metres
in
height
on
the
downstream
side,
comparable
in
height
to
the
highest
man
made
structures
on
earth.
The
villagers
of
Tiping
in
the
Mabunyaneng
valley
will
have
to
be
relocated
as
part
of
the
mine
development.
▲back
to top
Two
new
newspapers
appeared
in
Maseru
early
in
July.
One
of
these
was
the
Lesotho
Sunday
News,
published
and
owned
by
Makhakhe
Tukula.
The
single
issue
which
appeared
on
18
July
2004
consisted
of
20
pages
of
unsubstantial
and
incoherent
text.
The
newspaper
was
given
a
roasting
by
other
newspapers
and
also
by
the
Media
Institute
of
Lesotho
(MILES).
It
did
not
make
it
to
a
second
issue.
More
carefully
planned
was
Our
Times,
a
12-page
tabloid
printed
in
colour
in
KwaZulu-Natal,
and
published
in
Maseru
by
Peter
Potjo,
who
has
offices
in
the
LNDC's
Development
House.
The
newspaper
sold
at
M3.50,
the
same
price
as
the
48-page
similarly
coloured
Public
Eye,
now
Lesotho's
mostly
widely
read
English
newspaper,
which
also
sells
in
bordering
towns
in
South
Africa.
A
sine
qua
non
for
newspaper
financial
success
in
Lesotho
is
acquiring
sufficient
advertising,
and
Our
Times
has
acquired
a
reasonable
mix
of
advertising
and
stories,
both
local
and
international,
although
the
quality
of
the
local
reporting
still
has
to
be
worked
on.
The
fourth
issue
of
Our
Times
dated
3
August
2004
at
last
seemed
to
have
a
major
story.
It
carried
the
headline
'Thai
sells
Public
Eye'.
The
Thai
in
this
case
was
not
from
Bangkok,
but
a
Mosotho,
Bethuel
Thai,
Managing
Director
of
Voice
Multimedia
which
publishes
Public
Eye.
The
story
by
Moeti
Thelejane
was
a
bit
short
on
detail,
including
the
sum
of
money
involved,
but
suggested
that
Public
Eye
had
been
acquired
by
the
publishing
house
which
publishes
the
Johannesburg-based
Sunday
World.
In
the
same
story,
Bethuel
Thai
was
said
to
be
transferring
his
focus
to
running
a
new
printing
press,
which
had
been
acquired
as
a
result
of
a
M2.3
million
loan
from
the
Southern
African
Media
Development
Fund.
The
new
printing
press
was
to
be
situated
in
the
Mohalalitoe
suburb
of
Maseru
and
would
serve
the
independent
press
with
high
quality
colour
printing
at
present
being
undertaken
(for
example
for
both
Public
Eye
and
Our
Times)
in
South
Africa.
The
following
week
it
seems
that
there
was
some
doubt
about
the
story
in
Our
Times.
The
newspaper
reported
that
Bethuel
Thai
was
suing
it
for
M139
094
'in
damages
for
defamation
and
injury
to
business
status
and
reputation'.
Nevertheless,
the
part
of
the
story
about
a
new
printing
works
certainly
had
substance.
'Total
Print
House'
with
a'state-of-
the-art'
web
offset
press
capable
of
producing
full
colour
newspapers
had
already
been
advertising
for
local
staff
since
May.
Our
Times
achieved
seven
issues
before
progressing
to
Balimong
ba
likoranta,
the
abode
of
the
newspapers'
ancestors.
▲back
to top
The
relaxing
of
controls
so
that
all
Basotho
became
entitled
to
six
month
border
passes
had
earlier
in
2004
led
to
enormous
queues
at
the
Maseru
Bridge
Border
Post,
because
such
passes
could
only
be
obtained
in
morning
hours.
With
effect
from
mid-July,
officials
on
the
South
African
side
changed
the
opening
hours
for
issuing
the
passes
from
8
a.m.
to
4
p.m.,
with
the
forms
to
be
filled
in
issued
up
to
3
p.m.
instead
of
being
rationed
and
not
issued
after
9
a.m.
The
average
waiting
time
which
had
been
around
3
hours
was
reduced
for
most
people
to
a
matter
of
minutes
rather
than
hours,
except
at
busy
times
such
as
holidays
and
the
end
of
the
month,
when
monthly
pay
is
taken
across
the
border
to
procure
goods
and
services.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
This
Day
of
27
July
2004,
the
World
Bank
has
blacklisted
the
Canadian
firm,
Acres
International,
for
three
years
following
its
conviction
for
corruption
in
Lesotho.
The
Lesotho
High
Court
found
the
firm
guilty
of
paying
bribes
to
Masupha
Sole,
Chief
Executive
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Project.
Sole
himself
is
in
gaol
serving
a
15
year
sentence
for
accepting
the
bribes.
The
World
Bank
ruling
affects
new
contracts
over
the
next
three
years,
but
existing
projects
will
not
be
affected.
Acres,
founded
in
1928,
currently
has
World
Bank
financed
projects
in
the
Middle
East,
Ethiopia
and
Tanzania.
It
expressed
itself
'deeply
disappointed'
by
the
World
Bank
decision.
Several
other
international
firms
have
either
been
convicted
of
corruption
or
are
still
to
face
the
Lesotho
High
Court.
They
must
be
wondering
whether
a
similar
fate
awaits
them.
▲back
to top
With
effect
from
1
August
2004,
Peete
Molapo
assumed
the
post
of
Managing
Director
of
the
Lesotho
National
Development
Corporation.
The
new
Chief
Executive
of
LNDC
comes
with
long
experience
at
the
Central
Bank
of
Lesotho.
He
began
work
there
in
1983,
and
was
appointed
Chief
Economist
in
1993,
before
moving
to
Lesotho
Bank
in
1997
as
economic
adviser
and
strategist
to
the
Managing
Director.
In
1998
he
became
a
Director
of
the
African
Development
Bank,
and
in
2001
was
appointed
Deputy
Governor
of
the
Central
Bank.
He
succeeds
Sophia
Mohapi
whose
term
of
office
ended
after
seven
years
of
service.
▲back
to top
Following
successive
increases
in
the
price
of
petrol,
the
month
of
July
was
one
of
considerable
chaos
in
relation
to
minibus
taxi
fares.
A
new
fare
structure
has
to
be
approved
by
the
Traffic
Commissioner,
but
when
no
new
fares
were
announced,
taxi
owners
implemented
their
own
rises
in
fares.
As
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
15
July
2004,
22
taxis
and
their
drivers
were
in
police
custody
for
allegedly
forcing
passengers
to
pay
illegal
fares.
The
matter
was
regularized
on
1
August
2004
when
fares
were
increased
on
most
routes
by
some
25%
to
33%.
Minimum
fares
in
the
centre
of
Maseru
rose
from
M2.00
to
M2.50.
On
longer
routes
such
as
Maseru
to
Roma,
the
fare
rose
from
M6.20
to
M8.30,
although
in
practice
passengers
are
often
forgiven
the
odd
lisente,
so
that
the
effective
rise
was
from
M6
to
M8
per
single
journey.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Defence
Force
(Amendment)
Act
2002,
Act
6
of
2002,
according
to
its
wording,
came
into
force
on
publication
in
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette,
which
in
fact
occurred
in
Gazette
no.
34
of
2002
dated
2
April
2002.
The
Act
changed
Section
39(1)
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
Act
1996
so
that
it
now
reads
'A
soldier
shall
retire
from
the
Defence
Force
on
attaining
the
age
of
45
years'.
Previously
retirement
had
been
at
55
years.
According
to
the
1996
Act,
"soldier'
does
not
include
an
officer
but
where
the
context
otherwise
provides,
includes
a
warrant
officer
and
a
non-commissioned
officer'.
It
is
clear
from
this
that
officers
do
not
have
to
retire
at
the
age
of
45,
and
that
ordinary
soldiers
who
are
not
NCOs
must
do
so.
As
far
as
NCOs
are
concerned,
the
wording
is
far
from
clear,
although
it
seems
that
they
should
be
included.
The
intention
of
Government
in
making
the
amendment
to
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
Act
1996
was
clearly
to
reduce
the
size
and
cost
of
the
army.
However,
rather
curiously,
the
matter
seems
not
to
have
been
discussed
with
the
Commander
of
the
Defence
Force,
Lieutenant-General
Makhula
Mosakeng,
nor
even
communicated
to
him!
Public
Eye
of
10
September
2003
reported
that
a
notice
signed
by
the
Commander
of
the
Defence
Force
dated
15
July
2004
drew
attention
to
the
new
retirement
age,
and
also
stated
that
the
army
had
been
quite
open
in
admitting
it
only
became
aware
of
the
new
legislation
in
July
2004,
even
though
it
had
theoretically
come
into
force
more
than
two
years
earlier.
The
army
was
said
to
be
studying
how
the
new
retirement
age
could
be
implemented.
Soldiers
retired
would
be
entitled
to
pensions.
It
is
believed
that
about
300
presently
serving
soldiers
will
be
affected.
Quite
what
second
career
these
retired
soldiers
will
follow,
is
not
immediately
clear,
although
in
the
past
many
ex-soldiers
have
joined
security
firms.
Unfortunately,
as
court
cases
have
revealed,
in
the
past
some
soldiers
and
ex-soldiers
have
also
used
their
knowledge
of
firearms
to
indulge
in
criminal
activity.
Mopheme
of
14
September
2004,
for
example,
reported
a
court
case
in
which
six
men,
two
of
them
members
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
and
a
one
police
officer
were
amongst
six
accused
of
robbing
Pep
Store
in
Maseru
on
23
May
2004.
▲back
to top
A
third
woman
judge
has
been
appointed
to
the
High
Court.
She
is
Nthomeng
Majara,
and
biographical
detail
was
provided
in
an
interview
with
'Matipi
Tsoho
in
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
of
22
July
2004.
Justice
Majara,
born
in
June
1963,
is
the
fourth
of
seven
children
of
the
late
Matete
Majara,
a
well-known
Basotho
National
Party
cabinet
minister.
She
is
a
holder
of
the
LLB
from
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
which
she
acquired
in
1994.
After
an
LLM
from
London
University,
she
was
on
the
staff
of
the
NUL.
She
has
also
served
as
a
magistrate
in
Maseru
and
Mafeteng
Districts,
and
most
recently
in
the
past
year
was
head
of
internal
revenue
for
the
Lesotho
Revenue
Authority.
Justice
Maj
ara
is
unmarried
and
without
children.
▲back
to top
The
present
system
of
private
vehicle
numberplates
in
Lesotho
was
introduced
in
1979.
The
plates
show
a
blue
mokorotlo
(Basotho
hat)
a
district
letter,
and
a
four
digit
number.
The
ten
district
letters
start
with
A
for
Maseru
District,
and
then
jump
to
B
for
Butha-Buthe,
thereafter
moving
anti-clockwise
through
the
remaining
districts
to
H
for
Qacha's
Nek,
J
for
Mokhotlong
and
K
for
Thaba-Tseka
District.
The
letter
I
is
understandably
omitted.
This
system
allows
for
up
to
9999
registrations
per
district,
but
in
two
districts
this
number
has
been
exceeded.
Maseru
District
exhausted
all
A
numbers
as
early
as
1984,
after
which
cars
were
registered
with
two
letter
combinations
(each
allowing
an
extra
999
numbers)
beginning
with
AA,
AB
etc,
a
sequence
(omitting
Al,
AO
and
AQ)
which
has
now
reached
AW.
Similarly
Leribe
District,
moved
from
C
to
CA
in
the
year
2000
and
has
now
reached
CB.
The
exceptions
to
this
system
are
the
red
number
plates
of
government
and
project
vehicles
which
respectively
have
X
or
Y
registrations;
the
diplomatic
corps,
who
get
special
plates
reflecting
their
missions;
and
the
King
whose
vehicles
are
marked
MK.
This
rather
unexciting
range
of
number
plates
is
apparently
shortly
to
be
enlarged,
allowing
South
African-type
plates
which
can
reflect
a
person's
name
or
interests.
According
to
the
manager
of
the
Lesotho
National
Transportation
Information
Service,
Bahlakoana
Makhera,
as
quoted
in
Public
Eye
of
20
August
2004,
personalised
car
registrations
will
soon
be
available
in
Lesotho.
Seven
chosen
letters
followed
by
LS
for
Lesotho
will
be
allowed,
together
with
the
mokorotlo.
The
cost
for
such
vanity
registrations
will
be
about
M2
000.
▲back
to top
A
veteran
diplomat
and
public
servant,
Joseph
Riffat
Larry
Kotsokoane,
known
as
'Joe'
or
'JRL'
to
his
friends,
died
on
25
July
2004.
He
was
cremated
in
Bloemfontein
on
Monday
2
August,
following
which
there
was
a
memorial
service
at
the
Anglican
Cathedral
in
Maseru
on
Friday
6
August.
Joe
Kotsokoane
was
born
in
Hebron,
near
Pretoria,
on
19
October
1922
and
grew
up
in
Sophiatown,
Johannesburg.
His
high
school
education
was
completed
at
St
Francis
College,
Mariannhill
in
the
then
Natal,
after
which
he
completed
a
BSc
at
the
University
College
of
Fort
Hare,
followed
by
a
BSc
(Hons)
in
Plant
Ecology
at
the
University
of
the
Witwatersrand.
He
later
completed
a
postgraduate
Certificate
in
Crop
and
Animal
Production
at
Wye
College
of
the
University
of
London.
Both
he
and
his
wife,
who
is
from
Johannesburg,
were
part
of
the
wider
Basotho
community
resident
in
South
Africa.
Joe
Kotsokoane
first
came
to
Lesotho
as
Agricultural
Education
Officer
in
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
in
1952,
and
he
served
in
the
Ministry
in
a
number
of
posts
up
to
Independence.
During
this
period
he
was
Principal
of
the
School
of
Agriculture
(the
forerunner
of
the
present
Lesotho
Agricultural
College)
from
1955
to
1962.
At
Independence
in
1966,
he
became
the
first
High
Commissioner
of
the
Kingdom
of
Lesotho
to
the
United
Kingdom,
where
he
served
for
three
years.
He
was
subsequently
High
Commissioner
in
Nairobi
during
the
period
1970-3.
Thereafter
he
became
a
member
of
the
Cabinet,
serving
successively
as
Minister
of
Education
&
Culture,
as
Minister
of
Health
&
Social
Welfare,
and
as
Minister
of
Agriculture.
He
was
also
briefly
Lesotho's
Representative
to
the
United
Nations,
and
later
Minister
to
the
Prime
Minister.
After
the
Military
Coup
in
1986,
Joe
Kotsokoane
undertook
a
variety
of
consultancy
work
in
South
Africa,
mainly
in
the
agricultural
field.
He
was
awarded
an
honorary
doctorate
by
the
University
of
Fort
Hare
in
2001.
Joe
Kotsokoane
is
survived
by
his
wife,
Mamie
'Mankabi,
and
by
five
children
and
seven
grandchildren.
Their
oldest
son,
Captain
Nkabi
Kotsokoane,
is
a
retired
military
officer
and
lives
in
Ladybrand,
while
their
youngest
son,
resident
in
Maseru,
is
Tsepo,
who
trained
as
a
miller
in
Italy,
and
works
in
the
flour
mills
at
Maputsoe.
One
daughter,
'Makahlolo
('Lolo'),
who
also
lives
locally,
has
followed
in
her
father's
footsteps
and
has
an
MSc
in
Agriculture
from
the
University
of
Reading.
Together
with
her
husband,
Bob
McKee,
she
is
owner
of
the
Garden
Centre
in
Maseru.
A
daughter,
Koena,
is
now
resident
in
Cape
Town.
In
the
early
1980s,
she
was
well-known
as
a
newsreader
on
Radio
Lesotho
and
as
editor
of
Lesotho
Today,
The
third
daughter,
Ipuseng,
has
also
became
a
media
specialist,
and
works
in
publishing
in
Johannesburg.
▲back
to top
The
Lesotho
Justice
Sector
Development
Programme
(LJSDP),
as
revealed
in
a
report
recently
released,
is
charged
with
documenting
deficiencies
in
the
Lesotho
Justice
Sector,
developing
a
strategic
development
plan,
and
then
(from
January
2005)
ensuring
its
implementation.
The
Programme
has
been
developed
by
a
team
of
locally
recruited
staff
supported
by
external
consultants.
The
situation
report,
compiled
during
the
LJSDP's
inception
phase
was
made
available
to
the
Press,
and
was
serialized
in
Public
Eye
over
six
issues,
beginning
with
the
issue
of
6
August
2004.
This
report
is
hard
hitting
and
refers
to
serious
lack
of
effective
management
of
resources
and
finance
throughout
the
sector;
a
'startling
lack
of
management
information';
ineffective
leadership;
poor
management
of
human
resources;
and
serious
lack
of
communication,
consultation
and
coordination.
On
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
(LMPS),
the
LJSDP
found
serious
concerns
relating
to
crime
investigation.
The
Police
Training
College
could
not
even
say
when
it
last
held
a
course
in
crime
investigation
techniques.
'Interviewing
techniques
are
non-existent
and
there
are
many
allegations
of
torture
and
abuse
of
persons
who
have
been
arrested'.
Forensic
scientists
do
not
visit
scenes
of
crime
and
management
of
exhibits
and
dockets
is
generally
poor.
The
LJSDP
also
found
that
Public
Prosecutors
are
poorly
trained
and
have
to
work
under
tremendous
pressure.
As
of
March
2004,
there
was
a
backlog
of
6
308
cases
in
the
Maseru
Magistrates'
Court.
The
management
of
the
Magistrates'
Courts
is
said
to
be
'almost
non-existent....
There
was
no
evidence
of
planning,
written
instructions,
records,
communication
or
supervision....
Faith
in
the
Magistrates'
Courts
has
been
undermined
because
of
the
delays
and
there
are
allegations
of
corruption
at
every
level.
We
discovered
cases
which
were
the
subject
of
a
preliminary
examination
at
a
Magistrate's
Court
taking
five
years
or
more
to
reach
the
High
Court.'
On
the
other
hand,
the
LJSDP
found
that
there
were
relatively
few
issues
of
concern
in
the
Local
and
Central
Courts.
'There
was
no
evidence
of
any
appreciable
backlog
of
cases
and
people
using
the
courts
to
resolve
disputes
were
generally
satisfied
with
the
levels
of
service
they
received.'
The
relatively
simple
procedures
and
the
fact
that
proceedings
were
in
Sesotho
was
welcomed.
Amongst
other
findings,
the
LJSDP
also
discovered
a
serious
backlog
of
cases
at
the
High
Court.
It
examined
criminal
trials
registers
for
the
period
1990
to
November
2001,
and
found
680
cases
from
that
period
which
had
not
yet
been
completed.
When
searching
files
from
the
period
dating
back
to
1995,
the
investigators
found
that
'for
many
files
all
activity
with
them
stopped
in
December
2001.
Quite
literally,
nothing
has
happened
to
them;
they
have
simply
been
left
in
the
filing
cabinets
and
appear
to
all
intents
and
purposes
to
have
been
forgotten.
What
is
more
worrying
is
the
fact
that
the
vast
majority
of
these
files
were
for
offences
of
murder,
some
having
been
committed
in
the
1980s.
The
prospects
of
a
conviction
after
so
long
must
be
questionable.'
The
report
blames
much
of
the
inefficiency
in
the
High
Court
system
('day
upon
day
we
found
very
few
of
the
9
courts
were
actually
in
use')
on
a
poor
system
for
listing
matters
to
be
placed
before
the
courts.
It
also
comments
on
the
poor
execution
of
judgments,
commenting
'it
is
clear
that
many
of
the
problems
with
the
execution
of
judgments
entail
corruption.
It
is
a
commonly
held
belief
that
one
has
to
know
someone
in
order
to
have
a
judgment
executed.
However,
there
is
no
management
information
about
the
extent
of
the
problem.'
In
relation
to
the
Court
of
Appeal,
the
report
is
more
positive,
and
states
'it
was
especially
pleasing
to
note
that
all
judgments
are
delivered
within
weeks
in
stark
contrast
to
the
High
Court'.
However,
there
is
criticism
of
the
incomplete
records
prepared
for
the
Court
of
Appeal.
Audio
tapes
used
for
transcription
sometimes
went
missing.
'In
one
notable
case,
where
a
person
appealed
against
conviction
having
been
sentenced
to
a
term
of
imprisonment
exceeding
10
years,
one
of
the
tapes
was
missing,
and
the
Court
of
Appeal
had
no
alternative
but
to
allow
the
appeal.'
In
relation
to
the
use
of
bail,
the
report
states
that
'there
are
numerous
cases
where
people
were
granted
bail
for
the
charge
of
murder,
only
to
abscond
and
never
to
be
found
again.
We
found
one
case
where
an
accused
murdered
someone
at
the
beginning
of
a
month
and
then
went
on
to
commit
another
murder
at
the
end
of
the
same
month
and
was
still
given
bail'.
In
relation
to
the
Probation
Unit,
the
LJSDP
notes
that
with
just
12
probation
officers,
it
is
hopelessly
understaffed,
which
probably
accounts
for
those
administering
justice
in
courts
not
resorting
to
alternatives
to
imprisonment.
It
is
noted
that
the
Legal
Aid
Unit
deals
more
with
civil
cases
than
with
criminal
cases,
whereas
in
some
countries
such
a
unit
only
services
those
charged
with
a
criminal
offence.
As
far
as
defence
lawyers
are
concerned,
it
is
noted
that
in
the
absence
of
an
effective
listing
system,
they
take
advantage
of
the
weak
administrations
within
the
courts,
exploiting
them
to
the
advantage
of
their
clients
and
obtaining
adjournments
'on
the
flimsiest
of
pretexts'.
Some
engage
in
'forum
shopping',
arranging
which
judicial
officer
will
hear
their
case,
choosing
those
who
are
lenient
when
it
comes
to
allowing
bail
or
sentencing.
On
the
way
forward,
the
LJSDP
report
mentions
the
need
for
a
Vision
to
be
developed;
the
need
for
effective
communication,
co-ordination
and
co-operation
between
institutions;
and
the
need
for
a
national
forum
meeting
quarterly
to
review
the
problems
affecting
the
Justice
Sector'.
The
sector
as
a
whole
and
each
of
its
institutions
need
strategic
development
plans.
▲back
to top
Lesotho
has
competed
in
the
Olympic
Games
since
1972.
Its
team
for
the
Olympic
Games
held
in
Athens
from
12
to
30
August
2004,
was
rather
smaller
than
the
15-strong
team
sent
to
the
Sydney
Olympics
in
2000.
The
2004
team
consisted
of
a
woman
Tae
Kwondo
expert,
Lineo
Mochesane;
and
two
marathon
runners,
'Mamokete
Lechela
and
Ntlotsoeu
Mpesela.
The
team
had
a
much
larger
number
of
supporters,
including
the
Minister
for
Gender,
Youth
&
Sports,
Mrs
'Mathabiso
Lepono;
her
Principal
Secretary,
Makalo
Theko;
the
President
of
the
Lesotho
Olympic
Committee,
Mrs
'Matlohang
Ramoqopo;
and
a
team
doctor.
As
in
previous
Olympic
Games,
the
team
returned
without
medals.
Lineo
Mochesane
was
knocked
out
of
the
Tae
Kwondo
by
an
Austrian
competitor.
The
marathon
runner,
'
Mamokete
Lechela
finished
64th
in
her
race,
an
achievement
in
itself
because
a
number
of
competitors,
including
Britain's
Paula
Radcliffe,
dropped
out
of
the
race.
Ntlotsoeu
Lechela,
Lesotho's
only
male
competitor,
also
managed
to
finish
his
marathon
race
coming
70th
out
of
81
runners.
Lesotho
also
participated
in
the
Olympic
Games
in
a
non-competitive
role.
A
helicopter
pilot
in
the
Air
Wing
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force,
Captain
Thabo
Mohapi,
is
also
a
qualified
and
experienced
boxing
referee.
He
was
chosen
as
a
referee
to
judge
bouts
in
Athens.
▲back
to top
After
a
trial
lasting
two
years,
sentences
were
finally
announced
in
August
for
the
five
members
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
who
had
been
found
guilty
on
11
June
2004
of
the
murder
of
the
then
Deputy
Prime
Minister
and
Minister
of
Finance,
Selometsi
Baholo.
The
murder
had
taken
place
more
than
10
years
earlier
on
14
April
1994.
Sentences
were
also
handed
down
at
the
same
time
for
the
kidnapping
of
four
cabinet
ministers
which
occurred
on
the
same
date.
In
relation
to
the
murder
of
Baholo,
Sergeant
Lenkoane
Molelle
was
sentenced
to
12
years
imprisonment;
Captain
Lijane
Kaloko
to
10
years;
Privates
Setsomi
Letsie
and
Tankiso
Moletoa
to
4
years
imprisonment.
All
of
these
were
without
the
option
of
a
fine,
but
Corporal
Tankiso
Majoro,
received
4
years
with
an
option
of
a
fine
of
M4
000,
half
of
which
was
suspended
for
2
years.
Lesser
concurrent
sentences
were
imposed
for
the
kidnappings.
▲back
to top
Chief
Halikopane
Matsohlo
Sekonyela
was
installed
as
Principal
Chief
of
the
Batlokoa
at
a
ceremony
in
Mokhotlong
District
on
Friday
20
August
2004.
Chief
Halikopane
succeeds
the
widow
of
his
older
brother,
Chieftainess
'Maqheqheba
Halialohe
Matsohlo
Sekonyela.
She
had
been
the
Senator
representing
the
Batlokoa
Chieftainship
from
1996
to
2003.
Her
husband,
Halialohe,
had
succeeded
his
father
Matsohlo
Sekonyela
after
he
had
died
in
September
1995.
However,
he
hardly
had
the
chance
to
rule
because
of
ill-health.
Chief
Halikopane
Sekonyela
is
a
great-grandson
of
Chief
Lelingoana
who
settled
with
his
Batlokoa
people
in
Mokhotlong
in
1882.
▲back
to top
New
Road
Transport
Regulations
2004
were
published
as
a
supplement
to
a
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
of
27
August
2004.
Excluding
the
various
schedules
with
specimen
forms,
they
expand
the
original
5
pages
of
the
Road
Transport
Regulations
1981
to
14
pages.
Despite
their
wide
application,
the
new
regulations,
published
only
in
English,
are
hardly
user
friendly.
They
make
reference
to
amongst
others
holders
of
C-permits,
D-permits
and
F-permits,
without
providing
a
definition.
Reference
to
the
parent
Road
Transport
Act
1981
establishes
that
a
Cpermit
is
in
fact
a
public
service
permit
entitling
the
holder
to
run
a
bus,
while
a
D-permit
is
a
taxi
service
permit.
However
the
same
Act
makes
no
reference
to
F-permits.
There
has
been
no
consolidated
edition
of
Lesotho's
laws
since
1960,
but
the
diligent
searcher
will
eventually
come
across
the
definition
of
an
F-permit
in
the
Road
Transport
(Amendment)
Order
1991,
where
it
is
stated
that
'An
F-permit
shall
entitle
a
holder
thereof
to
convey
passengers
of
[sic]
goods
to
and
from
the
Common
Customs
Area
member
countries'.
The
regulations
include
detailed
specifications
for
the
dimensions
of
entrances
and
seats
on
buses.
For
example,
entrances
have
to
be
at
least
530
mm
wide
and
1.29
m
high
measured
from
the
lowest
step,
while
the
distance
between
seats
(backrest
to
backrest)
has
to
be
at
least
600
mm.
Seats
have
to
be
400
mm
wide
when
standing
passengers
are
allowed
and
otherwise
have
to
be
360
mm
wide.
A
great
deal
more
is
also
now
part
of
transport
law.
For
example,
under
'Touting'
it
is
stated
that
'A
person
shall
not
for
the
purpose
of
inviting
or
obtaining
passengers
for
any
public
motor
vehicle,
make
any
noise
or
sound
any
instrument,
or
do
anything
which
causes
or
is
likely
to
cause
annoyance,
inconvenience
or
danger
to
the
public'.
It
remains
to
see
what
impact
this
might
have
in
reducing
noise
levels.
In
Maseru
and
elsewhere,
the
sounding
of
horns
by
minibus
taxis
to
attract
passengers
is
commonplace,
as
is
the
shouting
by
the
k'hontae
or
conductor
of
'Setopong'
or
'Seteisheneng'
or
'Thetsane'
or
some
other
destination.
In
fact
it
will
be
interesting
to
know
at
what
point
the
taxi
drivers
and
their
conductors
will
even
be
made
aware
of
the
new
regulations,
since
they
are
unlikely
ever
to
acquire
or
read
the
Lesotho
Government
Gazette.
Even
if
they
do
try
to
find
the
Gazette
(difficult
when
there
is
no
conveniently
situated
Government
Bookshop)
they
will
encounter
considerable
confusion.
Leaving
aside
the
linguistic
and
typographical
errors
in
the
regulations,
there
is
something
strange
about
the
legal
notice
itself
(no.
129
published
on
27
August
2004)
which
sets
out
the
Road
Transport
Regulations
2004.
It
is
in
fact
repealed
by
new
Road
Transport
Regulations
2004
published
as
Legal
Notice
no.
166
in
a
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
Extraordinary
of
15
September
2004!
It
might
be
expected
that
the
new
regulations,
published
19
days
later,
were
needed
to
correct
some
mistake
in
the
original
regulations,
but
in
fact
they
are
word
for
word
the
same
as
the
ones
they
replace.
There
is,
however,
one
difference.
The
new
regulations
(but
not
the
old),
have
had
their
pages
permuted
so
that
as
continuous
text
they
have
become
nonsense.
▲back
to top
A
new
Bishop
for
the
18th
Episcopal
District
of
the
African
Methodist
Episcopal
(AME)
Church
was
welcomed
in
Lesotho
on
Sunday
29
August
2004.
She
is
Bishop
Dr
Sarah
Frances
Davis,
replacing
her
predecessor,
Dr
Vashti
Murphy
Mackenzie.
The
AME,
whose
followers
are
chiefly
black
Americans,
was
founded
more
than
200
years
ago
in
Philadelphia.
13
of
its
19
Episcopal
Districts
are
located
in
North
America,
3
in
Africa,
and
one
each
in
South
America,
the
West
Indies
and
London.
With
effect
from
31
August
2004,
the
embarkation
charge
on
international
flights
from
Moshoeshoe
I
International
Airport
was
raised
to
M50.
At
the
same
time
the
embarkation
fee
for
domestic
flights
was
raised
to
M10.
There
are,
however,
at
present
no
scheduled
domestic
flights.
▲back
to top
The
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
since
1
March
2001,
Dr
Tefetso
Henry
Mothibe,
proceeded
onterminal
leave
on
1
September2004.
He
had
assumed
office
in
2001,
promising
to
bring
stability
to
NUL
in
the
context
of
a
Transformation
and
Restructuring
Plan.
Although
much
effort
subsequently
went
into
what
was
called
'transformation',
it
proved
to
be
a
very
costly
exercise
involving
the
creation
of
a
number
of
new
highly
paid
positions,
including
Executive
Deans,
a
Director
of
Human
Resources,
a
Corporate
Secretary
and
a
Director
of
Transformation,
none
of
which
were
provided
for
within
the
University's
existing
statutes.
The
transformation
process
had
been
brought
to
an
abrupt
halt
by
the
meeting
of
the
University
Council
on
Monday
31
May
2004
when,
consonant
with
a
directive
from
the
Ministry
of
Education,
the
Council
required
that
no
further
money
be
spent
on
the
transformation
process,
and
that
the
university
should
revert
to
the
situation
in
2002
before
the
new
posts
were
created.
The
new
Acting
Vice-Chancellor
is
the
recently
appointed
Pro-Vice-Chancellor,
Professor
Mafa
Sejanamane.
He
has
a
particularly
difficult
task
ahead,
given
that
the
financial
situation
of
the
university
has
deteriorated
over
the
past
four
years.
The
detailed
financial
situation
is
not
even
known
with
any
certainty,
because
the
university
has
been
without
a
bursar
and
deputy
bursar
for
over
three
years
(they
were
suspended
on
full
pay
pending
disciplinary
charges
which
seem
not
to
have
succeeded).
One
result
is
that
the
university's
accounts
have
not
been
prepared
since
the
financial
year
1999/2000,
and
thus
for
the
following
four
years
cannot
be
audited.
Advertisements
have
appeared
in
the
press
for
qualified
accountants
to
help
to
prepare
these
accounts.
The
university
itself
teaches
Accounting
within
its
Department
of
Business
Administration,
where
it
is
one
of
the
available
specializations
in
the
four-year
Bachelor
of
Commerce
degree.
Amongst
other
problems
facing
the
university
are
serious
imbalances
in
student
registration.
Large
numbers
of
students
are
registered
in
programmes
for
which
there
are
few
employment
opportunities
on
graduation,
while
at
the
same
time
Lesotho
has
very
severe
shortages
of
nurses,
doctors
and
primary
school
teachers
as
well
as
mathematics
and
science
teachers
at
secondary
level.
Most
of
these
shortages
are
the
result
of
qualified
personnel
in
these
areas
having
skills
marketable
in
South
Africa
or
overseas.
The
consequent
brain
drain,
the
migrant
labour
system
of
the
new
millennium,
does
result
in
money
being
remitted
back
to
Lesotho.
However
the
loss
of
manpower
from
Lesotho
requires
a
massive
increase
in
training
opportunities,
with
appropriate
incentives
to
ensure
that
Lesotho
itself
retains
enough
professional
staff
to
service
its
own
needs
in
these
areas
of
demand.
▲back
to top
The
former
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
Professor
Ramoshebi
Maboee
Moletsane,
on
3
September
2004
took
leave
of
the
National
Manpower
Development
Secretariat
,
where
he
had
been
employed
as
Director
for
the
past
three
years.
His
new
assignment
will
be
the
Directorship
of
the
Lesotho
Institute
of
Public
Administration
and
Management
(LIPAM).
This
will
not
be
a
particularly
easy
task.
The
main
buildings
of
LIPAM
were
declared
structurally
unsound
in
2002
and
were
demolished.
Its
administration
offices
is
at
present
on
the
third
floor
of
Block
A
of
Development
House
in
Maseru's
Central
Business
District.
Teaching
takes
place
in
borrowed
classrooms
at
the
University's
Institute
of
Extra-Mural
Studies
(which
fortuitously
has
classrooms
otherwise
empty
all
day,
because
they
are
mainly
used
for
part-time
evening
classes);
and
the
LIPAM
library
is
currently
accommodated
in
space
rented
from
the
mine
recruiting
organization,
TEBA,
at
the
other
end
of
town
on
Moshoeshoe
Road.
▲back
to top
As
announced
in
the
Budget
for
2004/5,
the
Lesotho
Government
is
embarking
on
a
scheme
to
provide
pensions
of
M150
per
month
to
all
persons
over
the
age
of
70.
However,
the
actual
mechanism
to
achieve
this
is
taking
a
long
time
to
develop.
An
initial
approach
to
the
Independent
Electoral
Commission
to
undertake
registration
of
pensioners
was
unsuccessful,
and
a
subsequent
approach
was
made
to
the
Bureau
of
Statistics,
which
recruited
members
of
the
public
to
assist
in
the
task.
However,
as
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
3
September
2004,
this
brought
protests
from
Members
of
Parliament
who
considered
that
they
should
recruit
the
people
needed
themselves.
The
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili,
appeared
on
Lesotho
Television
on
27
August
to
announce
the
beginning
of
the
registration
process
on
30
August.
Constituency
lists
were
being
compiled
by
September.
The
actual
payment
of
the
pensions
is
planned
to
be
carried
out
through
post
offices
and
postal
agencies,
although
the
date
of
the
first
payments
is
yet
to
be
announced.
▲back
to top
The
new
United
States
Ambassador
to
Lesotho,
Ms
June
Carter,
arrived
in
Lesotho
in
September.
She
is
the
first
Afro-American
woman
to
occupy
the
post,
and
replaces
the
former
ambassador,
Mr
Robert
Loftis.
The
Principal
Chief
of
Kubake
and
Ramabanta's,
Chief
Seeiso
Griffiths
Api
died
at
his
home
at
Ha
Ramabanta
on
13
September
2004.
Chief
Seeiso
was
the
great-grandson
of
Chief
Ramabanta
after
whom
the
ward
is
named.
Ramabanta
in
turn
was
named
after
Sir
Godfrey
Lagden,
Resident
Commissioner
of
Lesotho,
1894-1902,
who
gained
the
Sesotho
nickname
Ramabanta,
'father
of
belts',
from
his
military
uniform
with
its
characteristic
additional
decorative
Sam
Browne
belt.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Mopheme
of
14
September
2004,
76
km
of
feeder
roads,
costing
M130
million,
have
been
completed
around
the
Mohale
Reservoir.
The
road
around
the
dam
includes
4
vehicular
bridges
crossing
arms
of
the
reservoir.
Three
footbridges
have
also
been
completed
over
rivers
feeding
the
reservoir.
▲back
to top
The
UNFPA
state
of
world
population
2004
report,
compiled
by
the
United
Nations
Population
Fund,
was
released
in
Lesotho
(and
globally)
on
15
September
2004.
It
shows
that
the
World's
population
is
currently
6
400
million
and
still
growing
at
76
million
a
year.
Although
the
rate
of
growth
is
slowing,
a
total
world
population
of
8
900
million
is
predicted
by
2050.
The
reported
situation
for
individual
countries
is
however
rather
different.
In
the
case
of
Lesotho,
the
report
takes
the
2004
population
of
the
country
to
be
just
1.8
million,
presumably
reflecting
the
actually
enumerated
figures
of
the
1996
census.
(The
1996
census
is
generally
acknowledged
to
have
been
flawed,
resulting
in
an
under-renumeration
generally
considered
to
be
at
least
5%.
A
2004
figure
of
2.1
million
would
have
been
a
more
plausible
estimate.)
The
UNFPA
attempts
estimates
of
the
2050
population
for
each
country,
and
for
2050
estimates
that
Lesotho's
population
will
have
dropped
to
1.4
million.
It
also
predicts
drops
in
the
populations
of
all
other
southern
African
countries
by
2050
except
Namibia.
Other
estimates
for
Lesotho
are
an
overall
population
growth
rate
for
the
period
2001-5
of
only
0.1
%,
although
the
urban
growth
rate
is
estimated
at
0.9%;
an
infant
mortality
rate
of
92
per
1000
live
births
(the
highest
in
southern
Africa);
male
and
female
life
expectancies
of
32.3
years
and
37.7
years
(in
the
case
of
males
the
lowest
in
the
world,
even
less
than
male
life
expectancies
for
Zambia
and
Sierra
Leone
which
are
marginally
higher);
maternal
mortality
of
550
in
100
000
live
births
(the
highest
in
southern
Africa);
a
total
fertility
rate
of
3.84
live
births
per
woman;
and
a
HIV
prevalence
rate
of
25.4%
of
males
and
32.4%
of
females
in
the
age
range
15
to
49
(higher
prevalence
rates
are
only
given
for
Botswana
and
Swaziland).
A
more
cheerful
statistic
is
that
Lesotho
is
recorded
as
being
the
only
country
in
Africa
with
more
females
than
males
enrolled
in
primary
school,
a
statistic
closely
related
to
its
having
the
lowest
female
illiteracy
rate
(10%)
in
Africa.
Many
of
the
Lesotho
statistics
are
grim
reflections
of
a
deterioration
in
the
health
status
of
Basotho
and
of
the
health
services
themselves.
In
1994,
ten
years
earlier,
a
UNICEF-sponsored
report,
The
situation
of
women
and
children
in
Lesotho,
estimated
the
population
growth
rate
to
be
between
2.6%
and
2.8%;
an
infant
mortality
rate
of
79
per
1000
live
births;
a
maternal
mortality
rate
of
282
for
100
000
live
births;
and
a
total
fertility
rate
of
5.1
(using
a
1986
census
figure).
The
reported
HIV
prevalence
rates
in
1994
were
less
than
0.1
%
for
both
men
and
women.
Life
expectancy
rates,
while
not
appearing
in
the
1994
report,
were
more
than
20
years
greater
than
the
extremely
low
figures
reported
by
the
UNFPA
for
2004.
No
critique
of
the
UNFPA
figures
for
Lesotho
has
yet
been
published,
but
in
South
Africa,
the
figures
for
South
Africa
were
immediately
challenged
by
the
Statistician-General,
Lesotho-born
Pali
Lehohla
(in
Business
Report,
21
September
2004).
The
UNFPA
South
African
figures
for
life
expectancy,
45.1
years
for
males
and
50.7
years
for
females,
are
much
higher
than
those
for
Lesotho
but
are
challenged
as
being
too
low,
50
for
males
and
53
for
females
being
the
South
African
official
figures.
Also
the
total
fertility
rate
for
South
Africa
of
2.61
is
considered
too
low,
2.77
being
a
more
accurate
estimate.
▲back
to top
The
canning
factory
at
Masianokeng
was
opened
in
1976
to
provide
processing
facilities
for
an
asparagus
project
which
had
expanded
to
1000
growers,
most
of
them
women,
by
the
end
of
1987.
At
this
time
small
open
sided
shelters
were
established
in
many
of
the
villages
in
the
Lowlands
of
Maseru
District,
where
producers
could
bring
asparagus
to
be
collected
daily
for
transfer
to
the
newly
established
cannery.
In
terms
of
returns
in
maloti
per
hectare,
it
was
the
most
profitable
crop
in
Lesotho.
The
cannery
at
Masianokeng
bought,
marketed
and
processed
the
asparagus,
and
while
most
of
it
was
canned
in
the
form
of
spears
or
as
soup,
fresh
asparagus
also
proved
to
be
a
profitable
export
by
air
freight
to
Western
Europe
in
the
period
September
to
November
each
year.
Unfortunately,
even
though
the
cannery
also
tried
canning
beans
and
peaches,
the
quality
and
availability
proved
insufficient
for
agribusiness,
and
asparagus
proved
to
be
the
only
profitable
product.
However,
it
only
kept
the
cannery
busy
for
three
months
in
the
year.
Eventually
management
problems
affected
the
cannery,
as
well
as
competition
with
extensive
asparagus
growing
(using
cheap
Lesotho
labour
for
seasonal
agricultural
work)
near
Ficksburg
and
other
parts
of
the
Free
State.
A
South
African
firm
was
brought
in
to
run
the
Basotho
Canners,
but
it
found
that
by
this
time
there
was
insufficient
Lesotho
produce
for
profitability.
Bringing
in
South
African
asparagus
to
keep
the
production
line
busy
was
tried,
but
ultimately
the
enterprise
collapsed
and
the
cannery
closed
in
1999.
At
the
time
of
its
closure
it
was
employing
15
permanent
staff
and
750
seasonal
staff.
It
was
announced
in
September
2004
by
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry,
Mpho
Malie,
that
the
Lesotho
Government
had
provided
the
Lesotho
National
Development
Corporation
with
M9
million
to
reopen
the
cannery
with
a
view
to
later
privatization.
The
statement,
as
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
24
September
2004,
said
that
the
cannery
would
open
in
time
for
asparagus
cultivation
on
1
November
2004,
and
its
products
will
be
mainly
beans,
mushrooms,
peaches
and
asparagus.
There
is
some
inconsistency
in
the
statement
in
that
November
is
the
end
of
the
asparagus
season,
and
it
would
seem
that
by
the
time
the
factory
opens
there
will
be
little
remaining
asparagus
available
for
canning
in
the
current
season.
However,
there
is
a
little-documented
mushroom
project
currently
underway
apparently
involving
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture
and
the
University's
Faculty
of
Agriculture.
Possibly
the
newly
opened
factory
will
be
able
to
make
use
of
supplies
from
this
project,
as
well
as
peaches
and
beans
which
become
available
from
Christmas
onwards.
▲back
to top
The
annual
Graduation
Ceremony
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
was
held
on
Saturday
25
September
2004
on
a
cloudy
morning
with
occasional
light
rain.
A
total
of
993
students
received
certificates,
diplomas,
or
degrees.
Amongst
these
were
12
Masters'
Degrees,
5
in
Agriculture,
2
in
Humanities,
3
in
Law
and
2
in
Economics.
▲back
to top
A
Catholic
priest,
Father
Anthony
Thabo
Monyau,
was
on
28
September
2004
sentenced
by
Mr
Justice
Tgeliso
Monaphathi
to
15
years
in
prison
on
two
counts
of
high
treason
and
conspiracy
in
contravention
of
the
Internal
Security
Act
1984
and
Criminal
Procedure
and
Evidence
Act
1981.
The
long
running
court
case
had
arisen
from
the
1998
political
disturbances
during
which
Father
Monyau
had
associated
with
dissident
soldiers
and
illegally
supported
the
overthrow
of
the
Lesotho
Government.
A
request
by
Father
Monyau's
defence
lawyers
for
bail
pending
appeal
was
refused.
▲back
to top
The
forgotten
kingdom:
Prince
Harry
in
Lesotho
was
shown
widely
in
late
September
on
television
in
Britain
and
a
number
of
other
countries.
The
film
was
largely
shot
by
Prince
Harry
himself
earlier
in
2004
and
proceeds
from
the
film
will
benefit
a
number
of
charity
organizations
in
Lesotho,
including
'Mantsase
Children's
Home
in
Mohale's
Hoek
District
where
Prince
Harry
spent
part
of
his
eight-week
stay
in
Lesotho.
Prince
Harry,
aged
20,
is
the
younger
son
of
Prince
Charles
and
the
late
Princess
Diana.
In
2005
he
is
due
to
enter
Sandhurst
for
training
as
an
officer
in
the
British
army.
▲back
to top
The
Minister
of
Works
and
Transport,
Mofelehetsi
Salomone
Moerane,
died
in
a
Johannesburg
clinic
on
28
September
2004
at
the
age
of
72.
He
had
been
suffering
from
cancer
for
some
time.
He
had
represented
the
Koro-Koro
Constituency
in
Maseru
District
since
1998.
▲back
to top
The
Annual
Inflation
Rate
for
the
period
January
to
June
2004
had
remained
between
5%
and
6%,
approximately
1%
higher
than
in
South
Africa,
because
of
the
residual
effect
of
the
introduction
of
14%
VAT
in
place
of
10%
General
Sales
Tax
in
Lesotho
in
July
2003.
The
impact
of
VAT
disappeared
in
July
2004,
making
it
possible
for
inflation
to
drop
to
as
low
as
4.6%,
the
lowest
annual
inflation
rate
for
34
years.
However,
offsetting
this,
there
had
already
been
an
underlying
inflationary
trend
from
May
2004
resulting
from
fuel
price
rises.
While
the
reduced
impact
of
VAT
had
cut
some
1%
off
inflation,
the
global
oil
price
rise
had
by
August
already
taken
inflation
back
to
where
it
had
been
earlier
in
the
year.
With
global
oil
prices
touching
US$50
a
barrel
by
the
end
of
September,
further
increases
in
inflation
seemed
inevitable
in
the
next
few
months.
▲back
to top
The
annual
revision
of
minimum
wages
appeared
in
a
Legal
Notice
in
Lesotho
Government
Gazette
Extraordinary
of
28
September
2004.
It
provides
for
new
minimum
wages
to
come
into
force
on
1
October
2004.
The
new
schedule
departs
from
the
format
of
earlier
years,
so
that
whereas
direct
comparisons
can
be
made
in
the
case
of
some
occupations,
in
other
cases
the
changes
are
not
so
clear.
Right
at
the
bottom
of
the
wages
schedule
are
domestic
workers
whose
minimum
monthly
wage
rises
from
M210
to
M22
1,
an
increase
of
5.2%
(but
still
less
than
a
third
of
the
minimum
wage
for
this
category
in
S
outh
Africa).
Workers
in
small
businesses
(those,
such
as
village
shops,
with
not
more
than
two
employees)
have
a
rise
of
5.5%
from
M421
to
M440.
In
manufacturing
industry,
the
minimum
wages
are
gazetted
at
M621
per
month
for
a
trainee
and
M650
for
a
trained
person,
exactly
the
same
as
the
wages
gazetted
a
year
earlier
for
a
sewing
machine
operator.
Clothing
sector
workers
are
therefore
awarded
no
wage
increase
at
all,
reflecting
the
difficulties
this
sector
is
facing
as
a
result
of
the
rise
in
value
of
the
loti
against
the
dollar,
and
the
prospect
of
competition
with
China
and
other
Asian
countries
when
the
present
World
Trade
Organization
agreement
ends
in
January
2005.
The
failure
to
get
a
rise
is
certain
to
disappoint
some
30
000
textile
workers
and
their
two
rival
trade
unions,
FAWU
and
LECAWU,
who
had
been
jockeying
with
the
Wages
Board
for
12%
and
6.9%
increases
respectively.
The
failure
to
get
arise
will
also
create
considerable
hardship
for
workers,
who
in
August
suffered
a
25%
increase
in
taxi
fares
to
get
to
work.
They
will
have
to
absorb
other
inflationary
costs,
which
by
October
are
likely
to
be
6%,
a
serious
setback
given
that
salary
rises
in
the
three
previous
years
had
also
fallen
short
of
inflation.
Various
categories
of
workers
spelled
out
in
the
minimum
wage
legislation
a
year
ago
are
no
longer
listed,
but
the
Legal
Notice
says
that
they
may
not
be
paid
less
than
the
minimum
wage
set
out
in
the
earlier
schedule.
As
a
result,
copy
typists
and
telephone
operators
have
had
their
minimum
wages
frozen
at
M732
per
month;
while
drivers
of
light,
medium
and
heavy
vehicles
have
had
their
minimum
wages
frozen
at
respectively
M849,
M931,
and
M1191
per
month.
On
the
other
hand,
watchmen
with
a
minimum
of
M863
a
year
ago,
are
now
presumably
covered
by
the
new
category
of
security
personnel
with
a
gazetted
minimum
of
M911,
a
rise
of
5.6%.
Another
new
category
providing
employment
to
increasing
numbers
of
people
is
that
of
workers
in
funeral
parlours.
Such
workers
now
have
their
own
statutory
minimum
wage
of
M742
per
month.
▲back
to top
 2004
winter
(April
to
September)
rainfall
was
close
to
average
throughout
Lesotho.
The
chart
shows
figures
for
Roma,
where,
although
there
was
no
rain
in
May,
the
four
following
months
of
June,
July,
August
and
September
all
had
rainfall
above
average.
The
wettest
winter
on
record
at
Roma
occurred
in
1950
with
477
mm
(see
bottom
of
the
chart).
The
driest
on
record
was
1994
with
66
mm.
The
average
Roma
winter
rainfall
is
186
mm,
and
the
rainfall
for
the
six
months
of
winter
in
2004
totalled
184
mm.
Summary
of
events
in
Lesotho
is
a
quarterly
publication
compiled
by
David
Ambrose
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho,
P.
O:
Roma
180,
Lesotho
▲back
to top
|
