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Summary
of
Events
in
Lesotho
Volume 13,
Number
2, (Second Quarter 2006)
Summary
of
Events
is
a
quarterly
publication
compiled
and
published
by
Prof.
David
Ambrose
since
1993
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
in
Roma.
Summary
of
Events
in
Lesotho
Available
on
Internet
Director
of
Police
Training
School
Murdered
15
Years
Gaol
for
Participant
in
Murder
of
German
Tourist
New
Clothing
Factory
Opens
Semano
Sekatle
Only
Candidate
Nominated
in
By-Election
Maseru
City
Council
to
Create
New
Waste
Disposal
Facility
at
Tšoeneng
Extrajudicial
Killings
Occur
in
Maseru
and
Mafeteng
Major
Bribery
Trial
Set
Down
to
Begin
on
30
October
LCN
Honours
the
Late
Sister
Veronica
Phafoli,
Founder
of
DPE
MKM
Funeral
Services
Sponsors
Largest
Ever
Initiation
School
IEC
Commissioners’
Terms
of
Office
Extended
Minister
of
Culture
Quizzed
on
King
Moshoeshoe’s
Top
Hat
Arts
and
Crafts
Centre
Opened
at
Ha
Kome,
Berea
Disrict
Eighteen
Die
in
Horror
Road
Crash
as
Bus
Flattens
Minibus
Taxi
2006
Census
Undertaken
Lesotho
to
Employ
200
Nurses
from
Kenya
Central
Bank
Governor
Reports
on
Decline
in
Lesotho’s
Economic
Growth
Airport
Visitors
to
Enter
Lesotho
by
Palm
Tree
Avenue
Chinese
Charged
with
Selling
Pirated
Music
Suspected
Cattle
Thieves
Killed
and
Villagers
Suffer
Casualties
at
Ha
Mokhohla
near
Roma
Appeal
Court
Increases
Sentences
on
Baholo’s
Killers
Maseru
City
Council
to
Build
Civic
Centre
New
Shopping
Centre
Opens
in
Hlotse
New
National
Library
and
National
Archives
Building
Opened
Shootout
Leaves
One
Dead
at
Lesotho
Bank
Cathedral
Area
Branch
in
Maseru
Prince
Harry
Launches
Sentebale
Charity
at
’Mantšase
Children’s
Home
Catholic
Priest
Killed
at
his
own
Church
Construction
of
Mohale
to
Thaba-Tseka
Tarred
Road
to
Begin
Shortly
Conditions
at
Qoaling
Clinic
Bring
Home
to
Cuban
Minister
Poor
Health
Service
Delivery
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
and
Lesotho
Today
to
be
Closed
Down
Rock
Star
Bono
Visits
Lesotho;
Multifibre
Agreement
Forum
Discusses
Lesotho’s
Options
Seleso
Vendetta
Leads
to
Further
Deaths
Maloti
Blanketed
in
Snow
Outbreak
of
‘Rabbis’
at
Mantšonyane
University
of
the
Free
State
Stages
Inaugural
King
Moshoeshoe
Memorial
Lecture
Moleleki
Shooting
Incident
Repercussions
Continue
Committee
of
Privileges
Reports
to
Parliament;
Opposition
MP
Bereng
Sekhonyana
Murdered
Prime
Minister
Inaugurates
Library,
Post
Office
and
Roads
in
Qacha’s
Nek
Three
Die
near
Peace
Monument
Likhopo
are
Premier
League
Champions
but
LDF
Wins
Buddie
Top-4
Football
Final
Proposals
for
New
Flag
Designs
Unveiled
Factory
Burns
in
Mafeteng:
2
500
Employees
Affected
New
Envoys
Appointed
Death
of
Professor
J.
M.
Mohapeloa
Irish
President
Visits
Lesotho
New
Roads
to
Parliament
Under
Construction
Reported
Rape
Statistics
Show
Disturbing
Increase
Funeral
of
Bereng
Sekhonyana
Becomes
Large
BNP
Rally
Migrant
Worker
Numbers
Decline
University
Tightens
Security
and
Suspends
Staff;
New
Buildings
Come
into
Use
ATMs
Cause
Problems;
Lesotho
Bank
to
Merge
with
Standard
Bank
Inflation
Increases
and
Stabilizes
Around
5%
Summary
of
Events
in
Lesotho
is
now
available
on
the
internet
at
www.trc.org.ls,
the
website
of
the
Transformation
Resource
Centre
in
Maseru.
This
has
been
made
possible
by
Peter
Lahann,
a
German
volunteer
working
with
TRC,
who
undertook
the
transfer
of
hard
and
electronic
copy
into
the
website.
Apart
from
the
most
recent
issues,
the
website
includes
an
archive
of
earlier
issues.
The
present
issue
is
the
50th
since
the
periodical
began
in
the
First
Quarter
of
1994.
Summary
of
Events
originated
as
a
5-page
news
sheet
of
very
limited
circulation
attempting
to
explain
then
current
political
events
in
Lesotho.
In
January
1994,
the
main
story
was
the
breaking
up
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
into
two
factions
which
were
fighting
each
other,
with
neither
side
issuing
statements
as
to
why
they
were
fighting.
The
first
issue
attempted
to
describe
and
explain
this
serious
development,
and
for
the
first
two
years
subsequent
issues
were
concerned
mainly
with
political
events.
By
1996,
the
periodical
had
evolved
into
its
present
format
with
coverage
of
a
broad
spectrum
of
events
relating
to
Lesotho.
▲back
to top
A
senior
policeman,
Acting
Assistant
Commissioner
Mpatluoa
Letuka,
aged
44,
was
shot
and
killed
on
the
night
of
12
March
2006,
at
Village
Gate
near
Ha
Tšosane
in
the
suburbs
of
Maseru.
His
death
apparently
followed
an
altercation
between
himself
and
another
male
motorist.
Letuka
was
Director
of
the
Police
Training
College
and
his
death
occurred
only
a
few
days
before
the
passing
out
parade
on
24
March
2006
for
new
recruits
to
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service.
At
the
parade,
despite
the
fact
that
the
Commissioner
of
Police,
’Malejaka
Letooane,
is
a
woman,
there
was
a
considerable
gender
imbalance
with
the
new
recruits
to
the
service
being
33
women
and
167
men.
Senior
Superintendent
Letuka
was
buried
at
his
village
of
Matukeng
near
Hlotse
on
the
following
day,
25
March
2006,
and
at
his
funeral,
the
Commissioner
of
Police,
’Malejaka
Letooane,
said
that
every
effort
was
being
made
to
apprehend
the
suspect
believed
to
be
responsible
for
Letuka’s
death.
At
that
point
the
revolver
which
had
fired
the
fatal
shots
had
been
recovered
from
the
house
of
Mrs
Tankiso
Masao
Nkeane
of
Upper
Thamae.
Her
husband,
who
was
the
principal
suspect,
was
initially
not
to
be
found.
Rantlali
Nkeane,
aged
31,
was
however
later
arrested
in
South
Africa,
brought
before
the
Ladybrand
magistrate
on
5
April
2006,
and
deported
to
Lesotho
where
he
was
charged
with
the
murder
before
the
Maseru
magistrate
on
10
April
2006.
He
was
remanded
on
bail
of
M500.
▲back
to top
On
17
March
2004
on
the
road
to
Malealea,
a
German
tourist,
Tobias
Horsten,
was
attacked
and
killed
by
two
men,
one
of
whom,
Qenehelo
Lillane
was
subsequently
beaten
so
badly
by
villagers
that
he
died
from
the
injuries.
The
survivor,
Keketso
Lekota,
was
charged
with
murder
in
the
High
Court
and
in
the
judgment
given
at
the
end
of
March
2006,
he
escaped
the
death
penalty
because
it
was
considered
that
because
he
had
not
fired
the
fatal
shot,
he
had
played
a
lesser
role
in
the
brutal
killing.
He
was
sentenced
to
15
years
in
gaol.
▲back
to top
The
textile
industry
at
the
end
of
2004
had
suffered
many
factory
closures.
However,
on
29
Mach
2006,
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry,
Mpho
Malie,
opened
at
Maputsoe
a
new
clothing
and
textile
factory
which
is
expected
to
employ
3000
workers.
The
Taiwanese
Company,
World
Knitting,
has
invested
US$6
million
in
the
factory,
known
as
Kopano
Textile.
It
will
make
T-shirts
and
jeans
for
export
to
the
USA.
The
new
factory
occupies
premises
previously
occupied
by
the
firms
Lesotho
Haps
and
Vogue
Landmark.
▲back
to top
The
by-election
for
the
Constituency
of
Lebakeng
in
Qacha’s
Nek
District
was
due
to
take
place
on
22
April
2006.
However,
it
was
not
necessary
because
on
Nomination
Day,
21
March
2006,
for
the
first
time
ever
in
a
Parliamentary
election,
there
was
only
a
single
candidate
nominated.
This
was
Semano
Sekatle,
representing
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy.
He
had
most
recently
been
Principal Secretary
to
the
Ministry
of
the Public
Service.
Lebakeng
is
one
of
the
remotest
constituencies
in
Lesotho,
entirely
mountainous
and
dissected
by
the
Senqu
river,
across
which
there
is
no
bridge.
It
has
no
roads
and
virtually
no
access
tracks.
Semano
Sekatle
himself
originally
comes
from
the
constituency,
from
the
remote
village
of
Beselateng
in
the
valley
of
the
Lebakeng,
a
tributary
of
the
Senqu.
Semano
Sekatle’s
wife,
Pontšo
Sekatle
is
already
a
Member
of
Parliament
and
is
Minister
of
Local
Government.
She
represents
the
Qacha’s
Nek
Constituency,
which
includes
the
town
of
Qacha’s
Nek,
which
she
won
in
the
25
May
2002
election
with
72.4%
of
the
vote.
The
new
member
of
party
took
the
oath
of
allegiance
at
the
National
Assembly
on
25
April
2006.
▲back
to top
The
Maseru
City
Council
currently
uses
for
waste
disposal
a
site
at
Tšosane
just
below
Lancers’
Gap,
5
km
east
of
the
city
centre,
where
a
wide
dolerite
dyke,
quarried
in
the
past
for
road
building
material,
has
left
a
large
trench
into
which
waste
can
be
conveniently
disposed.
It
is
far
from
an
ideal
site.
For
a
start
it
is
in
what
has
become
a
built
up
area,
with
houses
located
within
25
metres
of
the
dumping
area
and
its
offensive
smells.
Secondly,
the
dump
frequently
catches
fire,
either
as
a
result
of
deliberate
action
or
from
spontaneous
combustion
of
decaying
waste
matter.
On
still
days,
the
smoke
spreads
slowly
across
neighbouring
housing
areas
creating
a
health
hazard,
both
for
those
with
respiratory
complaints
and
also
because
burning
plastic
materials
can
generate
carcinogenic
dioxins.
A
third
hazard
comes
from
the
runoff
from
the
area,
which
occurs
when
heavy
rain
causes
runoff
from
the
site.
The
rain
water
filtering
through
the
many
different
discarded
materials,
ranging
from
car
batteries
to
factory
waste,
becomes
a
toxic
solution
which
feeds
into
the
Maqalika
Reservoir,
Maseru’s
water
supply.
The
Tšosane
site
was
in
use
long
before
the
Maseru
City
Council
came
into
being,
and
the
Council
has
long
been
aware
of
its
problems.
However,
finding
an
alternative
solution
is
not
easy
for
dealing
with
what
are
estimated
annually
as
some
38
800
tons
of
solid
waste,
not
to
mention
11700
tons
of
highly
hazardous
toxic
sludge
produced
by
factories.
The
matter
is
discussed
critically
and
in
some
detail
by
Tracy
Irvine
in
a
publication
of
the
Lesotho
Council
of
NGOs,
NGO
Web,
vol.
7,
no.
12
(January
-
March
2006),
pp.
8-10.
The
writer
reveals
that
plans
are
advanced
to
create
a
new
waste
disposal
site
for
Maseru
at
Tšoeneng,
close
to
the
new
Masite
to
Kolo
tarred
road.
The
site
overlooks
the
Maseru-Mafeteng
boundary,
the
Tsoaing
river,
and
is
about
40
km
from
Maseru.
It
seems
that
the
Lesotho
Council
of
NGOs
has
been
involved
in
the
Environmental
Impact
Assessment
for
the
new
site,
which
has
already
been
bought
by
the
Maseru
City
Council.
It
is
indicated
that
the
Environmental
Impact
Statement
for
the
project
at
this
point
has
some
fundamental
flaws
(although
these
are
not
specifically
stated)
which
the
Maseru
City
Council
needs
to
address.
The
writer
calls
for
Lesotho
to
have
high
standards
of
waste
disposal
which
can
be
used
as
an
asset,
because
companies
buying
textile
products
from
Lesotho
(the
Levi
jeans
company
is
given
as
an
example)
want
assurances
that
waste
is
maintained
sustainably,
before
they
would
consider
moving
operations
to
the
country.
▲back
to top
According
to
The
Mirror
of
5
April
2006,
a
50-year
old
woman,
Moliehi
Tšoeunyane,
of
the
Maseru
suburb
of
Ha
Abia
was
killed
on
suspicion
that
she
was
a
witch.
She
died
in
hospital
in
Maseru
after
being
brutally
battered
the
previous
day.
In
another
incident
reported
in
the
same
paper,
58-year
old
Masilela
Mokhele,
who
was
out
on
bail
on
a
murder
charge,
was
himself
shot
dead
by
four
unidentified
men
inMafetengon
31March2006.▲back
to top
The
trial
of
Reatile
Mochebelele,
Lesotho’s
senior
representative
on
the
Highlands
Water
Commission
(formerly
known
as
the
Joint
Project
Technical
Commission)
has
been
set
down
to
take
place
in
the
Lesotho
High
Court
from
30
October
to
8
December
2006.
Mochebelele
is
being
charged
with
receiving
bribes
along
with
his
deputy,
Letlafuoa
Molapo.
It
appears
that
at
the
trial,
officials
of
Lahmeyer
International,
Germany’s
largest
engineering
company,
will
now
be
on
the
other
side
of
the
court.
Two
years
ago
they
were
fined
M10
million
on
bribery
charges.
This
time
they
will
appear
on
behalf
of
the
prosecution.
▲back
to top
Sister
Veronica
Phafoli
worked
for
much
of
her
life
as
a
Catholic
nun,
but
she
eventually
broke
out
from
the
confines
of
a
religious
order
to
found
a
movement
in
1987
called
Development
for
Peace
Education.
This
movement
set
out
to
organize
and
mobilize
local
communities
to
address
poverty
effectively.
In
her
lifetime,
Sister
Veronica
worked
with
this
aim
in
a
number
of
communities.
She
died
on
3
April
1993,
but
her
ideas
did
not
die
with
her.
Most
recently
the
Lesotho
Council
of
NGOs
(LCN)
held
a
one
day
symposium
in
Maseru
on
the
anniversary
of
her
death,
on
3
April
2006.
Also
recently,
DPE
has
itself
launched
a
magazine,
bilingual
in
English
and
Sesotho,
called
Puisano:Dialogue,
the
first
issue
of
which
covers
the
quarter
January
to
March
2006.
Much
of
the
first
issue
is
devoted
to
the
problems
of
AIDS
and
in
particular
AIDS
orphans.
The
policy
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
not
to
recruit
persons
who
are
HIV
positive
is
attacked
as
discriminatory.
There
is
also
considerable
discussion
on
the
appropriate
name
for
AIDS
in
Sesotho.
A
radio
newsreader,
the
late
Mohlomi
Ramonate,
had
called
it
koatsi
ea
bosolla-hlapi,
which
means
essentially,
‘anthrax
from
where
the
fish
roam’,
or
anthrax
from
beyond
the
ocean.
The
late
King
Moshoeshoe
II
had
called
it
mokakallane
oa
setlabocha,
linking
it
with
the
killer
influenza
pandemic
of
1919
(Mokakallane
in
Sesotho),
but
describing
it
as
newly
arrived,
so
the
name
has
the
effective
meaning
of
‘contemporary
mass-killer
disease’.
More
recently,
the
name
chaifi
has
emerged
of
not
very
certain
derivation,
but
used
widely,
even
by
the
Prime
Minister.
However
some
believe
this
name
belittles
and
stigmatizes
the
infected
and
is
inappropriate.
No
alternative,
however,
seems
to
be
available
except
the
name
AIDS
itself,
which
has
occasionally
been
seen
creeping
into
Sesotho
texts
as
eitsi.
▲back
to top
Whilst
most
initiation
schools
take
place
far
from
towns
and
are
relatively
small
institutions,
an
exception
has
been
a
school
supported
by
Lebuajoang
Thebeeakhale
of
the
MKM
Burial
Society,
Lesotho’s
largest
funeral
business.
No
less
than
113
makoloane
or
new
initiates,
the
largest
ever
recorded
number,
graduated
when
their
initiation
lodge
was
ceremonially
burned
at
Maqhaka
mountain,
after
which
the
initiates
toured
their
villages
exhibiting
their
skills
in
traditional
praise
poetry
until
a
formal
dispersal
on
2
April
2006.
The
school
together
with
photographs
taken
at
the
graduation
were
the
front
page
story
of
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
of
6
April
2006.
Although,
not
mentioned
in
the
article,
it
is
generally
believed
that
Lebuajoang
Thebeeakhale
himself
pays
the
fees
for
many
of
those
attending
the
initiation
school,
and
in
return
they
are
expected
to
work
for
him
after
graduating.
▲back
to top
The
terms
of
office
of
the
Independent
Electoral
Commissioner
Chairman,
Leshele
Thoahlane
and
one
other
member,
Limakatso
Mokhothu,
were
renewed
for
a
further
two
years
after
a
meeting
of
the
State
Council
on
5
April
2006.
There
will
be
a
General
Election
in
2007,
and
the
extended
contracts
of
the
IEC
members
will
now
cover
this
period.
A
third
member
still
has
to
be
appointed
to
replace
Mokhele
Likate,
who
did
not
seek
an
extension
to
his
contract.
Section
67(3)
of
the
Constitution
requires
a
new
constituency
delimitation
to
be
undertaken
not
less
than
eight
years
and
not
more
than
ten
years
after
the
previous
delimitation,
which
took
place
at
the
end
of
1997.
Under
the
Second
Amendment
to
the
Constitution
Act
1997,
it
is
the
Independent
Electoral
Commission
which
is
charged
with
responsibility
for
constituency
delimitation.
As
can
be
seen
from
the
legal
constraints
imposed
on
it,
the
IEC
can
apparently
hold
a
new
election
without
changing
constituency
boundaries,
but
if
it
does
so,
it
must
have
a
new
delimitation
soon
afterwards.
▲back
to top
 As
reported
in
the
National
Assembly
Hansard
of
6
April
2006,
the
Minister
of
Tourism,
Environment
&
Culture,
the
Honourable
Lebohang
Ntšinyi,
replied
to
a
question
by
Mr
Thaabe
Letsie
(BNP
PR
MP)
as
to
where
King
Moshoeshoe’s
uniform,
including
his
top
hat
could
now
be
found.
The
reply
was
that
she
had
no
idea,
and
that
according
to
custom,
when
a
person
dies,
clothes
would
be
divided
amongst
relatives
by
a
senior
member
of
the
family.
The
clothes
of
the
late
King
Moshoeshoe
had
not
been
brought
to
a
place
where
they
could
be
preserved,
probably
because
of
the
absence
of
a
National
Museum.
Although
King
Moshoeshoe
owned
several
military
uniforms,
he
is
only
known
for
certain
to
have
worn
a
top
hat
in
two
photographs
taken
at
Aliwal
North
in
1860,
when
he
travelled
there
with
300
of
his
followers
to
meet
Prince
Alfred,
the
youthful
second
son
(he
was
only
15
at
the
time)
of
Queen
Victoria.
Prince
Alfred
was
touring
southern
Africa
with
the
Governor,
Sir
George
Grey.
His
visit
to
Aliwal
North
provided
the
only
occasion
when
King
Moshoeshoe
is
known
to
have
been
photographed.
Two
photographs
have
survived,
and
been
much
copied.
One
is
of
King
Moshoeshoe
alone,
and
in
the
other
he
is
with
a
group
of
chiefs
and
counsellors.
The
photographer
was
Frederick
York,
and
it
seems
that
the
top
hat
may
well
have
been
one
of
the
props
used
by
him
when
taking
photographs
in
his
mobile
studio.
There
seem
to
be
no
accounts
of
King
Moshoeshoe
wearing
such
a
hat
on
any
other
occasion.
Nevertheless,
because
of
the
photographs,
it
has
become
very
much
associated
with
his
image.▲back
to top
The
village
of
Ha
Kome
near
Pulane
in
Berea
District
includes
a
sandstone
overhang
under
which
a
number
of
modern
cave
dwellings
of
striking
design
have
been
constructed,
and
are
home
to
some
four
families.
Because
of
the
unique
nature
of
these
homes,
they
have
become
known
more
widely,
and
a
significant
number
of
tourists
to
Lesotho
have
been
visiting
the
village.
The
Ministry
of
Tourism
has
responded
to
this
development
by
providing
the
village
with
a
thatched
workshop
and
sales
area
for
handicrafts.
The
new
Kome
Visitors
Arts
and
Crafts
Centre
was
officially
inaugurated
by
the
Prime
Minister,
Mr
Pakalitha
Mosisili,
at
a
pitso
held
at
the
village
on
Friday
7
April
2006.
▲back
to top
On
the
evening
of
Friday
7
April,
a
minibus
taxi
bound
for
Teyateyaneng
was
involved
in
a
head-on
collision
with
a
bus
carrying
schoolchildren
back
from
a
trip
to
Katse.
18
people
died
in
the
accident
in
which
the
taxi
became
embedded
in
the
front
of
the
bus
so
that
none
of
its
occupants
survived.
It
seems
that
the
accident
occurred
when
the
bus
was
overtaking
other
vehicles
and
the
combined
speed
of
the
vehicles
could
have
been
as
high
as
200
km/h.
The
bus
with
a
mass
some
ten
times
that
of
the
taxi
was
subjected
to
a
far
lower
rate
of
deceleration,
and
the
50
schoolchildren
from
Maseru
LEC
Primary
School
in
the
bus
had
a
lucky
escape,
with
only
one
or
two
having
to
be
treated
in
hospital
for
light
injuries.
Those
who
died
were
mainly
from
Teyateyaneng
and
villages
nearby,
although
one
body
was
still
unidentified
a
week
later.
The
scale
of
the
accident
was
such
that
money
was
quickly
collected
for
a
monument
and
this
was
unveiled
exactly
one
week
later
beside
the
road
at
the
place
where
the
accident
occurred
between
the
Seqonoka
river
and
the
village
of
Tsereoane.
The
monument
bore
the
names
of
the
seventeen
identified
victims
and
left
a
blank
space
for
the
name
of
the
unknown
man
who
was
the
eighteenth
casualty.
▲back
to top
Enumerators
carrying
out
the
2006
Populations
Census
began
work
throughout
Lesotho
on
Sunday
9
April
2006.
The
work
was
expected
to
be
complete
by
Saturday
22
April
2006.
Most
enumerators
were
primary
school
teachers
and
they
arrived
at
houses
armed
with
a
long
questionnaire
in
very
small
print,
with
essentially
the
same
questions
as
in
previous
censuses.
There
was
still
no
question
on
mother
tongue
which
might
have
helped
to
ascertain
the
numbers
of
children
disadvantaged
by
not
knowing
Sesotho,
and
which
might
also
have
helped
to
establish
the
size
of
the
Chinese
community,
the
largest
non-indigenous
minority
group
in
Lesotho,
but
of
unknown
numbers.
In
the
event,
the
census
took
longer
to
complete
than
expected,
and
some
enumerators
were
employed
into
a
third
week.
Some
statistics
relating
to
the
census
were
provided
in
an
answer
to
a
parliamentary
question
reported
in
the
National
Assembly
Hansard
of
22
March
2006.
It
was
reported
that
there
were
to
be
4
250
Enumerator’s
Areas,
demarcated
so
that
those
in
the
Lowlands
had
100
to
150
families,
and
those
in
the
Foothills
and
Maloti,
80
to
100
families.
Each
Enumerator’s
Area
would
have
a
single
enumerator,
and
there
would
be
one
census
supervisor
for
each
4
enumerators.
Assistance
in
training,
equipment
and
funds
was
being
provided
by
the
United
Nations
Development
Programme,
Development
Cooperation
Ireland,
the
European
Union,
and
the
United
Nations
Fund
for
Population
Activities.
Interviewed
by
Public
Eye
in
its
issue
of
19
May
2006,
Liengoane
Lefosa
of
the
Bureau
of
Statistics
reported
some
of
the
difficulties
the
census
had
faced.
She
indicated
that
at
the
end
of
the
initial
exercise,
areas
had
been
discovered
that
had
not
been
counted.
These
were
mainly
in
remote
areas
without
roads
and
a
special
effort
had
had
to
be
made
to
include
them
after
the
main
counting.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
14
April
2006,
Lesotho
is
to
employ
200
nurses
from
Kenya
in
the
near
future
and
also
16
doctors
from
India.
The
Kenyan
nurses
will
partially
meet
a
current
shortfall
of
600
nurses
in
Lesotho
as
a
result
of
which
most
hospitals
and
clinics
are
unable
to
function
effectively.
This
is
the
first
time
that
Lesotho
has
employed
a
significant
number
of
foreign
nurses,
and
it
is
not
quite
clear
what
arrangements
have
been
made
to
help
them
with
language
difficulties.
Communication
with
the
majority
of
patients
in
Lesotho
is
through
Sesotho,
and
foreign
nurses
and
doctors
inevitably
need
translators.
It
is
also
not
clear
what
the
current
situation
is
in
Kenya,
which
it
seems
likely
has
its
own
shortage
of
qualified
medical
staff.
A
majority
of
Basotho
nurses
are
now
working
in
South
Africa,
although
significant
numbers
are
also
working
overseas.
Meanwhile,
the
World
Health
Organization’s
World
health
report
2006
has
some
grim
statistics.
Sub-Saharan
Africa
has
11%
of
the
world’s
population
and
24%
of
the
world’s
burden
of
disease
but
only
3%
of
the
world’s
health
workers.
It
urges
countries
to
develop
plans
for
increasing
the
health
workforce
and
for
donor
countries
to
assist
crisis
countries
with
their
efforts
to
improve
and
support
the
health
workforce.
▲back
to top
Speaking
at
a
meeting
of
Southern
African
Development
Bank
Governors
in
Maseru
in
April,
the
Governor
of
Lesotho’s
Central
Bank,
E.
M.
Matekane,
reported
that
Lesotho’s
economic
growth
had
fallen
from
3.1%
in
2004
to
only
1.2%
in
2005.
The
main
factor
in
this
drop
had
been
the
ending
of
the
Multifibre
Agreement,
which
had
had
a
severe
impact
on
the
textile
industry
which
had
contracted
from
having
over
50
000
employees
to
just
37
500
in
2005.
The
projected
economic
growth
rate
for
2006
was
1.7%
due
to
continuing
poor
performance
in
manufacturing
and
agriculture.
▲back
to top
Although
Tree
Planting
Day
is
no
longer
a
public
holiday
in
Lesotho,
it
is
still
observed
annually
with
parliamentarians
and
civil
servants
taking
timeoff
from
normal
duties
to
plant
trees.
On
31March2006,
the
main
tree
planting,
led
by
the
King
and
cabinet
ministers
was
at
Mekaling
in
Mohale’s
Hoek
District.
There
was
a
second
tree
planting
occasion
on
Thursday
20
April
2006
on
the
road
from
Mazenod
to
the
Moshoeshoe
I
International
Airport
when
2000
young
trees
were
planted,
being
a
mixture
of
two
very
different
trees,
the
Canary
Island
Palm,
Phoenix
canariensis,
and
the
Chinese
Maple,
Acer
buergerianum.
As
reported
in
Bang!
of
25
April
2006,
the
Government
Secretary,
Tlohang
Sekhamane,
said
that
these
two
species
had
been
chosen
because
they
were
short,
and
as
a
result
would
not
attract
birds
to
nest
in
them.
Birds
could
be
a
hazard
to
planes
near
an
airport.
The
Canary
Island
Palm
is
almost
the
only
palm
tree
which
is
sufficiently
frost
resistant
to
grow
in
Lesotho.
Although
relatively
slow
growing
it
can
reach
a
height
of
some
6
metres
within
30
years.
The
Chinese
Maple
is
a
much
faster
growing
tree
with
very
distinctive
leaves
consisting
of
three
triangular
lobes.
It
can
reach
a
similar
height
of
6
metres
or
slightly
more.
It
is
deciduous
and
the
leaves
have
attractive
autumn
colours.
Although
many
trees
are
planted
in
Lesotho
annually,
many
fail
to
survive
because
they
are
not
provided
with
water
in
their
early
stages
so
that
they
can
get
established.
It
is
to
be
hoped
that
those
along
the
airport
approach
road
will
receive
appropriate
care.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
21
April
2006
and
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
of
4
May
2006,
three
Chinese
were
charged
on
Tuesday
18
April
with
selling
pirated
music.
The
three
charged
are
Yeng
Shi
Long
(35),
his
wife
Yeng
Wong
Hong
(29),
and
their
employee
Zhai
Cheng
Xian
(24).
The
three
are
charged
under
the
Copyright
Act
1989
with
selling
pirated
music
from
the
Newland
Internet
Café
on
Kingsway,
Maseru.
Local
musician,
Selomo
Lebajoa
had
initiated
the
original
complaint
on
finding
that
a
pirated
version
of
his
own
album
was
being
sold
at
the
internet
café.
The
case
was
adjourned
until
9
June
2006,
and
in
the
meanwhile
the
Newland
Internet
Café
remained
closed.
Senior
Superintendent
Mpota
Nthako
was
reported
as
having
said
that
several
other
internet
café
businesses
were
also
being
investigated
in
the
matter
of
pirated
music.
▲back
to top
The
police
newspaper,
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
of
21
April
2006,
reported
that
two
men
who
were
suspected
of
being
in
possession
of
stolen
cattle,
were
confronted
by
villagers
at
Ha
Mokhohla,
midway
between
Popa
Ha
Maama
and
Mokema.
The
men
fled
and
hid
in
two
different
village
houses.
One
of
them,
Lebajoa
Mokoenehi,
eventually
came
out
and
fled
to
a
donga,
where
he
was
caught
by
the
villagers
and
beaten
and
stoned
to
death.
The
other
man,
Lehlohonolo
Seakhi,
found
an
axe
in
the
house
where
he
was
hiding,
and
came
out
fighting,
seriously
injuring
two
men
from
the
village.
He
was
eventually
overpowered
and
suffered
the
same
fate
as
Lebajoa
Mokoenehi.
Police
were
called,
but
Ha
Mokhohla
is
some
distance
from
the
Roma
Police
Station
and
when
the
police
reached
the
village
they
found
both
suspected
cattle
thieves
dead.
The
two
villagers
seriously
injured
in
the
fight
were
taken
to
hospital,
but
one
died
of
his
wounds
while
the
other
was
making
a
successful
recovery.
The
newspaper
reported
that
the
dead
men
were
from
the
villages
of
Ha
Seqoma
and
Khobeng
in
the
Roma
valley.
No
arrests
had
been
made
and
the
matter
was
still
under
investigation.
▲back
to top
Appeals
from
High
Court
judgments
can
result
in
acquittals
or
lighter
sentences.
But
they
can
also
result
in
stiffer
penalties
being
imposed.
This
was
discovered
to
their
cost
by
the
three
soldiers,
Lenkoane
Molelle,
Lijane
Kaloko
and
Tankiso
Majoro.
Molelle
and
Kaloko
had
originally
been
sentenced
by
the
High
Court
to
sentences
of
12
and
10
years
imprisonment
for
their
parts
in
the
murder
of
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister
and
Minister
of
Finance,
Selometsi
Baholo,
in
April
1994.
Majoro,
who
was
a
driver
in
the
simultaneous
kidnapping
of
four
cabinet
ministers,
had
been
sentenced
to
a
fine.
The
Court
of
Appeal
sitting
in
April
reviewed
the
sentences
and
increased
Molelle’s
sentence
from
12
to
17
years.
and
Kaloko’s
from
10
to
14
years.
In
the
case
of
Majoro
his
fine
was
to
be
repaid
to
him
and
substituted
with
a
sentence
of
6
years
imprisonment.
▲back
to top
Maseru
City
Council,
at
present
mainly
housed
in
Development
House
on
Kingsway,
Maseru,
has
announced
plans
to
build
its
own
Civic
Centre.
Advertisements
in
newspapers
in
April
2006
showed
a
model
of
the
proposed
new
building
which
consists
of
two
linked
eight
and
six
storey
blocks
to
be
erected
in
the
garden
of
the
Chief
Justice’s
House
facing
Moshoeshoe
Road.
An
environmental
impact
assessment
of
the
proposed
development
was
currently
being
undertaken
and
members
of
the
public
were
invited
to
express
any
concerns
or
comments.
The
Chief
Justice’s
House
has,
apart
from
the
Royal
Palace,
the
largest
grounds
of
any
single
residence
in
Maseru.
▲back
to top
On
Thursday
27
April
the
first
shop
in
a
new
modern
shopping
complex
at
Hlotse
opened
to
customers.
The
following
day,
the
largest
of
the
ten
shops
in
the
complex
opened,
a
Shoprite
supermarket.
The
complex
which
has
parking
for
up
to
70
cars
is
built
on
land
in
the
centre
of
Hlotse
formerly
occupied
by
the
Rectory
of
the
Anglican
Church.
▲back
to top
The
new
National
Library
and
National
Archives
Building
was
officially
opened
on
Friday
28
April
2006.
Situated
on
Kingsway,
Maseru,
the
State
Library,
as
it
is
now
called,
occupies
the
site
of
the
previous
National
Library,
which
was
demolished
in
May
2003.
For
some
three
years
the
books
of
the
National
Library
had
been
held
in
storage
pending
erection
of
the
new
building.
Speaking
at
the
opening
of
the
new
building,
the
Chinese
ambassador,
Qiu
Bohua,
indicated
that
his
government
had
contributed
M25
million
towards
the
new
building
and
that
bilateral
relations
between
Lesotho
and
China
would
be
further
strengthened
as
China
proposed
also
to
fund
the
new
Parliament
Buildings
to
be
constructed
on
the
Mpilo
Hill
above
the
Lesotho
Sun
Hotel.
Speaking
on
the
same
occasion,
the
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili,
said
he
was
pleased
that
the
new
library
would
be
accessible
to
everyone
including
persons
with
disabilities.
However,
he
cautioned
that
the
library
could
become
a
‘white
elephant’
unless
it
was
operated
by
competent
people
who
were
enthusiastic
about
their
work.
The
new
three-storey
State
Library
building
has
two
striking
bright
green
roofs
in
the
shape
of
square-based
pyramids.
Its
otherwise
rectangular
features
contrast
with
the
other
green-roofed
building
in
central
Maseru,
the
Dutch-gabled
single-storey
former
Secretariat
Building
on
the
opposite
side
of
Kingsway,
which
now
houses
the
Ministry
of
Defence.
 In
the
photograph
provided,
the
two
most
prominent
tower
blocks
are
the
Lesotho
Bank
Tower
on
the
left
and
the
Post
Office
Building
on
the
right.
In
the
foreground
are
government
buildings,
Finance
House
on
the
left
and
Africa
House
(a
name,
however,
rarely
used)
on
the
right,
behind
which
is
the
new
State
Library
building.
The
comparatively
inconspicuous
single-storey
Secretariat
Building,
built
in
1911,
and
now
the
oldest
building
on
Kingsway,
is
across
this
road
in
the
bottom
right
hand
corner
of
the
picture.
▲back
to top
On
the
morning
of
Friday
28
April,
the
Lesotho
Bank
Cathedral
Area
branch
in
Maseru
was
the
scene
of
a
shootout.
Two
security
guards
of
the
Fidelity
Cash
Management
Services
delivering
money
to
the
bank
were
attacked.
One
of
them
was
shot
and
died
on
the
way
to
hospital.
The
second
guard
returned
the
fire
and
wounded
one
of
the
attackers,
but
he
was
dragged
by
the
robbers
into
the
getaway
vehicle,
together
with
an
undisclosed
sum
of
money.
According
to
Leseli
ka
Sepolesa
of
2
June
2006,
the
amount
of
money
stolen
in
the
raid
was
M3.1
million
and
some
eight
robbers
were
involved.
▲back
to top
Prince
Harry
on
28
April
2006
launched
the
Sentebale
charity
to
help
AIDS
orphans
in
Lesotho.
The
charity
was
launched
by
him
personally
at
’Mantšase
Children’s
Home
at
Qhalasi
in
Mohale’s
Hoek
District
where
Prince
Harry
had
also
stayed
and
worked
in
the
past.
Qhalasi
is
a
comparatively
remote
Lowlands
village
and
can
only
be
reached
by
a
dirt
track.
 The
charity
has
been
co-founded
by
Prince
Harry,
third
in
line
to
the
British
throne,
and
Prince
Seeiso,
heir
to
the
Lesotho
throne,
who
is
a
friend
of
Prince
Harry
and
currently
Lesotho
High
Commissioner
in
London.
The
name
‘Sentebale’
means
‘forget-me-not’
in
Sesotho,
and
the
name
is
intended
to
be
in
memory
of
both
their
mothers,
Princess
Diana,
who
died
in
1997
and
was
herself
a
supporter
of
AIDS
victims;
and
Queen
’Mamohato,
who
died
in
2003,
and
had
also
been
a
great
supporter
of
children’s
charities.
In
2004,
a
documentary
film
made
by
Prince
Harry
about
Lesotho
was
shown
on
television
and
raised
more
than
£1
million.
This
money
has
been
administered
as
a
Red
Cross
Lesotho
Fund
and
used
to
assist
the
’Mantšase
Orphanage,
to
support
a
crop-sharing
scheme
at
Nokong
in
Berea
District
to
help
feed
vulnerable
children,
and
amongst
18
other
projects
elsewhere
in
Lesotho
to
build
a
storage
hut
for
a
child-counselling
centre,
to
purchase
kitchen
furniture
for
a
home
for
teenage
mothers,
and
a
buy
a
computerised
Braille
machine
for
blind
teenagers.
▲back
to top
On
the
afternoon
of
Sunday
30
April,
Fr
Peter
Seakhi
(51),
of
St
Joseph’s
Catholic
Church,
Koro-Koro,
was
attacked
outside
his
office
and
stabbed
to
death.
Immediately
after
the
incident,
his
alleged
assailant,
Sekhebetlela
Maime
(27)
gave
himself
up
and
was
taken
to
the
nearest
police
station
at
Ha
Mofoka.
Bystanders
stated
that
the
incident
occurred
immediately
after
Maime’s
wife
had
been
spending
time
with
the
priest
in
a
locked
office.
Mrs
Maime
ran
away
immediately
after
the
incident.
Sekhebetlela
later
appeared
in
the
Maseru
magistrate’s
court
charged
with
murdering
the
priest.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
11
May
2006,
more
than
M165
million
has
been
allocated
and
construction
will
begin
shortly
on
tarring
the
85
km
of
road
from
Mohale
(Likalaneng)
to
Thaba-Tseka.
The
work
has
been
divided
into
three
Phases
and
the
contract
for
the
first
phase
has
already
been
signed
with
Rumdell
Construction
(Pty)
Ltd.
With
the
recent
completion
of
the
tarring
of
the
Southern
Perimeter
Road
to
Qacha’s
Nek,
Thaba-Tseka
is
now
the
only
district
headquarters
remaining
which
does
not
have
a
bitumenized
road
connecting
it
with
Maseru.
▲back
to top
The
Qoaling
Filter
Clinic,
situated
in
Maseru’s
densely
populated
south-east
suburbs,
is
a
modern
building
designed
to
provide
basic
health
services
so
that
most
patients
can
be
treated
on
the
spot,
and
only
selected
patients
needing
specialized
care
need
to
be
referred
to
Queen
Elizabeth
II
Hospital.
If
working
properly,
QFC
has
a
staff
of
at
least
two
doctors
and
at
least
six
nurses.
However,
as
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
11
May
2006,
when
the
Cuban
Deputy
Minister
for
Foreign
Investment
and
Economic
Cooperation,
Mr
Ramon
Diaz,
visited
the
Clinic,
there
were
200
people
waiting
in
a
queue
and
no
doctor
was
in
sight.
People
started
queuing
for
service
at
3
a.m.,
and
each
day
the
queue
was
cut
so
that
late
comers
got
no
service.
Cuba
is
already
helping
Lesotho
by
providing
doctors
and
it
seems
from
the
report
that
it
will
soon
also
be
sending
nurses.
The
Lesotho
Today
reporter
’Matšepo
Mohau
interviewed
the
Senior
Nursing
Officer
at
QFC,
Mrs
’Mathabiso
Molefi.
She
indicated
that
shortage
of
staff
was
the
main
problem,
but
the
clinic
was
also
suffering
particularly
on
the
night
shift
because
of
lack
of
transport
and
no
available
telephone.
▲back
to top
A
news
story
in
both
the
newspapers
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
and
Lesotho Today
on
11
May
2006
indicated
that
the
Minister
of
Communications,
Science
and
Technology,
Mr
Tom
Thabane,
had
announced
that
both
newspapers
were
to
be
closed
down.
He
said
that
‘experience
has
shown
that
communication
is
now
mainly
through
the
internet
and
there
is
a
need
for
print
media
to
follow
suit
and
disseminate
information
through
the
latest
modern
technologies,
which
are
crucial
in
every
day
life’.
No
date
was
set
for
the
close
down
of
the
newspapers,
and
they
were
still
appearing
a
month
later.
The
announcement
resulted
in
a
scathing
attack
on
the
Minister
by
Ntsau
Lekhetho
in
Public
Eye
of
26
May
2006.
Under
the
headline
‘Newspaper
shutdown
makes
minister
into
figure
of
fun’,
he
described
the
Minister
as
myopic
and
wrote
‘Someone
in
his
position
should
know
better
that
the
subscriber
base
in
Lesotho
for
internet
customers
remains
extremely
small
and
that
only
a
few
internet
service
providers
exist
in
the
country’.
He
went
on
to
criticize
the
content
of
the
Government
newspapers
and
suggested
that
Lesotho
Today
is
crying
for
a
private
investor
who
will
turn
it
into
a
quality
weekly
newspaper.
It
may
be
that
history
is
repeating
itself.
In
January
1997,
the
then
Minister,
Monyane
Moleleki,
announced
the
closure
of
Lesotho
Today
for
similar
reasons
to
those
given
by
Tom
Thabane.
However,
there
was
clearly
a
need
for
it,
and
it
re-emerged
in
May
2002
printed
inverted
back-to-back
with
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
which
has
remained
the
position
until
the
present
time.
This
is
despite
a
letter
from
a
female
reader
who
complained
of
the
indelicacy
consequent
from
her
having
to
stand
on
her
head
to
read
the
Sesotho
text
while
the
main
subscriber
to
the
paper
was
reading
the
English
text.
▲back
to top
The
Irish
Rock
Star,
Paul
David
Hewson,
better
known
as
Bono
(45),
visited
Lesotho
in
May
to
promote
a
new
labelling
scheme
to
harness
sustained
funding
from
top
commercial
brands
and
consumers
to
fight
AIDS
in
poor
countries.
The
initiative
is
known
as
‘Product
Red’
and
involves
giving
products
special
red
labels.
American
Express,
for
example,
had
already
signed
up
and
would
be
giving
1%
of
money
spent
using
its
cards
in
the
new
scheme.
Bono’s
visit
was
also
linked
to
a
Multifibre
Agreement
Forum
and
the
launch
of
a
new
initiative
to
combat
HIV/AIDS
in
Lesotho’s
textile
industry
which
is
called
Apparel
Lesotho
Alliance
to
Fight
AIDS
(ALAFA).
This
is
one
of
a
string
of
initiatives
to
which
Bono
has
given
his
support
including
Live
Aid,
Red
Nose
Day,
Comic
Relief,
Make
Poverty
History
and
his
own
recent
Product
Red.
During
his
six
day
visit
accompanied
by
his
wife,
Ali
Hewson,
Bono
received
an
accolade
from
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry,
Mpho
Malie,
who
said
Bono
had
the
power
to
effect
change
in
Lesotho
because
of
his
influence.
Bono
in
fact
said
many
of
the
right
things,
and
in
particular
said
that
the
IMF’s
failure
to
give
Lesotho
debt
relief
was
scandalous.
Lesotho
was
being
punished
for
being
a
good
borrower.
Amongst
places
visited
by
Bono
was
Butha-Buthe,
where
he
went
to
the
only
major
employer
in
the
town,
a
textile
factory
run
by
Nakadi
Jabbie,
where
he
sourced
T-shirts
for
a
new
fair
trade
line
being
sold
in
the
USA.
Nakadi
Jabbie
was
reported
by
the
BBC
as
saying
that
ordering
the
clothes
has
been
much
more
help
than
providing
aid.
At
Butha-Buthe
Hospital,
Bono
observed
that
the
hospital
was
too
small
for
its
HIV
work.
Moreover,
a
vital
piece
of
equipment,
a
CD-4
counter,
was
not
available
and
could
only
be
found
at
the
Leribe
Hospital.
The
end
of
the
Multifibre
Agreement
put
severe
strains
on
Lesotho’s
textile
industry
at
the
end
of
2004.
Amongst
those
who
were
at
the
Forum
was
Belinda
Edmonds
of
the
US
clothing
company
Cool
Ideas.
She
warned
that
there
is
another
problem
looming.
Currently
under
the
US
Africa
Growth
and
Opportunity
Act
(AGOA)
Lesotho
gets
duty-free
access
into
the
US
market,
but
this
is
subject
to
conditions,
one
of
which
is
the
country
of
fabric
provision.
Currently
this
is
unrestricted
and
fabric
is
mostly
procured
from
Asia,
but
from
next
year,
the
third-country
provision
will
expire
and
fabric
will
have
to
purchased
either
from
AGOA-compliant
countries,
or
very
much
expensively
from
the
United
States
itself.
▲back
to top
The
practice
of
Lesotho
courts
of
allowing
those
charged
with
murder
to
be
released
on
bail
and
then
delaying
for
years
the
hearing
of
the
cases
(indeed
some
are
never
heard)
leads
very
often
to
further
murders
as
people
take
the
law
into
their
own
hands.
A
sad
example
is
what
has
happened
at
the
village
of
Ha
Seng,
where
the
Seleso
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church
primary
school
principal,
Soulo
Nkonyana,
his
wife
and
another
teacher
were
gunned
down
on
28
April
2005
(see
Summary
of
Events,
vol.
12,
no.
2
(Second
Quarter
2005)).
Apparently
Nkonyana
had
been
out
on
bail
on
a
murder
charge,
and
the
person
he
is
alleged
to
have
murdered
was
the
mother
of
one
of
the
three
men
who
were
later
arrested
for
his
own
murder.
They
were
in
turn
given
bail,
but
the
case
was
apparently
not
heard.
According
to
Moeletsi
oa
Basotho
of
14
May
2006,
a
third
set
of
murders
has
now
occurred,
with
one
of
those
who
was
out
on
bail
for
the
murdering
of
the
teachers,
Molai
Tsunyane
(27),
being
found
shot
together
with
his
uncle,
Molai
Boy
Tjamela
(46).
Both
men
were
from
the
village
of
Ha
Salemone,
but
their
bodies
were
found
some
distance
away
by
the
Senale
stream
near
the
village
of
Liphakoeng.
▲back
to top
Cold
weather
with
low
cloud
and
rain
occurred
over
Lesotho
on
16-20
May,
and
when
the
clouds
lifted
the
Maloti
was
blanketed
with
snow
down
to
about
an
altitude
of
2100
m.
Further
snow
fell
at
lower
altitudes
on
24
May.
The
first
killing
frost
at
Roma
was
on
the
night
of
21/22
May
2006.
The
rainfall
total
at
Roma
for
the
month
of
May
was
58
mm
making
it
the
fifth
consecutive
month
with
rainfall
above
average.
However,
June
was
completely
without
rain.
▲back
to top
The
National
Assembly
Hansard
of
24
May
2006
included
a
question
from
the
Hon.
J.
M.
Lekhanya
MP
to
the
Minister
of
Agriculture
and
Food
Security
about
an
outbreak
of
‘rabbis’
at
Mantšonyane.
Lest
the
imagination
might
wander
to
wonder
about
how
so
many
bearded
gentlemen
in
black
hats
and
prayer
shawls
could
have
appeared
at
Mantšonyane,
one
hastens
to
mention
that
the
answer
to
the
question
makes
it
clear
that
what
had
happened
at
Mantšonyane
was
an
outbreak
of
rabies,
bohlanya-ntja
in
Sesotho.
The
answer
to
the
parliamentary
question
was
that
the
Ministry
was
indeed
aware
of
the
outbreak
and
had
so
far
inoculated
912
cattle
and
113
dogs
to
prevent
the
spread
of
the
disease.
▲back
to top
A
Moshoeshoe
Lecture
has
been
held
annually
in
Lesotho
on
Moshoeshoe’s
Day
almost
every
year
since
the
series
was
inaugurated
with
a
lecture
by
Mrs
Helen
Suzman
in
1973
on
‘Moshoeshoe
the
statesman’.
In
2006,
the
lecturer
was
Moloantoa
Martin
Lelimo,
who
holds
an
MA
in
History
from
the
University
of
the
Free
State,
and
his
lecture
had
the
title
‘Thaba-Bosiu:
centre
of
African
political
gravity
in
the
second
half
of
last
century’.
[The
lecturer
apparently
had
not
moved
with
the
times
sufficiently
to
have
noticed
that
the
19th
century
is
now
the
last
century
but
one.]
Interest
in
King
Moshoeshoe
is
no
longer
the
monopoly
of
Lesotho,
and
in
2004
the
University
of
the
Free
State
as
part
of
its
centenary
celebrations
and
as
a
contribution
to
the
10th
anniversary
celebrations
of
South
Africa’s
democracy,
launched
a
Moshoeshoe
Heritage
Project.
Amongst
the
early
achievements
of
the
project
was
a
television
documentary
film
about
King
Moshoeshoe,
The
Renaissance
King,
directed
by
Max
du
Preez
with
Kalosi
Ramakhula
as
Lesotho
coordinator.
(For
a
review,
see
Summary
of
Events
in
Lesotho,
vol.
11,
no.
4
(Fourth
Quarter
2004)).
In
2006,
UFS
marked
Africa
Day,
25
May,
with
an
Inaugural
King
Moshoeshoe
Memorial
Lecture
held
in
the
Wynand
Mouton
Theatre
at
the
university
and
attended
by
a
full
house
of
over
1000
persons.
Large
banners
of
the
familiar
portrait
of
King
Moshoeshoe
in
a
top
hat
graced
the
approaches
to
the
venue
and
were
a
backdrop
on
the
stage.
The
occasion
included
introductory
speeches
by
Professor
Frederick
Fourie,
Rector
and
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
University
of
the
Free
State;
Chief
Mathealira
Seeiso,
younger
brother
of
the
late
King
Moshoeshoe
II
(who
was
representing
King
Letsie
III);
and
Mr
Mosiuoa
Lekota,
the
South
African
Minister
of
Defence.
Mr
Lekota
revealed
that
the
Cabinet,
in
recent
discussions
on
appropriate
names
for
a
new
generation
of
submarines,
had
decided
to
name
them
after
prominent
African
women,
and
the
first
would
be
named
after
Mmanthatisi,
the
Queen
of
the
Batlokoa,
whose
realm
had
encompassed
much
of
the
area
of
the
present
eastern
Free
state
in
the
early
nineteenth
century.
The
King
Moshoeshoe
Memorial
Lecture
itself
was
given
by
Professor
Njabulo
Ndebele,
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
University
of
Cape
Town,
and
a
former
student,
Head
of
the
English
Department
and
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
of
the
National
University
of
Lesotho.
He
subsequently
became
Chair
of
the
Department
of
African
Literature
at
the
University
of
the
Witwatersrand,
Vice-Rector
of
the
University
of
the
Western
Cape,
and
Vice-Chancellor
of
the
University
of
the
North
in
South
Africa.
Alongside
these
distinguished
administrative
positions,
he
had
become
also
an
established
author,
with
his
most
recent
novel,
The
cry
of
Winnie
Mandela
having
received
considerable
critical
acclaim
on
its
appearance
in
2003.
This
carefully
crafted
novel,
original
in
concept
and
construction,
juxtaposes
the
plight
of
the
women
of
South
Africa
and
Lesotho
with
absent
husbands
against
the
ancient
legend
of
Penelope
of
Homer’s
Odyssey
who
waited
nineteen
years
for
her
husband’s
return.
Njabulo
Ndebele
chose
as
the
subject
of
his
lecture,
‘Perspectives
on
the
leadership
challenges
in
South
Africa’,
and
the
lecture
was
marked
by
his
characteristic
thought-provoking
originality.
He
noted
that
the
venue
of
Bloemfontein,
which
had
become
a
hundred
years
ago
a
railway
junction,
made
it
the
site
for
meetings
such
as
the
Bloemfontein
Conference
of
8
-
11
January
1912,
at
which
the
African
National
Congress
was
founded.
Amongst
those
attending
the
Conference
were
Chief
Maama
(representing
his
nephew,
Paramount
Chief
Letsie
II)
and
Philip
Modise
(personal
secretary
to
Paramount
Chief
Letsie
II).
It
was
significant
that
Philip
Modise
from
Lesotho
was
elected
chairman
of
the
conference
from
the
second
day
onwards.
Two
years
later
Bloemfontein
was
also
the
site
for
the
founding
of
the
National
Party,
but
that
party
was
now
dead,
while
the
ANC
was
still
very
much
alive.
Moving
to
both
the
more
distant
and
more
recent
past,
Professor
Ndebele
made
reference
to
‘counter-intuitive’
leadership
as
practised
by
King
Moshoeshoe
and
also
Nelson
Mandela
who,
when
he
assumed
power,
had
met
the
generals
of
the
South
African
Defence
Force,
and
particularly
General
Viljoen.
Mandela
acknowledged
that
General
Viljoen
could
use
his
power
to
destroy
what
had
been
achieved,
but
with
an
end
result
that
there
would
be
little
left
of
worth
to
either
side.
This
skill
in
buttressing
the
self-esteem
of
the
opponent
prior
to
manipulating
the
situation
to
one’s
own
advantage
had
been
much
earlier
practised
by
King
Moshoeshoe.
Njabulo
Ndebele
then
spoke
about
the
contemporary
crisis
in
South
Africa,
where
seemingly
none
of
the
country’s
organisations
was
in
control
of
the
situation,
and
where
a
complex
democracy
could
not
survive
under
a
single
authority.
It
was
the
mark
of
maturity
of
that
authority
if
it
could
contemplate
the
time
when
it
was
no
longer
overwhelmingly
in
power.
In
seeking
conditions
for
a
true
renaissance
the
methods
and
achievements
of
King
Moshoeshoe
were
an
example.
In
the
face
of
formidable
challenges,
King
Moshoeshoe
formed
friendships
and
alliances,
weighing
options
and
proposing
unsuspected
solutions.
The
unknown
is
creative
-
it
offers
possibilities.
The
lecture
was
followed
by
a
Gala
Dinner
in
the
UFS’s
Centenary
Complex
for
some
300
of
those
who
had
attended
the
lecture.
Presentations
were
made
to
the
speakers,
and
the
‘Three
SA
tenors’
who
together
with
Bochabela
String
Orchestra
had
opened
and
closed
the
lecture,
continued
to
perform
during
the
dinner
with
arias
made
familiar
by
Luciano
Pavarotti,
Placido
Domingo
and
Jose
Carreras.
▲back
to top
The
incident
in
which
the
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs,
Monyane
Moleleki,
was
apparently
shot
in
the
arm
in
the
early
hours
of
Sunday
29
January
2006,
continued
to
have
repercussions,
but
with
no
apparent
light
thrown
on
the
key
matter
of
who
was
responsible
for
his
injury.
The
Minister’s
two
guards,
Privates
Taole
Mokhesuoe
and
Phetetso
Motšoehli
of
the
commando
unit,
had
to
face
a
court
martial,
charged
with
failure
to
perform
their
military
duties
in
that
they
had
not
adequately
protected
the
Minister.
Monyane
Moleleki
also
testified
at
the
hearing,
and
at
one
time
was
in
tears.
He
said
that
the
shooting
had
taken
place
outside
his
house
and
not
elsewhere,
and
also
that,
as
reported
in
Public
Eye
of
2
June
2006,
‘the
police
were
determined
not
to
find
his
attackers’.
It
transpired
during
the
hearing
that
the
two
soldiers
had
been
tortured
prior
to
the
court
martial
hearing,
and
they
in
turn
laid
a
lawsuit
against
the
Commissioner
of
Police
for
M500
000
each
for
damages
following
alleged
torture
by
10
Criminal
Investigation
Department
members
at
the
Pitso
Ground
police
post.
They
alleged
that
this
had
been
carried
out
on
them
to
get
them
to
change
an
earlier
statement
and
to
make
a
false
statement
against
the
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs.
By
June,
Moleleki
was
being
guarded
by
a
six-man
bodyguard
and
there
was
clearly
friction
between
Moleleki
and
the
police.
Indeed
Moleleki
had
apparently
engaged
two
handpicked
security
officers
from
South
Africa
to
investigate
the
matter.
Public
Eye
of
16
June
2006,
quoted
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
public
relations
officer,
Inspector
Pheello
Mphana,
who
indicated
that
he
was
aware
of
this
development,
but
he
complained
that
the
police
still
did
not
have
a
copy
of
the
medical
report
on
the
Minister’s
injury.
Although
they
could
see
that
the
car
in
which
the
Minister
was
travelling
and
also
the
neighbour’s
house
had
been
shot
at,
they
could
not
say
for
certain
that
the
Minister
was
shot,
because
they
had
no
medical
report
which
said
so.
▲back
to top
An
unfortunate
sequence
of
events
began
somewhat
innocently
in
the
year
2005.
The
Speaker
of
the
National
Assembly
had
been
asked
to
nominate
a
delegation
of
two
persons
to
attend
a
SADC
Parliamentary
Reform
Conference
in
Botswana
on
22-23
September
2005.
The
Speaker
duly
appointed
two
persons,
one
of
whom
was
the
then
Secretary-General
of
the
ruling
Lesotho
Congress
for
Democracy,
Sephiri
Motanyane;
while
the
other
was
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
a
proportional
representation
member
representing
the
Basotho
National
Party.
It
is
appropriate
here
to
provide
some
background
detail.
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
a
former
diplomat
and
principal
secretary,
had
in
1998
been
Acting
Leader
of
the
BNP
during
the
illness,
followed
by
the
death
of
his
brother,
the
then
BNP
Party
Leader,
E.
R.
Sekhonyana.
At
the
March
1999
BNP
Party
Conference,
Justin
Metsing
Lekhanya
(who
as
Major-General
J.
M.
Lekhanya
had
led
the
1986
Military
Coup
against
the
then
BNP
government)
became
the
Party
Leader
and
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
the
Deputy
Leader.
Bereng
Sekhonyana
subsequently
played
an
important
role,
representing
the
party
in
the
Interim
Political
Authority
in
1999.
He
became
co-chairman
of
the
IPA,
and
on
3
December
1999
was
one
of
the
three
co-signatories
(the
others
were
Lekhetho
Rakuoane
of
the
Patriotic
Front
for
Democracy
(PFD),
the
second
co-chairman;
and
the
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili)
of
the
Memorandum
of
Agreement
between
the
IPA
and
the
Lesotho
Government.
In
the
2002
General
Election
Bereng
Sekhonyana
stood
for
the
Maseru
Central
constituency
and
came
second,
receiving
30.6%
of
the
votes.
However
in
2003,
friction
developed
between
himself
and
party
leader
Lekhanya,
and
at
the
Party
Conference
in
March
2003,
he
was
replaced
as
Deputy
Leader
by
Joseph
Mollo.
He
nevertheless
remained
a
BNP
MP.
The
nomination
of
Bereng
Sekhonyana
to
go
to
the
Botswana
conference
resulted
in
a
letter
dated
16
September
2005
from
Lekhanya
to
the
Speaker
asking
her
to
reconsider
the
nomination
and
in
the
event
that
this
was
not
done
threatening
the
mounting
of
a
protest.
The
protest
duly
occurred
after
the
conference
in
the
form
of
demonstrations
at
Parliament
by
the
BNP
Youth
League
and
Women’s
League
on
10
October
2005.
Those
picketing
Parliament
demanded
an
immediate
reply
(which
they
did
not
get)
to
a
letter
by
Tšepo
Monethi,
Secretary
of
the
BNP
Youth
League.
The
letter
objected
to
the
Speaker’s
nomination
without
consulting
the
BNP
Chief
Whip,
and
also
demanded
that
all
BNP
Members
of
Parliament
attend
a
debriefing
meeting
at
Party
Headquarters,
failing
which
they
would
be
considered
as
having
forfeited
seats
in
Parliament.
The
response
of
Parliament
to
these
events
was
Motion
No.
92
of
the
National
Assembly
on
14
October
2005
which
read:
‘That
this
Honourable
House,
following
the
Hon.
Speaker’s
statement
to
the
House
on
Wednesday
12th
October
condemns
unreservedly
and
in
the
strongest
possible
terms
the
actions
of
the
BNP
elements
responsible
for
bringing
this
Honourable
House
into
disrepute
by,
inter
alia,
seeking
to
(i)
intimidate
the
Hon.
Speaker;
(ii)
interfere
with
the
smooth
running
of
the
business
of
the
House
and
the
office
of
the
Hon.
Speaker;
and
requests
and
requires
them
to
desist
forthwith
from
such
further
actions.
Furthermore,
this
Honourable
House
takes
a
very
dim
view
of
the
leadership
of
the
BNP
for
condoning
and
abetting
such
actions
and
in
consequence
thereof
resolves
to
refer:
(a)
the
matter;
(b)
the
‘reliable
reports’
mentioned
in
one
of
the
letters
addressed
to
the
Honourable
Speaker
as
per
attachments
to
the
petition;
to
the
Committee
of
Privileges
for
further
investigations,
and
duly
report
back
its
findings
to
this
House
to
take
such
further
action
as
may
be
necessary.’
When
the
8-member
Committee
of
Privileges
under
the
Chairmanship
of
M.
M.
Moeno
MP,
duly
met,
it
decided
at
the
beginning
that
one
of
its
members,
Mooki
V.
Molapo
MP,
should
stand
down
from
the
Committee
because
he
had
already
made
clear
his
stance
on
the
matter
in
a
letter
to
Moeletsi
oa
Basotho,
dated
30
October
2005.
The
Committee
of
Privileges
finally
tabled
its
report
to
the
National
Assembly
on
17
May
2006,
and
its
findings
included
that
there
had
indeed
been
threats
and
intimidation
against
the
Speaker
and
‘the
Committee
took
a
very
dim
view
of
the
BNP
leadership
for
effectively
masterminding
the
whole
spurious
campaign
and
smear
propaganda
against
the
Honourable
Speaker’.
The
Committee
recommended
that
the
House
should
take
remedial
measures
and
these
were
specifically
that
Hon.
J.
M.
Lekhanya,
Leader
of
the
BNP,
should
be
suspended
from
the
proceedings
of
the
House
for
ten
months
without
pay,
five
months
of
which
would
be
suspended
provided
he
does
not
breach
any
of
the
privileges
of
the
House
and
its
committees
for
those
ten
months.
Four
other
BNP
MPs,
Chief
Ranthomeng
P.
Matete
(the
BNP
Secretary-General),
A.
M.
Hanyane,
Lekhooana
Jonathan
and
S.
J.
Thabisi
should
be
similarly
suspended
from
Parliament
for
six
months,
but
with
three
months
of
the
suspension
suspended
under
the
same
terms
as
for
J.
M.
Lekhanya.
An
at
times
heated
and
wide
ranging
debate
on
the
Committee
of
Privileges
Report
began
in
the
National
Assembly
on
Wednesday
24
May
2006
and
continued
on
Monday
29
May,
Tuesday
30
May
and
Wednesday
31
May
2006.
On
the
first
day
of
the
debate,
the
BNP
Leader,
J.
M.
Lekhanya,
stated
that
the
Report
of
the
Committee
of
Privileges
was
incomplete.
It
had
not
taken
account
of
the
fact
that
the
persons
invited
to
the
seminar
in
Botswana
were
to
have
been
Secretaries-General
and
Chief
Whips
of
political
parties.
While
the
then
LCD
Secretary-General,
Sephiri
Motanyane
[now
the
Deputy
Speaker]
was
nominated
by
the
Speaker
to
attend,
the
other
person
nominated
was
not
an
office-holder
in
any
political
party.
[The
previous
BNP
Chief
Whip,
Morapeli
Motaung,
had
at
the
time
recently
died.]
Lekhanya
went
on
to
say
that
the
Report
of
the
Committee
of
Privileges
was
incomplete,
null
and
void,
and
must
be
withdrawn
forthwith.
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
MP,
spoke
at
length
on
the
last
day
of
the
debate,
but
his
views
were
clear
right
at
the
beginning
of
his
speech
when
he
said
about
the
Report
‘I
accept
it
in
its
totality,
all
of
it
without
reservation,
because,
Sir
[addressing
the
Deputy
Speaker],
it
is
a
Report
deriving
from
a
Motion
which
was
made
by
this
House
long
ago’.
The
National
Assembly
at
the
end
of
the
debate
adopted
the
Committee
of
Privileges
Report
and
the
five
BNP
members
mentioned
therein
were
duly
suspended
from
Parliament.
Only
two
days
later
on
2
June
2006,
Bereng
Sekhonyana
was
dead.
He
was
gunned
down
in
his
car
late
in
the
evening
as
he
waited
for
his
daughters
to
open
the
gate
of
his
house,
in
Lethole
Road
in
the
Maseru
suburb
of
Ha
Hoohlo.
Eighteen
bullets
had
been
fired
from
three
different
guns,
but
there
were
no
immediate
arrests.
▲back
to top
As
reported
in
Lesotho
Today
of
1
June
2006,
the
Prime
Minister,
Pakalitha
Mosisili
recently
officially
inaugurated
several
new
developments
in
his
home
district
of
Qacha’s
Nek.
Amongst
these
was
a
new
Qacha’s
Nek
District
Library
and
a
new
two-storey
post
office
building.
The
opportunity
was
also
taken
to
officially
open
the
new
tarred
road
linking
Qacha’s
Nek
to
Mphaki,
and
thus
providing
continuous
tar
all
the
way
to
Maseru.
This
road
had
already
been
in
use
for
a
few
months.
▲back
to top
The
Peace
Monument
unveiled
at
Ha
Tšiu
near
Ha
Mofoka
in
Maseru
District
on
20
May
2005
was
supposed
to
mark
the
end
of
feuding
which
over
the
years
had
led
to
the
deaths
of
some
56
people
in
the
area.
The
area
is
apparently
still
not
peaceful,
however.
As
reported
in
Moeletsi
oa
Basotho
of
18
June
2006,
Senior
Inspector
Ntšala
Nqosa
of
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
was
gunned
down
by
assailants
at
Qhuqhu
not
far
from
the
peace
monument
on
Saturday
3
June
2006.
The
following
day,
one
of
the
suspects
was
shot
and
killed,
and
another
suspect
was
also
shot
and
killed
soon
afterwards.
A
third
suspect
is
reported
to
have
fled.
▲back
to top
Football
in
Lesotho
mirrors
football
in
England
to
the
extent
of
having
a
Premier
League
of
16
teams
who
during
the
season
play
a
total
of
30
matches
against
each
other.
At
the
end
of
the
season
the
two
teams
at
the
bottom
of
the
league
are
relegated
to
the
First
Division
while
the
best
two
First
Division
teams
are
promoted
to
the
Premier
League.
In
each
match
three
points
are
awarded
for
a
win
and
one
point
for
a
draw.
In
the
event
of
a
tie
in
points
in
the
league
table,
the
goal
difference
(goals
for
less
goal
against)
determines
which
team
takes
precedence.
Rather
interestingly,
the
football
season
mirrors
that
of
the
Northern
Hemisphere
as
far
as
the
months
when
games
are
played.
As
a
result,
games
in
Lesotho
are
played
through
the
heat
of
summer,
rather
than
through
the
winter
as
happens
in
England.
By
the
end
of
May
all
30
league
games
had
been
completed
and
the
four
teams
at
the
top
of
the
Premier
League
were
Likhopo
with
64
points;
Lesotho
Defence
Force
(LDF)
with
63
points
and
a
goal
difference
of
29
goals;
Lioli
also
with
63
points
but
with
a
goal
difference
of
21
goals;
and
Linare
with
59
points.
As
a
result,
Likhopo
successfully
defended
the
League
Championship
which
they
had
also
won
in
2005.
At
the
bottom
of
the
league,
School
Boys
with
24
points
and
Lifefo
with
17
points
are
relegated
to
the
First
Division,
and
the
two
top
First
Division
clubs,
Joy
and
Mafeteng
LMPS
(Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service)
join
the
Premier
League
for
next
season.
There
is
also
a
Buddie
Premier
League
Top-4
Football
Tournament,
which
was
staged
at
the
Setsoto
Stadium
in
Maseru
on
the
weekend
of
3-4
June
2006.
A
new
knockout
system
for
this
tournament
was
introduced
in
2006
so
that
in
the
first
round
on
Saturday,
the
matches
were
between
the
teams
that
came
first
and
third,
and
those
that
came
second
and
fourth
in
the
Premier
League
table.
Then
on
the
Sunday
there
was
a
match
between
Saturday’s
losers
followed
by
the
final
between
the
two
winners.
This
brought
about
a
different
result
from
the
Premier
League,
because
the
winners
on
the
Saturday
were
LDF
and
Lioli.
On
the
Sunday,
Likhopo
had
to
be
content
with
third
place
in
a
3-0
win
over
Linare.
The
final
itself
was
marred
by
violence
which
held
up
play
for
20
minutes
and
in
which
at
least
11
people
sustained
injuries
from
flying
missiles
such
as
bottles.
In
the
final
match,
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force
team
beat
the
Teyateyaneng
based
team,
Lioli,
by
a
score
of
2
goals
to
one.
▲back
to top
Lentsoe
la
Basotho
of
8
June
2006
displayed
on
its
front
page
four
new
possible
designs
for
Lesotho’s
national
flag.
As
stated
by
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister,
Lesao
Lehohla
in
Parliament
on
6
June,
these
were
the
four
short
listed
designs
from
many
which
had
been
submitted,
and
it
was
now
the
turn
of
the
public
to
express
an
opinion
on
the
designs.
Three
of
the
designs
have
a
white
triangle
enclosing
a
brown
Basotho
hat
at
the
hoist.
The
fourth
places
the
hat
in
the
centre
of
a
horizontal
white
band.
Apart
from
white
and
brown,
two
of
the
flags
have
green,
blue
and
white
horizontal
bands,
while
the
others
also
have
a
black
band
either
instead
of
or
in
addition
to
white
bands.
 If
one
of
the
designs
is
adopted
for
its
new
flag,
Lesotho
will
set
something
of
a
record
in
changing
the
design
of
its
flag
twice
since
Independence.
The
Independence
flag
was
designed
by
a
local
architect,
Peter
Hancock,
but
its
original
yellow
Basotho
hat
was
changed
to
white
deliberately
by
the
then
government
so
that
its
original
colours
would
coincide
with
those
of
the
Basotho
National
Party.
Because
of
this
political
association,
the
Military
Government
which
came
to
power
in
1986
commissioned
a
new
design,
and
the
present
flag,
designed
by
Sergeant
Retšelisitsoe
Matete
of
the
Lesotho
Defence
Force,
was
introduced
in
1987.
It
now
seems,
however,
that
a
Basotho
hat
or
mokorotlo
is
more
favoured
than
the
coat
of
arms
which
appears
on
the
present
flag.
If
a
new
flag
is
introduced
it
will
deprive
schoolteachers
of
a
simple
geometrical
exercise
posed
by
the
present
flag
which
has
a
blue
trapezium
and
a
green
triangle
in
the
triangular
lower
right
half
of
the
flag.
According
to
the
legal
description
(although
most
real
flags
fail
this
requirement),
the
blue
and
green
portions
of
the
flag
have
to
be
of
equal
area.
If
this
is
the
case,
what
is
the
ratio
of
the
blue
and
green
lengths
on
the
lowest
side
of
the
flag?▲back
to top
A
clothing
factory
in
Mafeteng,
P
&
T
Textile
(Pty)
Ltd,
caught
fire
shortly
after
the
night
shift
had
left
at
5
a.m.
By
the
time
the
fire
brigade
had
been
summoned
from
Maseru,
the
fire
had
got
such
a
hold
that
little
could
be
done
and
the
factory
building
was
gutted.
Only
the
warehouse
and
cutting
room
escaped
the
fire.
Some
2500
persons
were
formerly
working
at
the
factory.
▲back
to top
His
Majesty
King
Letsie
III
on
Wednesday
7
June
commissioned
three
new
heads
for
Lesotho’s
overseas
diplomatic
missions.
Ms
Motšeoa
Senyane
is
due
to
reopen
the
Office
of
the
High
Commissioner
to
Canada
in
Ottawa
which
has
been
closed
for
some
time.
Mr
Jonas
Malewa,
who
until
2004
was
Commissioner
of
Police,
becomes
the
new
Ambassador
to
Italy
taking
over
an
Embassy
which
has
also
been
closed
for
some
time.
The
third
appointment
is
Dr
Makase
Nyaphisi
who
becomes
Ambassador
to
Germany
in
place
of
Mr
Seymour
Kikine.
Dr
Nyaphisi
worked
for
a
number
of
years
in
the
then
Environmental
Division
of
the
Lesotho
Highlands
Development
Authority.
More
recently
he
has
been
a
medical
practitioner
in
Mokhotlong.
▲back
to top
A
pioneer
Lesotho
educationist
and
the
first
Mosotho
to
be
promoted
to
the
rank
of
Professor,
Josias
Makibinyane
Mohapeloa
died
after
a
short
illness
on
Friday
9
June
2006
at
his
home
in
Maseru
at
the
age
of
92.
Josias
Makibinyane
Mohapeloa,
who
later
became
known
to
his
many
friends
as
‘Mak’,
was
born
on
23
May
1914
at
Molumong
in
Mokhotlong
District.
A
Motaung
oa
’Mamaloisane
by
clan,
he
was
the
son
of
Rev.
Joel
Mohapeloane
Mohapeloa
and
Candace
Sehoroane
Matong.
Joel
Mohapeloa
was
a
pastor
of
the
Paris
Evangelical
Missionary
Society
(now
the
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church),
and
not
long
after
his
ordination
in
1906
was
posted
into
the
Maloti
to
the
Molumong
Mission.
This
mission
had
been
founded
in
1893,
close
to
the
village
of
Chief
Rafolatsane
Letsie,
by
the
very
first
Mosotho
ordained
minister,
Rev.
Carlisle
Motebang,
scarcely
ten
years
after
the
first
Basotho
had
settled
there.
By
1906,
Carlisle
Motebang
was
unwell
and
asking
to
be
allowed
to
return
to
the
Lowlands,
and
Joel
Mohapeloa
was
sent
to
be
with
him
and
within
a
year
to
take
over
from
him.
In
this
remote
spot,
several
days
on
horseback
from
the
Lowlands
of
Lesotho,
Joel
Mohapeloa
brought
up
a
family
of
ten
children,
a
number
of
whom
were
later
to
distinguish
themselves
in
different
ways.
The
first
born
later
became
the
Rev.
Kaibe
Mohapeloa
of
the
African
Methodist
Episcopal
Church;
while
the
third,
Joel
Thabiso
Mohapeloa
(1905-97),
became
a
Lecturer
in
Commercial
Subjects
at
Fort
Hare
(1930-43)
and
later
first
Treasurer
of
the
Basotho
National
Treasury,
and
then
successively
a
senior
civil
servant
in
the
colonial
administration
and
Chairman
of
the
Public
Service
Commission.
The
fourth
child,
Joshua
Pulumo
Mohapeloa
(1908-82)
became
Lesotho’s
best
known
composer,
and
his
songs
are
still
widely
sung
throughout
southern
Africa.
Mak
Mohapeloa
was
the
sixth
child,
and
spent
his
first
years
in
the
Maloti
where
he
attended
the
primary
school
at
his
father’s
mission.
The
family
moved
to
Mohalinyane
in
Mohale's
Hoek
District
in
1929,
but
by
this
time
Mak
had
already
entered
the
Morija
Training
College,
following
which
he
went
to
Fort
Hare
University
College
in
South
Africa
where
he
completed
his
secondary
education.
After
teaching
briefly
in
primary
schools
at
Qhalasi
and
Peka,
he
taught
for
over
a
year
at
Morija
Training
College.
His
subsequent
teaching
career
took
him
to
teach
at
Modderpoort
and
Adams
College
in
South
Africa
for
short
periods.
Back
at
Fort
Hare,
he
studied
both
History
and
English
and
became
the
first
Mosotho
to
obtain
a
Master’s
Degree
which
was
in
the
subject
English.
1947
found
him
back
in
Lesotho
where
he
taught
at
the
then
Basutoland
High
School,
initially
for
two
years.
After
periods
of
study
at
Teachers’
College,
Columbia
University,
New
York
and
at
Oxford
University,
he
became
an
Education
Officer
in
the
Department
of
Education.
However,
he
found
himself
seconded
from
this
post
for
the
years
1951-5
to
be
Headmaster
at
Basutoland
High
School.
His
pupils
called
him
sometimes
Rangoane
(uncle)
and
sometimes
‘Johnny
Walker’
from
his
precise
upright
gait.
He
clearly
made
an
impression
on
them
and
when
one
of
them,
Makhokolotso
Mokhomo,
became
the
first
Mosotho
published
woman
poet
in
1958
(the
poems
in
her
collection
had
been
written
at
least
five
years
earlier),
she
dedicated
a
nine
stanza
poem
to
her
former
teacher,
full
of
exuberant
praise.
One
of
the
stanzas
in
her
book,
Sebabatso
(A
wonderful
thing)
is
as
follows:
O
haotse
linaha
mor’a
Mohapeloa,
A
b’a
fihla
Amerika
naheng
ea
mahlale,
A
fihla
moo
ho
pheloang
ka
metsi
a
linotši;
Boliba
o
bo
fofile
e
se
letlaka,
A
hoballa
sa
phakoe
e
ubella
lithaha—
Ihlo
le
nchocho,
ihlo
la
Basotho,
Molomo
o
khutsitse
ho
bua
lipampiri.
He
traversed
lands,
this
son
of
Mohapeloa,
He
arrived
in
America,
land
of
knowledge,
He
came
to
where
the
people
live
on
honey;
Though
not
a
vulture,
he
flew
over
the
depths
of
the
ocean,
He
flew
straight
as
a
hawk
swooping
down
on
finches—
Sharp-eyed,
the
eye
of
the
Basotho,
His
mouth
silent
as
he
speaks
through
his
writings.
Over
the
period
1955-65,
when
he
continued
his
service
as
an
Education
Officer,
one
of
Mak
Mohapeloa’s
main
responsibilities
was
to
inspect
primary
schools,
work
which
most
often
required
travelling
on
horseback.
In
the
logbooks
of
many
primary
schools
to
this
day,
one
can
find
entries
in
his
neat
handwriting,
offering
valuable
advice.
In
1963,
he
was
appointed
Chief
Inspector
of
Schools
and
in
1965
he
became
Permanent
Secretary
for
Education,
the
post
he
held
at
the
time
of
Lesotho’s
Independence.
There
then
began
a
long
period
of
association
with
the
University
at
Roma.
Mak
Mohapeloa
was
Government
representative
on
the
Council
of
the
University
from
1965,
and
by
1967
was
Chairman
of
the
Council.
Following
the
rules
established
during
the
colonial
period,
civil
servants
retired
at
55,
and
when
he
reached
this
milestone
in
1969,
he
joined
the
University
of
Botswana,
Lesotho
and
Swaziland
as
a
Senior
Lecturer
in
Education.
He
was
promoted
to
Reader
in
1972
and
Professor
in
1975.
From
the
mid-1970s,
he
was
appointed
first
Acting
and
later
substantive
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
of
the
University,
a
position
which
he
held
until
1978.
He
was
also
at
times
Dean
of
the
Faculty
of
Education.
He
finally
retired
from
what
had
by
now
become
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
in
July
1980.
In
1987,
the
University
awarded
him
an
honorary
doctorate.
Amongst
the
many
professional
organizations
with
which
Professor
Mohapeloa
was
associated
was
the
Lekhotla
la
Sesotho
or
Sesotho
Language
Academy.
He
was
a
co-founder
and
served
as
president
from
its
foundation
in
1972
to
1995.
Professor
Mohapeloa’s
long
service
as
a
teacher
and
administrator
was
paralleled
by
his
writing,
which
he
also
actively
pursued
during
his
retirement.
In
Sesotho
he
published
two
books
of
poetry,
Mosikong
oa
thabana
ea
Borata
(On
Borata’s
hillside)
(1954)
and
Tilinyang
meropa
(Sound
the
drums)
(1971);
a
book
of
short
stories,
Ifo,
lapeng
(By
the
hearth
at
home)
(1968);
a
play,
Sefofane,
sholu la
metebong
(Sefofane,
the
cattle-post
thief)
(1988);
and
a
novel,
Phephi,
oa
maticha!
(Sorry,
teacher!)
(1999).
Apart
from
many
articles
on
education
in
Lesotho,
including
an
account
of
its
history,
Professor
Mohapeloa
produced
two
major
books
on
Lesotho
history,
Government
by
proxy:
ten
years
of
Cape
Colony
rule
in
Lesotho
1871-81
(1971)
and
Tentative
British
imperialism
in
Lesotho 1884-1910:
a
study
in
Basotho-Colonial
Office
interaction
and
South
Africa’s
influence
on
it
(2002).
He
also
published
in
1985
a
cautiously
and
thoughtfully
written
history
of
the
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church,
spanning
the
period
when
it
gained
(in
1964)
full
autonomy.
This
book
had
the
title
From
Mission
to
Church:
fifty
years
of
the
work
of
the
Paris
Evangelical
Missionary
Society
and
the
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church
1933-1983.
It
was
a
sequel
to
an
earlier
work
by
Victor
Ellenberger,
which
had
covered
the
first
100
years
of
PEMS
work
in
Lesotho.
Mak
Mohapeloa
in
1944
married
Dorcas
Masemola
of
Warmbad
(now
Bela-Bela
in
Limpopo
Province)
whom
he
had
known
at
Fort
Hare.
A
qualified
nurse,
she
eventually
became
the
first
local
President
of
the
Lesotho
Red
Cross.
Their
family
grew
to
four
sons
and
two
daughters.
The
Mohapeloa
household,
unusual
in
Lesotho
in
those
days,
was
known
to
be
one
where
the
medium
of
communication
was
English.
Dorcas
died
unexpectedly
from
viral
hepatitis
in
1989,
and
Mak
Mohapeloa
in
1991
married
one
of
his
wife’s
nursing
colleagues,
Glory
Macbeth
Lukhele.
He
is
survived
by
his
second
wife,
eight
grandchildren
and
a
number
of
great-grandchildren.
Mak
Mohapeloa
was
known
for
his
urbane
manner
and
quiet
efficiency,
his
impeccable
taste,
and
his
total
command
of
written
and
spoken
Sesotho
and
English.
Following
an
event
hosted
in
his
honour
by
the
Morija
Museum
&
Archives
on
15
February
2006
(see
Summary
of
Events,
vol.
13,
no.
1
(First
Quarter
2006)),
the
Lesotho
Government
also
gave
him
recognition
during
Education
Week
at
an
event
chosen
to
coincide
with
his
92nd
birthday
on
23
May
2006.
On
this
occasion
he
was
made
Knight
Commander
of
the
Most
Meritorious
Order
of
Mohlomi
by
His
Majesty
King
Letsie
III.
The
newly
dubbed
knight
made
an
acceptance
speech
in
which
he
said
that
teaching
for
him
had
been
not
just
a
job
but
a
call
and
a
privilege.
He
paid
tribute
to
his
wife,
the
late
’Mamohapeloane
Dorcas
Mohapeloa,
who
had
contributed
greatly
towards
his
achievements.
He
also
paid
tribute
to
his
present
wife,
Glory
Macbeth
Mohapeloa.
He
mentioned
that
both
wives
had
been
nurses
by
profession
and
had
looked
after
him
very
well.
Professor
Mohapeloa’s
funeral
was
held
at
the
Lesotho
Evangelical
Church
in
Maseru
on
Friday
June
16,
and
was
followed
by
interment
at
the
cemetery
in
Maseru
West.
▲back
to top
President
Mary
McAleese
of
the
Republic
of
Ireland
paid
a
State
Visit
to
Lesotho
from
11
to
14
June
2006.
Her
visit
closely
followed
the
upgrading
of
the
position
of
the
Irish
Consul-General,
Paddy
Fay,
to
full
Ambassadorial
Status
on
18
May
2006
when
he
presented
his
credentials
to
His
Majesty
King
Letsie
III.
Lesotho
already
has
an
Ambassador
accredited
to
Ireland
and
resident
in
Dublin.
Mary
McAleese
(54)
followed
Mary
Robinson
in
1997
as
Ireland’s
second
woman
president,
and
was
re-elected
in
2004
for
a
second
term
of
office.
She
is
the
first
Irish
President
of
Ireland
to
come
from
Northern
Ireland
and
has
an
impressive
academic
background
as
a
lawyer
which
includes
teaching
and
senior
administrative
posts
in
both
Queen’s
University
Belfast
and
Trinity
College,
Dublin.
She
has
served
as
a
barrister
in
Northern
Ireland;
as
Professor
of
Criminal
Law,
Criminology
and
Penology
in
Trinity
College,
Dublin;
as
a
journalist
and
television
presenter
for
Radio
Telefis
Eireann;
and
back
in
Belfast
as
the
first
female
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
at
Queen’s
University
in
the
years
immediately
before
assuming
the
Irish
Presidency.
Mary
McAleese
was
accompanied
to
Lesotho
by
her
husband
Dr
Martin
McAleese,
who
by
profession
is
a
dentist.
They
have
a
son
and
two
daughters.
During
her
busy
programme,
the
Irish
President
travelled
by
helicopter
and
visited
the
Mohale
Dam,
the
Rapokalana
Primary
School
in
the
remote
Jorotane
valley,
and
Mafeteng
Hospital.
At
a
State
Banquet
on
Monday
12
June
2006,
President
McAleese
alluded
to
Lesotho’s
links
with
Ireland
which
go
back
as
far
as
Joseph
Orpen,
who
was
born
in
Dublin
in
1828
and
who
effectively
succeeded
Eugène
Casalis
as
Foreign
Minister
to
King
Moshoeshoe.
For
his
pains
and
support
of
the
Basotho
he
was
made
persona
non
grata
in
the
Orange
Free
State.
Another
Irish-born
person
was
Francis
Balfour,
commemorated
by
a
monument
in
Maseru
and
also
by
a
road
named
after
him.
He
served
as
an
Anglican
missionary
in
Lesotho
for
the
years
1877-1923
and
was
appointed
the
first
Anglican
Bishop
of
Lesotho
in
1910.
At
a
reception
the
following
evening,
Mary
McAleese
also
mentioned
some
of
Ireland’s
more
recent
devoted
workers
in
Lesotho,
the
missionaries.
Present
on
that
occasion
and
specifically
mentioned
by
her
by
name
were
two
veteran
missionaries,
Father
Denis
O’Callaghan,
aged
85;
and
Sister
Mary-Joseph
Hannon,
aged
90.
Father
Denis
is
a
member
of
the
Oblates
of
Mary
Immaculate
and
has
worked
in
Lesotho
over
60
years,
many
of
those
years
spent
teaching
at
St
Theresa’s
Seminary
in
Roma.
Now
resident
at
the
Oblate
House
in
Maseru,
he
regularly
visits
patients
at
Queen
Elizabeth
II
Hospital.
Sister
Mary-Joe,
as
she
is
known,
has
an
even
longer
record
of
service.
She
arrived
in
Lesotho
as
a
member
of
the
Holy
Family
Sisters
of
Bordeaux
as
long
ago
as
1936.
Amongst
her
responsibilities
was
the
founding
of
St
Mary’s
Training
College
for
women
teachers
at
Roma
in
1941.
She
initially
mounted
the
three-year
Basutoland
Primary
Teachers’
Course
from
a
building
known
as
Mud
Castle,
which
had
already
been
condemned
35
years
earlier
in
an
education
report!
Fortunately
better
premises
were
soon
to
follow.
In
her
speech
at
the
reception,
Mary
McAleese
spoke
eloquently
of
Ireland’s
past
when
her
own
people
suffered
crushing
poverty.
The
people
of
Ireland
understood
for
generations
what
it
was
to
be
poor
and
not
to
have
opportunities.
Ireland’s
involvement
in
Lesotho
is
a
friendship,
and
in
a
friendship
one
does
not
cut
ties.
Ireland
was
committed
to
stay
and
to
help
Lesotho
make
the
most
of
its
opportunities.
Ireland,
like
Lesotho,
has
few
natural
resources,
and
indeed
like
Lesotho,
its
main
natural
resource
is
water.
However,
the
true
main
resource
of
Ireland
is
its
people,
who
have
today
collectively
risen
above
their
impoverished
past.
It
is
also
true
that
the
main
resource
of
Lesotho
is
its
people.
Poverty
can
result
in
many
responses.
Those
who
suffer
from
poverty
may
resort
to
fatalism,
anger
or
cynicism.
However
those
who
can
rise
above
it
have
the
opportunities
for
altruism,
and
to
support
their
own
people.
She
recognised
that
those
present
at
the
reception
included
many
who
had
indeed
taken
such
a
path.
▲back
to top
As
recorded
in
Lesotho
Today
of
15
June
2006,
two
new
roads
are
already
under
construction
to
the
ridge
on
which
the
new
buildings
of
the
Houses
of
Parliament
will
soon
be
constructed.
The
three
hills
which
rise
behind
the
Lesotho
Sun
hotel
have
at
different
times
had
various
names,
and
during
the
Gun
War,
when
they
sheltered
attacking
troops,
they
were
christened
The
World,
The
Flesh
and
the
Devil,
with
The
Devil
being
the
highest
and
most
imposing.
An
Anglican
deaconess
later
sponsored
a
suggested
renaming
to
Faith,
Hope
and
Charity
(‘...
but
the
greatest
of
these
is
charity’
as
in
I
Corinthians,
xiii,
13).
The
renaming
did
not
endure.
In
Sesotho,
the
highest
hill
is
normally
called
Qoatšaneng,
a
diminutive
from
Qoaling,
the
even
larger
mountain
close
by,
whose
name
is
ultimately
derived
from
a
Seroa
(San)
word
for
wild
cats.
However,
the
part
of
the
hill
nearest
to
central
Maseru
is
also
called
Mpilo,
a
name
whose
origin
is
in
some
doubt,
although
it
is
paralleled
by
its
corresponding
diminutive,
Mpilonyane,
the
name
given
to
the
hill
with
the
regimental
badge
which
rises
behind
the
Ratjomose
Barracks.
In
Zulu
and
Xhosa
it
seems
that
mpilo
is
the
word
for
‘health’
(a
missionary
coinage
according
to
Bryant
in
his
Zulu-English
dictionary
of
1905).
Could
it
perhaps
have
something
to
do
with
the
hospital
being
on
its
lower
flanks,
and/or
have
been
named
by
the
many
Xhosa-speaking
Fingos
who
were
the
backbone
of
the
Basutoland
Mounted
Police
in
the
early
days?
(Perhaps
Desmond
Mpilo
Tutu,
once
Anglican
Bishop
of
Lesotho
could
throw
some
light
on
the
matter?)
Whatever
the
explanation,
the
name
is
now
well
established
through
the
naming
of
the
dual
carriageway
Mpilo
Boulevard
which
cuts
into
the
side
of
the
hill
so
savagely
that
the
hill
from
time
to
time
responds
by
rolling
rocks
down
onto
the
road.
No
doubt
the
hill
will
soon
be
known
as
Thaba-ea-Paramente,
Parliament
Hill.
The
new
roads
which
will
eventually
be
tarred
have
already
scaled
the
heights
to
The
World
and
The
Flesh
(Faith
and
Hope)
where
the
Parliament
buildings
will
be
situated.
One
road
ascends
the
hill
from
between
the
gate
of
the
Lesotho
Sun
Hotel
and
the
Friebel
Estate;
and
is
joined
by
the
other
which
makes
its
ascent
from
near
the
National
University
of
Lesotho’s
Institute
of
Extra-Mural
Studies.
▲back
to top
Public
Eye
of
16
June
2006
quoted
figures
given
by
Motšelisi
Mosotho,
a
member
of
the
Lesotho
Mounted
Police
Service
Child
and
Gender
Protection
Unit.
Reported
rapes
between
January
and
March
2006
had
been
484,
compared
with
501
cases
in
the
whole
of
2005.
According
to
Ms
Mosotho,
gender
rights
campaigns
have
encouraged
people
to
report
rapes,
and
this
has
contributed
to
the
jump
in
the
number
of
reported
rape
cases.
▲back
to top
The
funeral
of
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
gunned
down
on
Friday
2
June
2006,
was
held,
like
many
recent
funerals
of
prominent
people,
at
the
Machabeng
College
grounds
on
Sunday
18
June
2006.
The
leader
of
the
Basotho
National
Party,
Justin
Metsing
Lekhanya,
and
members
of
the
Party
Executive
were
conspicuous
for
their
absence.
Nevertheless
there
was
a
large
BNP
party
attendance
with
many
party
flags
in
evidence.
Amongst
those
who
spoke
were
His
Majesty
King
Letsie
III;
the
Deputy
Prime
Minister,
Lesao
Lehohla;
and
the
Speaker
of
the
National
Assembly,
Ntlhoi
Motsamai.
Bereng
Sekhonyana,
aged
63,
was
a
descendant
of
the
highly
educated
son
of
King
Moshoeshoe,
Nehemiah
Sekhonyana
(1825-1906),
who
had
been
named
after
the
Ndwandwe
chief
Sikhunyana,
son
of
Zwide.
In
the
period
c.1825-6,
Sikhunyana
had
been
a
formidable
but
ultimately
unsuccessful
opponent
of
the
Zulu
chief,
Chaka.
King
Moshoeshoe
named
several
of
his
sons
after
famous
warriors.
The
name
Barend
(which
in
Sesotho
becomes
Bereng)
was
first
given
to
Bereng
Letsie,
the
second
son
of
Paramount
Chief
Letsie.
He
was
born
about
1838
and
named
after
the
Griqua
chief
Barend
Barends,
who
lived
in
Lesotho
from
1833
to
1838.
Because
of
the
practice
of
naming
people
after
relatives,
Bereng
thereafter
became
a
popular
name,
particularly
in
the
Royal
Family,
where
seven
different
Principal
Chiefs
have
borne
the
name
Bereng.
Finally
in
the
matter
of
names,
Bereng
Sekhonyana
was
known
to
many
as
Selala.
This
is
because
the
original
Mosotho
bearer
of
the
name,
Bereng
Letsie
(1838–98),
became
a
famous
warrior,
with
a
regiment
named
Lilala,
‘the
ambushers’,
which,
as
recorded
in
praise
poetry,
served
with
distinction
in
the
Gun
War
of
1880-81.
Anyone
serving
Bereng
Letsie
was
a
Selala,
and
this
became
a
praise
name
by
association
for
any
subsequent
person
named
Bereng,
including
His
Majesty
Moshoeshoe
II,
who
in
his
youth
was
commonly
called
Selala,
because
his
original
names
had
been
Constantine
Bereng
Seeiso.
Bereng
Sekhonyana
himself
had
had
a
distinguished
career
as
both
a
diplomat
and
civil
servant,
rising
to
the
post
of
Principal
Secretary
before
taking
over
BNP
responsibilities
on
the
death
of
his
brother,
E.
R.
Sekhonyana,
in
1998.
He
is
survived
by
his
wife,
his
mother
and
six
children.
As
his
coffin
was
taken
to
the
cemetery
adjoining
Kokobela
Village,
large
numbers
of
BNP
Youth
League
members
accompanied
it,
shouting
party
slogans
and
singing
party
songs.
▲back
to top
The
Central
Bank
of
Lesotho
Quarterly
Review
is
commonly
published
about
five
months
in
arrears.
The
issue
for
December
2005
provides
statistics
for
Basotho
miners
in
South
Africa.
The
average
number
employed
suffered
what
is
probably
the
largest
annual
decline
on
record
when
it
dropped
from
58
014
in
2004
to
52
450
in
2005
(the
figures
had
been
61
416
in
2003
and
62
158
in
2002).
Despite
the
decline,
miners
still
contribute
greatly
to
the
Lesotho
economy.
Not
only
are
there
more
than
twice
as
many
miners
as
factory
workers,
but
their
average
earnings
at
between
M40
000
and
M45
000
per
annum
are
more
than
four
times
factory
worker
wages.
Of
course
not
all
of
miners’
earnings
are
remitted
to
Lesotho,
and
the
proportion
is
diminishing
as
miners
of
five
years
or
more
standing
are
exercising
the
right
to
settle
with
their
families
in
South
Africa
near
their
places
of
work.
This
is
perhaps
reflected
in
the
Deferred
Pay
total
which
declined
by
42%
from
M293
million
in
2004
to
M169
million
in
2005.
This
was
only
partly
offset
by
remittance
payments
which
rose
by
27%
from
M132
million
in
2004
to
M167
million
in
2005.
This
perhaps
means
that
many
miners
no
longer
come
home,
but
that
they
still
feel
they
have
sufficient
responsibilities
towards
their
extended
families
to
send
a
part
of
their
earnings
to
support
them.
▲back
to top
Recent
developments
at
the
National
University
of
Lesotho
Roma
Campus
have
included
the
completion
of
a
new
security
fence
comprising
a
metal
palisade
along
the
west,
north
and
east
sides
of
the
campus.
On
the
north
side,
this
fence
encloses
additional
fields
acquired
in
the
past
two
years
and
used
by
the
Faculty
of
Agriculture.
There
are
now
only
three
official
entry
points,
pedestrian
gates
on
the
north
and
east
sides
of
the
campus
and
the
main
entrance
for
pedestrians
and
vehicles
on
the
south
side.
With
effect
from
1
June
2006,
visitors
now
have
to
provide
identification
and
are
issued
with
visitors’
cards.
Staff
and
students
have
to
carry
identification
cards.
Relations
between
the
main
university
administration
and
some
of
its
staff
have
deteriorated
in
recent
months.
After
the
dismissal
of
Nthakeng
Selinyane
of
the
Department
of
Development
Studies
(a
matter
which
has
been
challenged
in
the
High
Court,
but
on
which
a
judgment
has
not
yet
been
given),
disciplinary
proceedings
have
also
been
instituted
against
a
number
of
other
staff,
particularly
after
they
were
severely
critical
of
the
Vice-Chancellor
and
the
university
management
in
the
Radio
Lesotho
phone-in
programme
Seboping
and
also
on
Lesotho
Television.
As
announced
by
the
Registrar
in
a
circular
to
staff
dated
19
May
2006,
three
further
staff
have
been
suspended
pending
disciplinary
hearings.
Three
major
new
buildings
have
been
under
construction
during
the
past
academic
year.
One
of
these,
the
three-storey
extension
which
virtually
doubles
the
size
of
the
Thomas
Mofolo
Library
is
now
nearly
complete,
and
books
were
being
moved
into
it
by
June
2006.
Much
less
complete
is
the
four-storey
building
for
the
Faculties
of
Agriculture
and
Health
Sciences
which,
despite
the
contractor
working
at
night,
looks
unlikely
to
be
ready
before
the
next
academic
year.
There
is
also
a
new
hostel
complex,
on
the
north
side
of
the
existing
main
hostels
area,
and
this
is
planned
to
be
ready
by
the
new
academic
year
in
August.
▲back
to top
Thieves,
believed
to
be
from
South
Africa,
have
discovered
methods
of
inducing
Automatic
Teller
Machines
to
improperly
retain
customers’
ATM
cards,
after
which
the
thieves
have
apparently
managed
to
recover
them
and
draw
cash.
The
problem
arose
at
the
Lesotho
Bank
branch
at
the
Industrial
Area
over
the
weekend,
3-5
June
2006,
and
it
has
been
announced
that
this
branch
will
now
only
be
open
from
6
a.m.
to
6
p.m.
Eight
customers
who
lost
money
have
been
compensated
by
the
bank.
Another
problem
is
the
inadequate
numbers
of
ATM
machines.
This
becomes
acute
at
the
end
of
the
month
when
factory
workers
wish
to
withdraw
salary
money
paid
into
their
accounts.
The
practice
has
developed
that
when
there
are
very
long
queues
at
all
the
Maseru
ATMs,
people
take
the
taxi
from
Maseru
to
Roma,
where
the
two
ATMs
are
usually
less
congested.
However,
on
30
June
2006,
so
many
adopted
this
strategy
that
there
was
a
queue
several
hundred
persons
long
which
snaked
out
of
the
University
gate
and
a
hundred
metres
along
the
road.
The
Roma
minibus
taxis,
normally
fairly
idle
during
the
university
vacation,
had
a
day
of
unusually
good
business.
Since
1999,
management
of
Lesotho
Bank
has
been
in
the
hands
of
Standard
Bank.
In
July
2006
there
will
be
a
complete
merger
and
the
new
bank
will
be
called
Standard
Lesotho
Bank.
The
changeover
is
planned
for
the
holiday
weekend
15-17
July
2006.
▲back
to top
 Inflation
rates
in
Lesotho
have
been
rising
steadily
since
a
low
of
2.9%
in
August
2005.
The
steepest
rises
were
from
3.5%
in
December
to
4.2%
in
January
and
then
to
5.0%
in
February.
In
the
following
months
inflation
was
virtually
static,
rising
to
5.1%
in
March
and
remaining
the
same
in
April
2006.
At
the
time
of
going
to
press
the
May
2006
inflation
rate
was
not
available.
Meanwhile
in
South
Africa,
the
inflation
rate
as
measured
by
the
most
comparable
index,
the
CPIX,
was
4.3%
in
January,
4.5%
in
February,
3.8%
in
March,
and
3.7%
in
April
2006.
The
subsequent
trend
was
likely
to
be
upwards,
the
result
of
high
oil
prices
combined
with
the
recent
decline
in
the
value
of
the
rand
against
major
currencies.
▲back
to top
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
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