Good riddance to former PM

Good riddance to former PM

The former Prime Minister of Lesotho Thomas Thabane was a popular figure in the lowlands of Lesotho for some time at his advanced age.

He was not afraid to criss cross the country to invite people to vote for him or his party All Basotho Convention (ABC). Here is someone who had worked in government for a long time and many Basotho thought that his story would enable him to change the situation in Lesotho because he was aware of the government failures since he had been a normal worker to PS and advisor to former Prime Ministers of the country like Leabua Jonathan and Ntsu Mokhehle. Many people thought that he had the key to all end Basotho problems.

As a former Prime Minister his actions inspired hope but also deeming those hope because of the partner he eventually married at his later age. Thabane was a confident speaker and also gifted because he was not afraid of anything or anyone. As Prime Minister of this small nation it gives one an opportunity to mingle with other top leaders of the countries in the world. So Thabane was in a position to mingle with presidents and a few Prime Ministers because they are not that many in the world. What is surprising is that Prime Ministers in South Africa are below the president but in the context of Lesotho he is equal to presidents.

The king Letsie 3 of Lesotho is a ceremonial figure who doesn’t do anything but to sign wrong decisions of premiers. He has done this several times when the governments were changing or because he was young fellow who did not have much influence because he was supposed to work with anyone in power. Thabane had been a long serving minister before he established his controversial party in 2006 to topple Pakalitha Mosisili who was on power for a long time and Basotho were starting to impatient of him in power.

Thabane started at a favorable time but failed to take governance in his first time in 2007 elections were heavily contested and got 13 constituencies of which he was satisfied with his performance that would enable him to expose the government of Mosisili. Strikes or public demonstrations were the order of the day when he was opposition leader always making the streets of Maseru to stand up. This was his decision to grow his party so that it can be seen by ordinary people in the ground. He was lucky that there was proliferation of radio stations that supported his course. Stations like Harvest Fm. PC fm and others detracted from their mandate to become talk stations or political stations.

Those stations were given a leeway by Lesotho broadcast Authority (LCA) to broadcast whatever that is in their heads. For instance PCFM which changed places due to rent changed from being a youth radio to a partially talk radio and they were basically talking politics. Another station which is called 357FM also started having political talk mimicking its predecessors. A bunch of upcoming radio stations did the same and their presenters would just be political like that. A person would know exactly what the presenter was following from his talks and the guests he brought to be interviewed.

The soil was fertile for Thabane because he was working the ground by going to all different places in Lesotho whether urban or poor rural places whereby he was partially loved. His party was growing up and was now joined by everyone even those who were stealing cars were joining the party. The killers of Famo music joined the party because they were believed to be influential. A notorious famo musician who now stays in Bloemfontein joined the party to lure most people who had gone to the mountain. The party became a mixed bag, allowing everyone who was passionate about genuinely   wanting to change the lives of people or wanting to enrich themselves by stealing from the government. The party was also joined by taxi operators who made it in the parliament.

Thabane was also for a lack of better word was racist in that he mentioned that the Prime Minister Mosisili should go to his home which is Qachas’ Nek and he got support for that. I wished that certain people who call themselves leaders should have spoken more denouncing him for his nonsensical thing to do or say. He showed signs of polarization when it came to other leader even if Basotho are known for belittling each other.

Here is someone who was born in a poor country and was belittling other leaders, even where they were born he was looking down upon them. It is known fact that Lesotho is made up of two areas which are highlands and lowlands. There is no need to look down about each place because of circumstances that they cannot change. I felt like he stooped down low for saying that but Mosisili has built a nice home for himself at Roma where most educated people in Lesotho passed through. Comparatively speaking Mosisili was a better leader than Thabane was in office running Lesotho. It is true that there was a long talk highlighting how Mosisili hired someone to kill his son but it just a talk. But Thabane has been accused and charged for hiring people to kill his wife.

Thabane got out of office because his members were tied of defending him for killing his wife and their allegations that the wife was actually running the government. It is recorded down that she beat everyone that stood on her way even in official ceremonies she would be the talk of town. Her name is liabiloe Ramoholi aka ‘Maesia Thabane wanted to be recognized as the first lady of the country. It said that she beat a certain Ps at Ha-Thetsane and pushed some sports minister for talking to her man in her presence. On the other occasion she slapped a minister and threatened some officers of being unemployed.

Some people in her party ABC would be supportive of her because there was something that they were doing. Some ministers were so confident that they would not lose their job the way they were doing things. Some people even said that she had actually toppled her husband running the government. She was too much as young people would say. It seems like Thabane was afraid of her even in the public space and one wonders how she was behind closed doors.

Thabane was popular as Foreign Affairs minister and was always out of the country in other countries. He had married the first wife who was staying at Katlehong in Maseru and had about three children who had made it. But he did not have children with the second wife and the third one. Surprisingly the third wife killed the second wife because she wanted to be recognized as the first lady of Lesotho. Everyone could suspect Thabane because what they did raised eyebrows raising more suspicion. They married quickly after a month of being winners of the twenty eleven so that Liabiloe could assume the position of first lady without problems because Lipolelo Thabane had raised the issue in their divorce papers.

 

The prime Minister we have

The prime Minister we have

Ezekiel Morake

One would definitely be excited when he hears the name of Lesotho’s prime minister because of his achievements. But contradiction is the correct thing when it comes to him. Moeketsi Majoro seems like someone who does not know what to do when it comes to government.  Unfortunately he had been the finance minister for the longest time.

I want to make it clear from onset that I don’t envy his job. Majoro, holts three degrees in finance, starting from undergraduate degree, Masters and PHD in B-Comm. When it comes to addressing the nation on his ideas he is very weak and lacks confidence that leaders in his positions should have. His Party All Basotho Convention (ABC) has two camps that belong to the party’s deputy Nqosa Mahao and the ousted leader Thomas Thabane. It looks like he is not popular in his party because someone who was not active in the party affairs came and won the much coveted position of Deputy Leader which was won by Mahao.

Majaro seems like he was destined for the position of deputy leader and eventually the leader of the party but it has never happened like that. He is loved by the party leader Thomas Thabane and in him he saw a successor but nature or people had Mahao had its own mind. Unfortunately Mahao does not inspire hope or both of them are poor leaders. Mahao to give you a small background he was a PFD leader and he was not popular in the party until he moved to ABC following his brother’s killing in 2016.

Mahao made sure that he makes the correct noise on radio stations making sure that people don’t forget about him. He was a favourite on Harvest FM and other radio stations that had the same agenda to make the government of Pakalitha Mosisili look bad. That is why the upstart party ABC got enough numbers to establish the government with other parties for the second time after performing badly when they got the gig the first time. Thabane had pitied two individuals for the position of a commander of army by appointing Mahao while Tlali Kamoli was still holding the same position.

Many people thought and assume that Kamoli had killed Mahao on that fateful day. Kamoli was in his office when Mahao was killed brutally by some soldiers who were apparently sent by him.  The case is still in the court to be prosecuted and more than 10 people have been charged.  This is something that should have never happened in any government for appointments to be done maliciously. No one is denying the fact that Prime Ministers have power to hire and fire anyone who is employed by the government. But the situation was unwarranted or uncalled for.

However, it seems like almost all the Prime Ministers have inkling to destabilize the institutions that are charged with a certain responsibility especially the police and the country’s army.  Ever since democracy came in the country from the army in 1993 Lesotho has been rocked by instability broad by politicians and the number of army leaders and police leaders ever since ABC came into the picture.

The current Prime Minister seems like he does not know what he is doing or his advisers are poor advisers. Majoro has not finished a certain amount of time being the leader but signs of failing in his duty are becoming clear maybe due to covid 19 pandemic. He assumed power when his party had factions and the world was facing difficult time of Corona Virus. Like his predecessor Thabane he is emulating South Africa yet Lesotho is the smallest country which does not have provinces. First he wants to introduce serious lockdown like restricting movement of people and stopping sale of alcohol. A large percentage of people buy goods from Maseru and their taxis travel from their districts to Maseru and back every day.

People from Mokhotlong, Qachasnek, Thaba-tseka, Mohaleshoek and Butha-Buthe buy goods from Maseru and other towns. So restricting the movement of people in Lesotho, that is the most stupid idea one can have or think about because it cannot be done. After all Lesotho is a poor country where thousands of people lack what they eat and there is no employment as large percentage of youths are not employed.

It does not look like Majoro has answers to respond to unemployment and lack of food. He is saying people should tilt their fields or be in partnership with government. Yet since Lesotho got indepence from Britain it has always be a poor country. Because if it had been rich, so what happened to ich richness. There is lack of proper roads, houses and the curriculum is poor and we are leasted as the most underdeveloped countries in the world.

Many developed countries in the world don’t look forward to donations but Lesotho looks forward to donations even when we are lead by someone who has PHD in his studies. There is only National University of Lesotho but one would argue that there is more two universities which means there are three universities. There is Botho University from Botswana and Limkokwing University which are basically underrated and are run like shops.

Majoro seems like he doesn’t have answers to make university of Lesotho the biggest university in Africa in terms of reach and graduates outputs. NUL does not have research students or those who are learning through internet like it is happening in South Africa. Here a person must attend classes and go to library to do manual research.

 Lesotho is totally surrounded by South Africa which seems like everything is normal considering that it’s like the first world in Africa. South Africa should be emulated by almost all countries in Africa. The good thing is that Lesotho emulates what is happening in South Africa because it is near us and is totally surrounds Lesotho. Lesotho was left with British laws which outdated or don’t apply to Lesotho situation because Lesotho has two part which is the lowlands and the highlands.

Majoro or any other has failed Basotho a lot. Within two months since he established a government Health workers were involved in a strike wanting an increase in their risk allowance yet are the first one to come in contact with patients. His minister answered some questions which were put forward by the listeners of TV Lesotho is a wrong manner.

What I have realized is that no matter how educated an individual is if he cannot lead the nation he cannot lead it whether is uneducated or not. It is clear that he cannot rule the country because he made questionable decisions to fire PSs and gave a job to Thabo Khasipe to lead Nacosec yet he still leads Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) another important body that makes sure that the government has money by collecting taxes from businesses. There is a saying that says if it walks and quacks like duck then is definitely a duck. This is corruption of the highest order because someone from health could have lead that body but Khasipe was appointed yet he makes serious money as head of LRA.

Few Basotho are talking but it has not sparked an outrage as it would happen in other countries. It is not true that Khasipe only gets salary from LRA only and does not get anything from Nacosec. It simply shows what kind of a person he is. He should have respectfully denied the position if he was only to be there for six months so that someone in health could have assumed the work. That was poor decision he made to associated with health matters whereas he has not studied anything that has to do with health.

It’s like Majoro does not have an adviser in his position. He did not have to fire the Pss but he did and now them taken him to court to challenge his poor decision. After all they are all Basotho and deserve to live despite belonging to certain parties that are not in government.

Lesotho unfortunately is not part of South Africa but laws happening there and lifestyle would have a big influence in Lesotho. Even bad things will affect Basotho livelihoods. In Lesotho there is Lets’eng diamonds mine which wholly owned by DeBeers and Lesotho Highlands Development Authority which are basically owned by South Africans. Basotho are given underpaying positions in these industries but leadership positions are given to non-Basotho.

Majoro does not have ideas of creating employment for Basotho that is why 15 000 miners from South Africa could put the country in danger. Some Basotho are working as miners and domestic workers including other professions in South Africa but there are things that those Basotho could do but there is generally lack of employment. Some would say I’m judging him very hard but someone who holds PHD should have answers to the country’s problems. The three mines that are in the country are not owned by Basotho but by foreigners. There is production of Marijuana in the country but few Basotho are employed in such industries and are underpaid.

Majoro and other leaders would tell you that the country needs foreign investors for it to grow and create employment but Corona happened. I don’t know how would the situation would be different if there was no Corona Virus in the country. In Such sectors some foreigners who are doing menial duties are employed instead of Basotho. But what is surprising is that the license for dagga is so expensive for Basotho who would like to produce such product for the masseuses all over the world because the dagga from Lesotho seems to be of good quality than other countries.

So it is produced by foreign countries such as South Africa because white people have money to spend. This is also putting Basotho in poverty more because they only work for big business instead of being in production themselves. Of late the army and the police seem to be under cared for because the police don’t have things to help them do their duties and the training has gone down but he would tell you that he found things being like that. The budget for these ministries continues to be measly and no one is trying to speak for them. So the army or police that lacks things to work with cannot function at all.

Lesotho Central Bank is also making the life of Basotho difficult by making non-sensical monetary rules. Almost money making companies have been barred from doing  so by the company claiming that it was saving  Basotho from unscrupulous people who wanted to make money for themselves. For instance let’s talk about MKM which made some Basotho rich with their investments.  Some Basotho had invested their money in the company getting big returns for their investments. Unfortunately central bank shut down some business of MKM because according to them it was Ponzi scheme but it was not. The minister at the time was Tim Thahane who is now advisor of Majoro. Majoro was the governor of LCB and it is rumored he passed the law that hit hard on Lebuoajoang Thebe-ea-Khale closing his business.

Apparantley Thahane was rumored to want to buy the building of Agric bank which is now used by FNB which did some renovations. It is not clear how Thebe Ea- Khale lost the building but it looks like the judgiary had made a ruling which made Thebe-ea-Khale lose the building because he had to raise money in order to pay his customers. This is an example that Basotho businesses are not helped to grow but Majoro has always been there. He is the Prime Minister in a poor country and he does not have answers to change the situation. Agric depends on rain and a proper market it looks like there is no market for Basotho products if they can produce them.

It looks like Basotho have to solve their problems without expecting someone like a leader to solve them because they don’t have them. More than 50 years since Lesotho has been ruling itself the situation has not changed at all. Majoro looks like he does not have answers to make Lesotho great again. His party members did not trust him to be the deputy leader but they trusted him to take over Thabane to run the country. So it really surprising that people are playing over Basotho yet it should be like that.

Covid 19 has wreaked up the world

Covid 19 has wreaked up the world

Ezekiel Morake

The Corona Virus which suspected to have originated in china has wreaked the world and the leaders don’t know what to do.

This is like the end of the world more than when the year 2000 was coming into play because the world even then was delivering messages that the world was coming to an end but we are still here. Many people who were rich squandered their riches to make sure that when they die when the clock hits 0000 in 1999 they would have finished them without any question. So Covid 19 as is sometimes called has wreaked the world and even economists don’t know what to do because world leaders are closing certain industries inorder to save lives.

Many people don’t know what to do to end this pandemic but others are saying let’s work as if there is nothing but wearing of masks and clothes should be made normal.  Economies of certain countries is falling and its even worse in the African countries that were already poor. Zimbabweans are fighting for the freedom so that they could make life easy for them. Their president Emerson Mnangangwagwa is like living in his own planet as he does not care for the lives of his people. ED as he is sometimes called is a person that toppled Robert Mugabe who stood beyond his welcome. He is now repeating what his predecessor was doing to cling to power despite massive cry from the people.

Many people had thought that Mnangwagwa would be different from Mugabe but it looks like they are cut from the same cloth. Some reporting’s claiming that Mnagwagwa was the right handman of Mugabe and that he was working behind the scenes to do the dirty work of Mugabe. Many Zimbabweans that I came across would tell you about Krurukandi whereby 200 000 Amatebele were killed during Mugabe is forever etched in their minds. Most of these people are living in Bulawayo where they killed like flies and this is something that most Zimbabweans hate Mugabe for.

Mugabe was one of the founders of ZANU-PF which is forced down the throat of the people because the people are tired of it and want MDC to take over the power. Many people think that in 2002 MDC had won the elections deceivably enabling Morgan Tvsangirai to rule but Mugabe stole the elections for him to be in power. Mugabe had apparently said that he would rule until he dies because he was made to rule the people by God.  Mugabe was strong and did not care about his people. During his time farms belonging to whites were taken by force and the owners fled the country to other African countries to continue their farming. Beneficiaries of such bad decision were countries like Zambia, DRC, South Africa and Nigeria as those farmers were sold or given large treats of land to farm producing much needed food.

Zimbabwe instead of benefiting from the bad decision continued to safer more and generations to come because Mugabe hard argued that there was Lancaster decision which was not put in place considering that the world was stolen Zimbabweans under the rifle of a gun. Many Zimbabweans and other Africans still argue that the land was taken from the people by force so there was no time to seat down with the thieves. I believe that Mugabe was in power and stood for a long time instead doing what was required of him while he was still energetic. Demanding justice for people was right but he stood for a long time or whites thought that the issue would just passed away like that. Mugabe was a shining example to African leaders who were weak to act and did something different. However the present president Mnagwagwa is now doing something different agreeing to pay the billons in American dollars for the stolen land which was taken back by some Zimbabweans hoping to make their lives better.

Devastating as the decision is Zimbabweans have left their country to settle in South Africa, Botswana and even Lesotho running away from their country of birth. Others still love their country as they usually go home when time allows still working in those countries. Others are business people in those countries as is the case in Lesotho. Unlike Oscar Oskido Mdlongwa, Shasha, Peter Ndoro, Tendai Mtangawira and many others have settled in South Africa because the country is giving them an opportunity to make life better for them.

So the resumption of Corona Virus in the world has changed how people live as many countries including Lesotho restrict movement of people. Unless you are in possession of a permit you cannot move from one place to another, for instance from Lesotho to free State even they are close to each other like that. Lesotho is an amazing country that is inside another country and is totally land locked. It means that things are worse as people are confined in their areas like that but more difficult for Basotho because their country is too small for anything.

Even though some people do not want to admit it, Lesotho depends on South Africa for anything but such people think that Lesotho can be self reliant. Corona Virus has exposed the fallacy because all borders are closed and the movement of people is restricted especially people who are in business can no longer frequent Gauteng province and Cape Town to make a purchases of clothes, shoes, blankets and cars from Durban.  People who buy cars from Japan and China are now affected as they can no longer buy goods in China or any other world because shipping has been stopped now.

In essence the business has been turned upside down because nothing is moving because of the fear of Corona Virus that is now in place. People are no longer shaking hands because they fear Corona Virus and hugs are no longer in fashion but people who don’t care about the decease are still doing it. Corona Virus is an everyday word and has become too popular for my liking. And it seems like the word of the century because there is nothing like it in the world. We were only in a month when President of South Africa said that it would take almost two years to recover but now ever since it has taken almost 8 months being in place and  its going to take centuries for countries to recover from.

Even the small country like Lesotho is feeling the pinch of Corona Virus. In Lesotho the schools were closed in the beginning of March when South Africa introduced the lockdown and this country followed suit even when there was nothing in place to fear it. Former Prime Minister Tom Thabane introduced lockdown a week later but did not talk strongly about behavior change even his successor did not make a required noise but changed the minister who was already doing it without giving an explanation.

Only in June the country had experienced the first Corona Virus and deaths followed afterwards. A new minister of Health was appointed whereas Nkaku Kabi the former health minister was doing well and did not have to be changed to be water minister. But what I had witnessed is that Communications minister Thesele Maseribane had taken over Nacosec and he was speaking on behalf of it yet health minister was there. I wondered what got into Dr. Moeketsi Majoro for appointing Thabo khasipe as the manager of Nacosec yet he was the commissioner General of Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA). The Prime Minister was now showing signs of Corruption in his gig as prime minister. Khasipe was already earning a lot of money as LRA boss and now to get two fat cheqeus. It was unbelievable that Majoro ignored the health workers and that according to him no one could lead Nacosec yet there are so many Doctors and Nurses at the ministry.

Once again Lesotho is again cursed to have a prime minister who does not care about the country but his friends will eat money for generations to come. The health workers engaged in a strike demanding money to be increased. Instead of paying them the minister of health Maqelepo talked nonsense saying that they want to enrich themselves when they demanded an increase to their salary. Ever since Maqelepo was appointed the minister of health he revealed his pettiness and weakness by saying wrong things to the public about health workers demanding better pay, PEPs and tax holiday like it is happening to other countries.

It is if the money is coming from his pocket or anyone he knows. Nacosec was created with the purpose of people befitting from Corona Virus and they wanted health workers not to benefit yet they put their lives in danger like that. Yet when Lesotho government seeks the donations from donors they mention the health sector. At health PS was removed and a new one khothatso was put in place. Khothatso trained as a police officer in 2007 and climbed the ranks so quick because he had Masters Degree in Philosophy. I don’t about his appointment but he is not health worker or trained in health a matter again that is why the country is not moving forward. Majoro might have good intentions but he wrong most of the time.

I don’t want to spend time discussing Khothatso but Majoro is forcing my hand to talk about him because he has proven that once again that government is not his thing. He is failing dismally and the time I think would be possible to judge his performance was December but he is doing it himself. He is not fit to lead the government because he is failing a lot. So much was expected from him because he had worked at IMF and knows a lot about money. He was the finance minister but he achieved nothing from being the minister of finance. While he was the finance minister, Majoro infamously increased the salaries by 0 percent but the following year when he was chosen as the prime minister he increased the money 5 percent as if he was different from Thabane.

Majoro became the prime minister when the world faced difficulty in Corona Virus but we will judge him because he had been government for a long time. He was once the governor of Lesotho Central Bank but still he performed no miracle even now as the prime minister he is failing a lot. It was winter recently and Corona Virus was expected to affect many people but Lesotho has been ill-prepared to deal with the issue.

The much talked about building of another hospital in place of Queen 2 took time to be rebuilt by Chinese government as if Lesotho is the province of china. There are significant buildings which were built like the parliament and Manthabiseng Convention Center by the Chinese.

Lesotho is facing a difficult time now of preretoriosing money but it cannot do so because it does not have luxury to do so. The only proper town that has almost everything a person might need is Maseru but is very down compared to other town in South Africa. A testing place for Corona virus has just been build in Lesotho after the government played marbles with the donations it received from well wishers. There is Sam Matekane a Mosotho business person who donated the machine to government and was almost frustrated at the manner in which the government was responding to Corona Virus.

WHO had been donating essentials to the affected ministry but the government decided to store those donations at the army until the health workers stroke demanding them. Really the Lesotho government is poor in administration. Even donated things are a problem to distribute them accordingly. Another issue is Basotho who work in South Africa and when they return into the country, cross at unsigned borders bring with them disease almost all the districts that borders South Africa. Majoro has no convincing answer for that.