SADC Resolutions on Lesotho
By Sunday Express
5 Jul, 2015 At 11:18 AM
Mahao inquiry to take three months
Experts to also probe last year’s coup attempt
Trial of detained soldiers to stop during inquiry period
Sadc+troika+September+15+2014Bongiwe Zihlangu
Government will soon establish a Commission of Inquiry into the recent murder of former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander Maaparankoe Mahao—a proposal initially made by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and endorsed by Friday’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit of the Double Troika, held in Pretoria.
The Inquiry is expected to take 60 days and would not only look into circumstances surrounding Brigadier Mahao’s death, but also events leading to the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s government and subsequent but related events.
The Sunday Express has also established Friday’s Summit further recommended that government should ensure “a conducive environment for the safe return of Lesotho’s three exiled opposition leaders”.
Two months ago, former Prime Minister and All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane, Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Thesele ‘Maseribane and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) leader Keketso Rantšo, fled Lesotho for South Africa, claiming they had received death threats.
Ms Rantšo, the last of the opposition leaders to flee the country on 26 May, even went further to claim she was attacked at her home by armed men on the night she skipped the country.
Speaking to the Sunday Express yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Press Attaché, ’Motumi Ralejoe, emphasized the Commission of Inquiry was a suggestion made by Dr Mosisili and not an imposition on Lesotho by the regional bloc.
“It was the premier’s idea to set-up the Commission. Not only will the experts investigate Brigadier Mahao’s death, but also the root cause of the 30 August 2014 violence and subsequent events,” Mr Ralejoe said.
He added while the proposed inquiry is underway, the Court Martial to try LDF suspects for alleged mutiny, would be suspended. The LDF has been arresting and detaining its members since 14 May 2015 in a sweeping operation targeting those suspected of planning to remove the command. Brig Mahao was killed on 25 June 2015 by LDF members as he left his farm in Mokema, with government claiming he was shot dead as he resisted arrest while the soldiers were conducting the same operation. The Mahao family has since denied this claim and insists he was “deliberately callously executed” and never resisted arrest as claimed by the authorities.
Asked to elaborate on the SADC recommendation that Lesotho must facilitate the safe return of the tripartite opposition leaders, Mr Ralejoe said it meant government should “start addressing the leaders’ concerns and ensure that talks between them and government continue”.
“When they say create a conducive environment, it simply means government should extend an olive branch,” Mr Ralejoe said.
However, the prime minister’s spokesperson was quick to add that government was yet to look into the recommendations and form an opinion.
“Government will need to assure them that all is well and that they should return home. But the leaders should also provide tangible proof that they fled because their lives were indeed in danger,” Mr Ralejoe said.
“In other words, they should unpack their concerns about their safety in a manner that government will understand in order to know what to do going forward.”
Contacted for comment on the Summit’s recommendations, Chief Thesele ‘Maseribane said he was grateful that SADC had granted their request to send a fact-finding mission to Lesotho “resulting in Friday’s Summit”.
“The fact that our request for SADC to send a fact-finding mission to Lesotho to establish the true facts on the ground, which resulted in the Summit, has made me very happy. Actually I am grateful,” Chief ‘Maseribane said.
However, Chief ‘Maseribane declined to comment on the outcome of the Summit, saying he and the other two leaders and their executive committees “have not yet met to discuss it”.
“The three of us have not yet met to discuss the resolutions of the Summit, and neither have we spoken with our parties’ executive committees about what happened in Pretoria yesterday. So I cannot comment about it until these meetings have taken place,” Chief ‘Maseribane said.
Summit highlights
Heads of state and government of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Malawi attended the Summit. SA Deputy President, who was appointed by SADC to facilitate Lesotho’s snap elections on 28 February 2015 and SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax also attended the meeting in Pretoria, SA.
Summit received Ramaphosa’s report on his mediation and expressed concern regarding the deterioration of the political and security situation in Lesotho, which forced the main opposition leaders to flee the county fearing for their security, and exacerbated by the tragic death of former LDF Commander Brigadier Maaparankoe Mahao on 25 June 2015.
Summit endorsed Ramaphosa’s recommendations and urged the Government and all political stakeholders to implement them.
Summit approved the establishment of an Oversight Committee to act as an early warning mechanism in the event of signs of instability, and intervene as appropriate in consultation with the SADC facilitator.
Summit urged government and all political stakeholders to urgently undertake constitutional and security sector reforms, assisted by SADC.
Summit decided, as a matter of urgency, to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Brigadier Mahao, and its deployment with immediate effect.
Summit requested full collaboration and cooperation of government in facilitating the work of the Commission of Inquiry.
Summit urged Government to create a conducive environment for the return of the Opposition Leaders to the country.
Summit urged the Double Troika to remain seized with the developments in Lesotho.
Mahao autopsy report not yet complete
By Sunday Express
5 Jul, 2015 At 11:11 AM
A pathologist hired by the Mahao family to examine the body of the late former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander Maaparankoe Mahao could not complete his report on Friday as expected.
According to family spokesperson Lehloenya Mahao, although the South African physician conducted the autopsy, he still needed to do a forensic examination on the vehicle in which the late soldier was shot, the army truck which carried him from the scene and firearms used by the LDF members to gun him down.
The pathologist, who conducted the post-mortem in Bloemfontein where the body was taken on Thursday, is expected in Maseru this week and the Mahao family is hoping the physician would get the cooperation he needs to complete his report.
Brigadier Mahao—who was removed as army commander on 21 May 2015 and demoted from Lieutenant General to his old rank of Brigadier after government argued his appointment and promotion had been illegally made on 29 August 2014 by then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane—was shot by LDF members as he left his farm in Mokema on the afternoon of 25 June 2015. The army has since said the 47-year-old was killed during a special operation investigating alleged mutiny in the LDF.
The operation, which started in May this year, has seen several LDF members being arrested and detained at Maseru Maximum Security Prison. The detained soldiers claim they are being tortured during questioning.
On the day Brigadier Mahao died, Defence and National Security minister Tšeliso Mokhosi issued a statement that he was shot “following a confrontation” with LDF members who were on a mission to arrest him.
The family denies their son ever resisted arrest and says he was allegedly shot with his hands raised in surrender.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has since pledged to help investigate what transpired on the fateful day, and also provided two pathologists who also conducted a post-mortem on the slain soldier in Bloemfontein.
However, the Mahao family went ahead with its plans to hire its own pathologist as it leaves no stone unturned in probing the death of their beloved son.
“There are some missing issues which have to be investigated from here (Lesotho), which is why the report could not be completed on Friday.
“According to the pathologist, the truck he was driving when he was attacked by the soldiers, the army 4×4 vehicle that was used to take him from the crime scene to Makoanyane and the firearms used to shoot him need to be inspected before the report is complete,” Mr Mahao said.
Another family member, Professor Nqosa Mahao added: “The forensic examination will not only focus on the trucks and firearm but also the clothes he was wearing because they were very wet, not with blood but what is suspected to be water. And they were also very torn,” Prof Mahao said.
“It is the family’s belief that the post-mortem report will tie the loose ends and would be complete before the funeral, which is set for 11 July in Mokema.”
5 Jul, 2015 At 11:18 AM
Mahao inquiry to take three months
Experts to also probe last year’s coup attempt
Trial of detained soldiers to stop during inquiry period
Sadc+troika+September+15+2014Bongiwe Zihlangu
Government will soon establish a Commission of Inquiry into the recent murder of former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander Maaparankoe Mahao—a proposal initially made by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and endorsed by Friday’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit of the Double Troika, held in Pretoria.
The Inquiry is expected to take 60 days and would not only look into circumstances surrounding Brigadier Mahao’s death, but also events leading to the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s government and subsequent but related events.
The Sunday Express has also established Friday’s Summit further recommended that government should ensure “a conducive environment for the safe return of Lesotho’s three exiled opposition leaders”.
Two months ago, former Prime Minister and All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane, Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Thesele ‘Maseribane and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) leader Keketso Rantšo, fled Lesotho for South Africa, claiming they had received death threats.
Ms Rantšo, the last of the opposition leaders to flee the country on 26 May, even went further to claim she was attacked at her home by armed men on the night she skipped the country.
Speaking to the Sunday Express yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Press Attaché, ’Motumi Ralejoe, emphasized the Commission of Inquiry was a suggestion made by Dr Mosisili and not an imposition on Lesotho by the regional bloc.
“It was the premier’s idea to set-up the Commission. Not only will the experts investigate Brigadier Mahao’s death, but also the root cause of the 30 August 2014 violence and subsequent events,” Mr Ralejoe said.
He added while the proposed inquiry is underway, the Court Martial to try LDF suspects for alleged mutiny, would be suspended. The LDF has been arresting and detaining its members since 14 May 2015 in a sweeping operation targeting those suspected of planning to remove the command. Brig Mahao was killed on 25 June 2015 by LDF members as he left his farm in Mokema, with government claiming he was shot dead as he resisted arrest while the soldiers were conducting the same operation. The Mahao family has since denied this claim and insists he was “deliberately callously executed” and never resisted arrest as claimed by the authorities.
Asked to elaborate on the SADC recommendation that Lesotho must facilitate the safe return of the tripartite opposition leaders, Mr Ralejoe said it meant government should “start addressing the leaders’ concerns and ensure that talks between them and government continue”.
“When they say create a conducive environment, it simply means government should extend an olive branch,” Mr Ralejoe said.
However, the prime minister’s spokesperson was quick to add that government was yet to look into the recommendations and form an opinion.
“Government will need to assure them that all is well and that they should return home. But the leaders should also provide tangible proof that they fled because their lives were indeed in danger,” Mr Ralejoe said.
“In other words, they should unpack their concerns about their safety in a manner that government will understand in order to know what to do going forward.”
Contacted for comment on the Summit’s recommendations, Chief Thesele ‘Maseribane said he was grateful that SADC had granted their request to send a fact-finding mission to Lesotho “resulting in Friday’s Summit”.
“The fact that our request for SADC to send a fact-finding mission to Lesotho to establish the true facts on the ground, which resulted in the Summit, has made me very happy. Actually I am grateful,” Chief ‘Maseribane said.
However, Chief ‘Maseribane declined to comment on the outcome of the Summit, saying he and the other two leaders and their executive committees “have not yet met to discuss it”.
“The three of us have not yet met to discuss the resolutions of the Summit, and neither have we spoken with our parties’ executive committees about what happened in Pretoria yesterday. So I cannot comment about it until these meetings have taken place,” Chief ‘Maseribane said.
Summit highlights
Heads of state and government of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Malawi attended the Summit. SA Deputy President, who was appointed by SADC to facilitate Lesotho’s snap elections on 28 February 2015 and SADC Executive Secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax also attended the meeting in Pretoria, SA.
Summit received Ramaphosa’s report on his mediation and expressed concern regarding the deterioration of the political and security situation in Lesotho, which forced the main opposition leaders to flee the county fearing for their security, and exacerbated by the tragic death of former LDF Commander Brigadier Maaparankoe Mahao on 25 June 2015.
Summit endorsed Ramaphosa’s recommendations and urged the Government and all political stakeholders to implement them.
Summit approved the establishment of an Oversight Committee to act as an early warning mechanism in the event of signs of instability, and intervene as appropriate in consultation with the SADC facilitator.
Summit urged government and all political stakeholders to urgently undertake constitutional and security sector reforms, assisted by SADC.
Summit decided, as a matter of urgency, to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Brigadier Mahao, and its deployment with immediate effect.
Summit requested full collaboration and cooperation of government in facilitating the work of the Commission of Inquiry.
Summit urged Government to create a conducive environment for the return of the Opposition Leaders to the country.
Summit urged the Double Troika to remain seized with the developments in Lesotho.
Mahao autopsy report not yet complete
By Sunday Express
5 Jul, 2015 At 11:11 AM
A pathologist hired by the Mahao family to examine the body of the late former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander Maaparankoe Mahao could not complete his report on Friday as expected.
According to family spokesperson Lehloenya Mahao, although the South African physician conducted the autopsy, he still needed to do a forensic examination on the vehicle in which the late soldier was shot, the army truck which carried him from the scene and firearms used by the LDF members to gun him down.
The pathologist, who conducted the post-mortem in Bloemfontein where the body was taken on Thursday, is expected in Maseru this week and the Mahao family is hoping the physician would get the cooperation he needs to complete his report.
Brigadier Mahao—who was removed as army commander on 21 May 2015 and demoted from Lieutenant General to his old rank of Brigadier after government argued his appointment and promotion had been illegally made on 29 August 2014 by then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane—was shot by LDF members as he left his farm in Mokema on the afternoon of 25 June 2015. The army has since said the 47-year-old was killed during a special operation investigating alleged mutiny in the LDF.
The operation, which started in May this year, has seen several LDF members being arrested and detained at Maseru Maximum Security Prison. The detained soldiers claim they are being tortured during questioning.
On the day Brigadier Mahao died, Defence and National Security minister Tšeliso Mokhosi issued a statement that he was shot “following a confrontation” with LDF members who were on a mission to arrest him.
The family denies their son ever resisted arrest and says he was allegedly shot with his hands raised in surrender.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has since pledged to help investigate what transpired on the fateful day, and also provided two pathologists who also conducted a post-mortem on the slain soldier in Bloemfontein.
However, the Mahao family went ahead with its plans to hire its own pathologist as it leaves no stone unturned in probing the death of their beloved son.
“There are some missing issues which have to be investigated from here (Lesotho), which is why the report could not be completed on Friday.
“According to the pathologist, the truck he was driving when he was attacked by the soldiers, the army 4×4 vehicle that was used to take him from the crime scene to Makoanyane and the firearms used to shoot him need to be inspected before the report is complete,” Mr Mahao said.
Another family member, Professor Nqosa Mahao added: “The forensic examination will not only focus on the trucks and firearm but also the clothes he was wearing because they were very wet, not with blood but what is suspected to be water. And they were also very torn,” Prof Mahao said.
“It is the family’s belief that the post-mortem report will tie the loose ends and would be complete before the funeral, which is set for 11 July in Mokema.”
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