Majara Molupe
M2 million was paid to a community in compensation for land that was appropriated for a 70-megawatt solar power plant at Ha Ramarothole. But only a small fraction of that money was spent to improve community infrastructure, MNN can show that the vast bulk of the money was misappropriated by members of the local authority in Likhoele.
The local authority executive committee, comprising area councillors, senior chiefs, a senator who is also the principal chief for Likhoele, and a district administrator, were supposed to manage the funds that the Lesotho Electricity Generation Company (Legco) paid for the land. The money was paid into the community fund for communal land compensation.
“The total amount of money paid for community land at Sekhutlong sa Moreneng, Likhoele, Mafeteng, where the 70MW solar power generation facility is being built, amounted to M2,078,600.00,” said Legco’s chief executive officer ‘Mabafokeng Mahahabisa, in response to MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism’s questions.
However, MNN can show that only 14.5% of the money was used for projects to benefit the community that gave their land for the solar power plant. Records show that this 14.5% was used to drill five borehole taps in five of the community villages.
While a significant portion of the remaining money was shared among individual members of the executive committee, MNN’s investigations reveal that what was left was used to finance the executive committee’s sitting allowances, cover overhead expenses of the Tšanatalana Community Council, and to make donations to various local entities including the police, Bantu Football Club, and Mafeteng Community Radio Station.
Legco spokesperson, Atang Tlopo, told MNN that they only know funds used on boreholes and were not aware of the money being used for anything else. “From our knowledge, the [other] funds are still in the bank, but I’ll investigate the matter and get back to you,” he said.
Not only was a very small portion of the compensation spent on improving the community infrastructure, the 14.5% of the money was questionable as the price paid for each borehole appears to have been hugely inflated. For example, the four taps installed in Ha Ramarothole, Ha Raliemere, Ha Mahali and Ha Lempetje cost of M62,117.46 per tap. The one installed for Ha Qobete cost M52, 334.55.
Speaking to MNN, Teboho Rakhosi of Rakhosi Borehole Drilling, an independent contractor who was engaged to drill some of these villages, said he did not charge anything above M38 000.00 for this work. “We charge M38 000 to do everything,” he said.
The total spent on the five boreholes in the end was M300 804.39 as documents that MNN has seen confirm.
Makeneng chief Morapeli Tlali who was also a member of the committee explained how the account signatories on the committee were secretive about the costs and never responded to specific questions about the funds and how they were being used. As a result, Tlali said that when they heard that boreholes for other villages would cost M20 000 each, they demanded same amount be given to their village to purchase electricity as they did not need boreholes.
“We have water sources in this area. What we did not have was electricity to pump that water,” Chief Tlali said, adding that the M20 000 came in two portions of M10 000 each round.
He said a lot of information was hidden from them, not even the figures of the funds received from Legco were shared but those were known by few members of the committee. “We were just told what was happening but were never part of the decisions,” Chief Tlali said.
Senator, brothers lead the feast
The committee resolutions of June 20, 2022 show that the Likhoele ward Principal Chief Lerotholi Seeiso was given M270 000 for his personal coffers, while his younger brothers Fako Seeiso and Majara Seeiso pocketed M50 000 and M30 000, respectively. MNN understands that payments below M10 000 were made in cash and the larger amounts were paid via bank transfers.
Sources close to this matter told MNN that Chief Lerotholi and some members of the committee were at each other’s throats with the former demanding that he be given a share of the communal compensation, claiming the land “was his”. Sources close to the process describe how Chief Lerotholi went into a frenzy, saying the compensation money belonged to him personally and should be paid to his account. And this is what prompted a lucrative intervention by senior government officials.
According to Section 4 of Lesotho Land Act 2010, land in Lesotho is vested in the Basotho nation and is held in trust by the King. “A person, other than the Head of State [the King], shall not hold any title to land except as provided for under this Act,” stipulates the Act.
Contrary to the Principal Chief’s claim, MNN has learned the land in question was part of the communal pastures and was not allocated by law as a personal property of anyone.
When contacted to give his side of the story, Chief Lerotholi didn’t answer MNN’s calls. Questions were then sent through WhatsApp. At some point, the App showed him typing but eventually no response was received.
MNN was told that Chief Lerotholi was initially given M20 000, and he was not satisfied and kept asking for more, in a manner that even threatened other members. The situation was so bad that Thaba-Bosiu Principal Chief Khoabane Theko, Lefu Manyokole former Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and unnamed Director of Chieftainship Affairs went to Mafeteng to intervene.
In an interview with MNN, Manyokole confirmed this saying that they were delegated by the Government Secretary to go to Likhoele Ha Ramarothole following concerns by Chief Lerotholi that he should be given a share because part of the pastures taken for the project “belonged to him”.
“We went there to intervene in the fight,” he said.
“Chief Lerotholi wanted a share over the pastureland. We did not dictate how much he should be given,” Manyokole said.
He said it is the council that compromised to give him the money that it decided upon.
But, MNN learned the Government Secretary’s envoy persuaded the committee to give Chief Lerotholi an amount that is reflective of his prominence in the area.
Principal Chief’s position is hereditary and represents the bloodline of the Lesotho founding father clans from King Moshoeshoe’s time. Today, these Principal Chiefs—majority are constituted from Moshoeshoe’s lineage—form two-thirds of the Senate chamber of Lesotho’s two-house Parliament.
It was following these meeting that funds were given to Chief Lerotholi.
According to the resolutions of June 20, 2022 sitting, which was chaired by Emile Tekane, the committee resolved the principal chief would be given M200 000 and would receive another amount in the next tranche payment.
Principal Chief Lerotholi accepted the offer and even went further to reveal that he had depression due to the illness of his younger brother Chief Majara Seeiso. He promised to give Chief Majara M30 000 from the same amount to cover medical bills.
However, Chief Lerotholi reneged on this promise and the M30 000 to Chief Majara was eventually paid from the community’s purse.
When contacted for comment, Chief Majara confirmed that he got the money from the fund. “It is true that I got M30 000 from the communal compensation,” he said in a telephone interview.
Their other brother, Chief Fako Seeiso, was given, as committee resolutions show, M50 000. But Chief Fako denied this.
“Who is that person who said l was given money? I could spill the beans. I could expose corruption made by the councillors. I regret because l got nothing, yet l had an opportunity to enrich myself,” Chief Fako said.
In another meeting of August 30, 2022, the Principal Chief requested his staff at his office be given money and his two staffers identified as Thakane and Sello were each given M10 000 while another volunteer was given M2 000.
In another round of payment, Chief Lerotholi was given M50 000, making a total of M270 000 in direct payments to him alone.
Before the direct payments were made to the Principal Chief after being coaxed by senior government officials, documents seen by MNN show that M78 240 was used buy devil’s fork fencing for the Chief Lerotholi’s offices and M21 000 was used for labour to do the fencing.
At his office the committee records show that M155, 280.95 spent to sink a borehole and install a water tank at the Principal Chief’s offices. Selemela Ground Water Drilling was contracted to do this work.
MNN contacted Sere Selemela of Selemela Ground Water Drilling, pretending to be a client interested in a borehole. The company revealed that the highest amount that the company could charge for a borehole was M47 000.
“This price covers everything to complete the water supply,” he told MNN. The price quoted was three times lower than the one recorded by the committee.
It was the understanding of the committee that it had met Chief Lerotholi’s expectation by erecting a fence for his office, install water and to connect the solar power in his premises.
The committee also bought his office some stationary. At least M15 000 was used to buy toners for the council and the Principal Chief’s offices. M7 600 was used to cover the council’s chairs.
M4000 was also spent on electricity for both the council and the Principal Chief’s offices.
However, it seemed that Chief Lerotholi was still not happy with the developments, one committee member who spoke on anonymity said.
Filling own pockets
After investigating this matter for two months MNN can show that all 13 committee members shared a significant portion (M715 000) of the compensation funds among themselves.
The 13-member committee included the District Administrator Motinyane Motinyane, Chief Lerotholi Seeiso, Chief Fako Seeiso, then Tšanatalana Community Council chairperson Emile Tekane and community council secretary Palesa Mokotjo.
Other members were three councillors and three chiefs, Tumelo Chitja, ‘Macolese Setaka and Sebofi Moeketsi and Chief Konyana Ramarothole, Chief Morapeli Tlali and Chief Khoabane Makhonofane. While Chief Makhonofane later resigned from the committee. former Likhoele Member of Parliament Molefi Phamotse was represented by Lebusa Tumane in the committee.
After receiving the first tranche of compensation money, each member of the committee except for Chief Lerotholi was given M10 000.
Resolutions of June 20, 2022 show that each of the eight members of the committee was given M40 000 in appreciation for overseeing the disbursement of funds. Advocate Charles Tjelle, a legal officer in Mafeteng District Council, was given M20 000 “because he is not present here today”.
Each of the three junior chiefs who sit on the committee bagged M5000.
Ramarothole Chief Konyana Ramarothole went away with M15 000 because he was given M10 000 as compensation following the death of his son.
Chief Ramarothole confirmed that the said amount was given to him.
“I was given M10 000 as compensation for the death of my son,” he said, adding that the M5000 was given to all chiefs affected by the project as a token of appreciation.
Apart from these monies, the members were each given M200 per sitting.
The investigation further uncovered that members of the committee have allegedly bought cars with the money embezzled from the funds. “Now look, all the committee members have bought new cars. Some have got two,” complained one local chief.
‘Macolese Setaka, a former of Councillor of Ha Raliemere is one of the committee members alleged to have bought cars from the community funds but she denied this.
“My two fields were taken by the project, so I got compensated for them,” she said. Setaka bought Noah and Honda Fit.
A chief who spoke to MNN on condition of anonymity said the community plan was to buy greenhouses so that they could be able to practise protected agriculture. “We wanted to have sustainable projects to rise above poverty,” he said. Now the affected community is facing wretched poverty because their land has been taken for good. The chief said they were also planning to build a communal hall so that they could rent it for social events to earn some revenue.
There was also one Mohloai who was from Motinyane’s office. When asked about the committee members sharing compensation funds among themselves, Motinyane said, “I will not comment on that one”.
Donations
A sum of M30 000 was transferred from the compensation fund to Bantu Football team, Mafeteng district’s team, according to the committee’s records. Bantu publicist Pule Mosoatsi confirmed to this publication that they were given the money from the Likhoele Trust Fund. “We were given this money during the Covid- 19 pandemic,” Mosoatsi said.
The Commander of Mafeteng police Senior Superintendent Leabuoa Shale said they were also given M10 000 from the fund. He said the committee told them that they have realised that they suffer during the harsh weather conditions as they are unable to buy electricity. So the money was used to buy electricity to warm up police offices.
Another M10 000 was transferred to Mafeteng Community Radio Station. The station manager Ntsane Sello confirmed that the said transaction was made to his radio station.
Mafeteng town clerk ‘Matholang Ntlhafu- Damane said they received M10 000 from the fund that they used to buy electricity for the council. She said they were struggling to get the electricity to put the streetlights on.
