BILLY NTAOTE and TUMISANG SERAME Finally, Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has publicly announced his intentions to step-down as Lesotho Prime Minister. Thabane told a press briefing held at the old state house he would be retiring his position as the country prime minister very soon citing old age as a reason. But he also referred to his
Author: news@lescij.org
Lekhetho is Founding Editor and Journalist at MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism in Maseru, Lesotho. He is 2016 First-Prize Investigative Journalism Award Winner sponsored by MISA – Lesotho and US Embassy – Maseru. Lekhetho has attended a three-month intensive investigative journalism fellowship with AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism in Johannesburg, South Africa, from mid-August to mid-November 2018.
During the fellowship, Lekhetho published in South Africa and Lesotho five “impressive” investigative articles about the beleaguered Lesotho’s wool industry, the country’s capture claims by Chinese community, how a Chinese business mogul in the country funded almost every politician and influenced state decisions.
Lekhetho has been commended by his editor and mentor at AmaBhungane, Andrew Forrest, as one of best fellows the Centre has enrolled.
Lekhetho is one of 37 contributors in the Southern African Muckraking – an anthology edited by Anton Harbor and launched during the 2018 African Investigative Journalism Conference in October.
Police to interrogate Ntsekele, Mphaka over PM wife’s murder
BILLY NTAOTE and MATIISETSO MOSALA In the wake of Lesotho’s first lady, Maesiah Thabane’s evading arrest and vanishing, police investigations have led to top government officials being summoned to Police Headquarters for questioning. Minister of Water Samonyane Ntsekele and Government Secretary Moahloli Mphaka were today summoned to help police with their investigations into the killing of Lipolelo Thabane. The duo
Breaking: Lesotho First Lady resists arrest
Claims she fears for her life and barricades self in statehouse Investigations on her sister wife’s fatal shooting continue BILLY NTAOTE, KEISO MOHLOBOLI and MATIISETSO MOSALA Lesotho’s first lady, Maesiah Thabane’s brazen refusal to report to police earlier and later afternoon resisting arrest has left the country shocked after learning she was summoned
Lesotho Prime Minister’s mobile-phone used in wife assassination
…Police Boss says his suspension by Thabane is just a ploy to scuttle investigations into Lipolelo’s assassination KEISO MOHLOBOLI Police investigations into the fatal shooting of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, unearthed usage of his mobile phone to communicate with the assassinators, the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism (the centre) has learnt. Lipolelo was killed at the
Thabane’s anointed committee expunge court judgment
…meanwhile Mahao’s quintet says any contempt of court will be dealt with decisively KEISO MOHLOBOLI and MATIISETSO MOSALA All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane’s anointed party executive committee yesterday defied a High Court judgment, and only said it welcomes expelled executive members but as ordinary party members. The statehouse cabal—ABC’s national executive committee members
Lesotho stands by Western Sahara – ’Maseribane
…government denounces foreign minister Makgothi’s mysterious foreign policy shift Matiisetso Mosala Lesotho government washed hands and negated what was announced by Moroccan media this week as ‘the new foreign policy shift’ to neutrality from the stance against illegal occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco. The denounced shift is instigated by Foreign Affairs Minister Lesego Makgothi. Morocco’s press, on Tuesday
Lesotho groans under hefty data price rises
Data giants-VCL and ETL-also accused of ducking regulatory levies and government loan repayments TUMISANG SERAME Skyrocketing data prices continue to hit the pockets of poor Basotho consumers. Yet an investigation by the MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism (the Centre ) has found that one of Lesotho’s mobile network companies has defaulted on regulatory fees, while the other
Lesotho youth hard hit by corruption
TUMISANG SERAME The kingdom of Lesotho is one of the countries in the world whose corruption perception seems to be escalating daily with youths among the loudest crying for an end to corruption and abuse of public office. According to the 2018 transparency international report, Lesotho is ranked 78 out of 180 countries on corruption. The country
Gendered impact of corruption
…as women are proportionally more vulnerable to corruption than men MATIISETSO MOSALA Corruption is referred to as a global phenomenon and serious impediment to development and economic growth. Although it affects all social classes in communities we live in, poor women and young girls are among the most affected. In order to understand corruption best in Lesotho,
Reflection on corruption in Lesotho
Billy Ntaote For many Basotho today, talking about sustainable development goals and why their country fails to attain these important milestones and realise prosperity is mostly blamed on a corrupt cabal influential over state power referred to as State House. State House, under normal circumstances, is an eminent house in any country, of course, second after