LESOTHO WALK-OUT OPPOSITION parties in the Lesotho parliament on Thursday walked out for the second consecutive day in protest at Prime Minister Dr Ntsu Mokhehle’s new government, which they call illegal. Members of the Basotholand Congress Party and Sefate Democratic Union leader Bofihla Mkuebe walked out at the end of question time. Mokhehle at the weekend formed the Lesotho Congress for Democracy, and then declared the new party was taking over power from the long-ruling BCP, from which he and other senior ministers had split.
BUSHBUCKRIDGE VIOLENCE A MEETING of about 2 000 protesting residents in Bushbuckridge turned violent on Thursday, when some protestors attacked police vans and passing cars with stones. Police responded with rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the crowd. Police Superintendent Phuti Setati said, “The whole thing just erupted, we had to intervene.” No injuries have been reported. Earlier in the day, a sawmill burnt to the ground after it was petrol-bombed by demonstrators, causing an estimated R1,5-million in damage.
ARCHBISHOP DIES THE Catholic Archbishop of Bloemfontein, Bishop Peter Fanyana John Butelezi, 66, died of kidney failure on Wednesday. He had been in poor health for some time. He will be buried at Bloemfontein Cathedral on June 21.
UNSOLVED MURDERS SAFETY and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi told Parliament on Wednesday there were 31 748 unsolved murders in the period to the end of December 1996.
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