Sechaba ka’Nkosi reports that Lesotho’s fragile peace is at stake
Lesotho is teetering on the brink of another crisis as relations among political parties in the Independent Political Authority (IPA) reached an all-time low this week.
The impasse between the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and opposition parties has cast doubts about the country’s ability to hold a meaningful general election within 18 months from November – the period agreed to last year under the auspices of the South African-led troika.
Last September, the South African and Botswana defence forces intervened after junior Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) officers forced their superiors to resign. The Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Pakalitha Mosilili, has since charged 50 soldiers with mutiny.
Their trial, which is being held at Maseru Maximum prison, has sparked the latest political crisis. This week prominent human rights lawyers and the opposition used it to highlight abuses in the country and expose continuing differences between the army’s top brass and its junior ranks.
Violence was narrowly averted on Tuesday when supporters of the trialists and defence force personnel faced each other during ongoing demonstrations outside the prison. Unconfirmed reports claim two people were injured – one seriously – when LDF members fired shots to disperse a crowd outside the prison gates.
The judge attorney at the tribunal and a former chief justice of Lesotho, Brendan Cullinan, acknowledged there were reports of continuing intimidation of the members of the prosecution team by armed youths in Maseru. Some are alleged to have received death threats.
This week the country’s fragile peace talks suffered a severe blow when the opposition announced it was suspending its participation in the IPA because of the deteriorating security situation in the country.
Sources say the step is in line with a multi-pronged strategy aimed at mobilising public sympathy and junior officers behind the accused, and thereby challenging the government’s insistence that the court martial should be seen as separate from the political upheaval that erupted in the country last year.
Attorneys representing the accused unexpectedly announced their withdrawal from the case on Monday, objecting to the trial being held in a prison – and therefore in a restricted area – and the prosecuting authorities’ refusal to recognise the trial as political.
The defence argued that the attitude of the military authorities since the tribunal began in December has been a political witch-hunt aimed at removing certain officers from the army.
Minutes after the attorneys’ withdrawal, the accused burst out of the building to toyi-toyi outside, denouncing the tribunal and claiming they cannot be charged by the chief of the LDF whom they had ousted, and who therefore had a conflict of interest.
They attempted to take over the prison, and in the confusion one of the suspected coup ringleaders escaped.
The final offensive against the LCD, say sources, is being planned by the youth sections of the opposition parties led by the influential Basotholand National Party (BNP). This includes mobilising members of the opposition to return to King Letsie III’s palace to stage vigils until their demands are met.
This could draw the country back to where it was in September when Mosisili’s regime was so overwhelmed by popular demonstrations that it effectively ceased to operate at the time.
The discontent now follows suspicions that the government has embarked on an all-out offensive to use the trial to crush its opponents and undermine the IPA ahead of the proposed election.
A few days after the IPA was established, the only opposition member of Parliament, Mothepu Mothae of the BNP, was temporarily suspended on suspicion of having been part of opposition demonstrations against the government.
Permanent secretaries – equivalent to director generals in South Africa – suspected of sympathising with the opposition have been served notices advising them that their employment with the government is no longer secured.
On Tuesday, security forces temporary closed down the BNP’s headquarters. No reasons were offered by the authorities for the move.
There have also been reports of security forces interfering with meetings organised by opposition parties.
Says Vincent Malebu of the opposition alliance: “This is just but one of many tactics of the LCD to intimidate us from participating freely in Basotho politics.”
Since its inception seven weeks ago, the IPA has received neither funds nor offices from the government and is unable to perform its key functions. IPA chair Deborah Raditapole said it exists in name only.
Although Raditapole conceded that the IPA was the only structure in which the opposition could influence politics, she said the LCD government had refused to grant the authority any resources to implement its mandate despite numerous appeals by its members.
“The government agreed to help in setting up the IPA. Yet up till now, we do not have any funds, support structure or offices. In 18 months, we are still expected to recommend on policy matters such as the security situation and technicalities such as guidelines on the Independent Electoral Commission. As things stand right now, that looks utterly impossible,” says Raditapole.
It has now emerged that the army’s top brass and the LCD allegedly ignored advice from senior aides in the troika to refrain from prosecuting the alleged coup plotters until political negotiations with the opposition were in motion.
However, sources say the army and the government decided to go ahead to send a warning to other officers who may be tempted to overthrow the senior ranks and replace them with their own preferences.
The LCD and the army’s top brass are said to be determined to use the tribunal to stamp their authority over the army.
The opposition, on the other hand, is using the trial to highlight its frustrations with the IPA, following the government’s refusal to see the authority off the ground nearly two months after it was inaugurated.