Until two weeks ago, Tom Thabane was Lesotho’s minister of communication. Except for a three-year stint when he was living in South Africa, Thabane has served in every post-independence Lesotho government, either as a senior public official or as a Cabinet minister.
Thabane had been seen as the heir apparent to Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, but was sidelined in a recent Cabinet reshuffle. He surprised everyone when he announced earlier this month that he was starting the All Basotho Convention (ABC), which he hopes will win next year’s elections.
Why did you quit and why now?
The ruling party was historically the party of hope, of people with revolutionary credentials. We wished to end colonialism and have a democratic state … But it had recently stopped being the party I first knew about as a 14-year-old in 1953; the party that had been founded by old school teacher Ntsu Mokhehle.
What is wrong with the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the government?
The health system has totally broken down. It would not be able to deal with a minor incident like a car accident. There is no reason for that because we allocate money to the system. There is a lack of interest. Can you imagine a country that sells water to South Africa not having water in the capital …? With unemployment as high as it is, the water bills have become unaffordable for many. This unemployment causes many university graduates with skills the country could use to cross over to South Africa and then we accuse them of being unpatriotic.
How are you hoping to do in the next elections?
I am confident we will win. The members of Parliament [a total of 18] that have come with me to form the new party are men of integrity. They have foregone the comfort of being in the ruling party and all the advantages that come with that because of their convictions.
The youth faction of the LCD recently marched against the prime minister. It was unprecedented in Lesotho politics and for some people it showed the level of disgruntlement with government. People could say that you are exploiting that for your personal gain.
Young people are totally disillusioned with the ruling party. Yes, I am exploiting that. I think it would not be wise not to exploit that and the fact that I have the advantage of understanding government both as a civil servant and as a minister. I understand government both in terms of theory and implementation.
Don’t you think your former colleagues will brand you a traitor?
If I am a traitor for a good cause, then that’s fine.
What is the importance of coming to South Africa ahead of the launch of your party?
There are no special reasons, but it would be foolish for any government of Lesotho not to seek friendly relations with South Africa. You cannot ignore South Africa if you are in government in Lesotho, but that does not mean that we should be lapdogs.
There are people who, on the basis of Lesotho’s economic and somewhat political dependence on South Africa, question the statehood of Lesotho. Some even think it should be incorporated into South Africa. What’s your comment?
That would be the most arrogant stupidity in the world. King Moshoeshoe’s country was up to the Vaal River. The treaty of Aliwal North saw the whole of the Free State being given away to the Boer republic … People who say this, especially black people, must also remember that that tiny enclave was the only place they could come to, not to have some wedding party, but to save their lives … Why don’t they say some European country should swallow Belgium? It is the same size as us. Why don’t they say the same about Switzerland? It’s smaller than us.