What You Need to Know
Ts’eliso Mokela, Acting Managing Director of the Lesotho Electricity Company, has attributed the utility’s financial crisis to political interference and nepotism. He vows to eliminate these practices and restore the company’s operational integrity, emphasizing the need for merit-based recruitment and restructuring to ensure sustainability and profitability.
Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Acting Managing Director of the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC), Ts’eliso Mokela, has blamed “political interference and nepotistic appointments” for the parastatal’s long-running financial and operational crisis, vowing to stamp out the practices that have left the power utility on the brink of insolvency.
Speaking in an interview with the Lesotho Times, Mr Mokela said years of politically driven recruitment had hollowed out the company’s technical and managerial capacity, with unqualified individuals placed in critical positions for partisan reasons rather than competence.
“Many of the problems at LEC stem from politicians infiltrating the company by offering jobs politically,” Mr Mokela said, adding that people lacking even basic skills were routinely appointed to posts they were unfit to hold.
Mr Mokela said the consequences of such interference were now evident in the company’s dire finances, weak governance and repeated appearances before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee over allegations of mismanagement and corruption.
LEC, he said, had survived largely because of its status as a government-owned entity rather than sound commercial performance, warning that the utility was currently unsustainable without state support.
Since assuming office in October 2025, following the removal of the previous board and management, Mr Mokela said he had made it clear that LEC would no longer operate as a political playground but as a commercial institution.
He said he had the backing of government to resist political pressure and to enforce merit-based standards across the organisation, as part of a broader restructuring aimed at restoring profitability and credibility.
Mr Mokela confirmed that the restructuring process would affect all levels of the company and could include fresh recruitment once a proper framework was in place.
“I swear when I am done with it, LEC will be great again,” he said.
The Acting MD’s remarks come as government intensifies efforts to overhaul struggling state-owned enterprises, with LEC regarded as one of the most financially distressed parastatals.
The Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) has faced ongoing challenges due to political interference in its operations. Over the years, appointments based on nepotism rather than qualifications have weakened its technical and managerial capabilities. This has led to financial instability and governance issues, prompting calls for reform within the organization.
In recent years, the government has recognized the need to address the inefficiencies within state-owned enterprises, with LEC being a focal point for these reforms. The new leadership under Ts’eliso Mokela aims to shift the company’s focus from political patronage to commercial viability, seeking to restore public confidence and improve
