Africa-Press – Lesotho. THATO Lethobane, who won the right to represent the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) in Thaba-Putsoa constituency, and Joang Molapo who lost in Maputsoe, have something in common.
The two men were prominent members of the Basotho National Party (BNP), each holding a senior position in the party’s National Executive Committee. Molapo was the BNP deputy leader while Lethobane was the secretary general.
The two all left the BNP after a major fallout with BNP leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe But when Lethobane left the BNP earlier this month, he joined the RFP where he stood for elections in Thaba-Putsoa.
He romped to a stunning victory in the primary elections. Molapo was not so fortunate. He was forced to lick the dust after he lost to Stephens Mputi in the Maputsoe constituency. Molapo got 17 votes while Mputi had 28.
Over the past two years, Molapo had given the impression that he was now with the Alliance of Democrats (AD) led by Monyane Moleleki only to have a sudden change of heart when he switched allegiances to the RFP.
Although his heart was now with the AD, Molapo had remained in parliament on a BNP ticket. Molapo’s relationship with Mofomobe soured after he lost the leadership of the party two years ago.
Their fight became so nasty that they started trading insults and later Molapo openly started touting for the AD in Maputsoe, which prompted the BNP to seek his withdrawal from parliament but failed.
Mofomobe had since 2020 been calling for Molapo’s ouster saying he should be replaced by a party loyalist. He accused Molapo of undermining the party leadership by not obeying instructions.
Later the BNP announced that it had expelled Molapo from the party after he allegedly defected to the AD. Molapo never publicly announced his defection but the BNP said it had evidence that he was no longer its member.
The evidence, the party said, was contained in minutes of a meeting held in Maputsoe constituency, through which Molapo got his PR seat. Apart from those minutes, Molapo had in the past suggested that he would vote with the AD in parliament.
Last weekend Molapo surprised even his own supporters when he announced that he was running for the constituency’s parliamentary office under the RFP.
As for Lethobane, he dumped the BNP this month after a nasty fight over his alleged theft of the party funds that led to his suspension for two years. After his suspension he took the BNP to the Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR) which ordered the party to pay him M126 000.
His victory was however short-lived as the BNP successfully applied for a rescission of the arbitration order which had been granted after a default judgment.
The party raised technical legal reasons that prompted the cancellation of the award that ordered the party to pay Lethobane for the time he did not receive his salary since his suspension.
Lethobane was suspended in October last year after he was accused of embezzling party funds and he asked the DDPR to order the party to pay him from October last year to April this year. He has now found a new political home and is likely to go to parliament should he win the Thaba-Phatšoa constituency.
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