Africa-Press – Lesotho. With a delegation from all the 10 districts, the All Basotho Convention (ABC) members have this past weekend elected a new leader in Maseru. This is after Hon Thomas Thabane stepped down from the leadership position.
Thabane has been the ABC leader since its formation in October 2006 after splitting from the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). The Qeme No. 43 Member of Parliament (MP) Hon Nkaku Kabi has emerged as victor
beating his two opponents. Initially, there were four contestants in the leadership race but the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology and Mosalemane no 19 MP Hon Tsoinyane
Rapapa pulled out on the elections day and threw his weight behind the Prime Minister and Thetsane No 33 MP Dr Moeketsi Majoro. The other hopeful who was contesting for the leadership position is Tsikoane no 14
MP Hon Samonyane Ntsekele. Kabi won with 723 votes, Dr Majoro 609 and Ntsekele 84. ABC is the majority party in the coalition government. In his maiden speech, the new ABC leader urged the warring factions to put down
differences and sing from the same hymn book saying “it is ABC that has won”. He further acknowledged “longstanding” squabbles within the party. “Let us build ABC; let us see to it that it grows,” he said.
The new leader further appealed to the party members to “guide me and correct me”. The outgoing leader congratulated the contestants for patience and displaying
maturity during the elections campaign. Thabane said they could not all emerge victors further urging them to work together. “Be a unifier. You are a servant to this nation and not its master,” the former
Prime Minister admonished his successor. He added: “Be humble to correction. ” Prior to elections the quartet had lunch together and pledged that they will accept
the results and strive for the unity of the party. Speaking to Informative Newspaper a fortnight ago, Political Scientist Nthakeng Selinyane said “is taken for granted” in a political setting like that of
Lesotho that the political party leader automatically becomes head of government when asked if Dr Majoro will step down after losing leadership elections.
“The ABC has however chosen this intractable route of choosing the head of government by vote if its legislators for very selfish reasons that some haters
in its notorious factions didn’t want to follow the hierarchy route because it wouldn’t give them power,” he said. ABC has been a majority party in two coalition governments with that of 2012.
It had coalesced with the LCD and Basotho National Party (BNP), the government which died prematurely over the disputes amongst the leaders making the country
go to snap elections in 2015. The National University of Lesotho (NUL) Political Science Lecturer Dr Tlohang Letsie has recently told this publication that ABC is likely to perform
“relatively” poor in the upcoming national elections. Dr Letsie posited that
the performance is determined by the numbers, adding that the party had suffered a decline taking stock of the splits it had suffered last year. Its former embattled deputy leader Professor Nqosa Mahao defected with Hons.
‘Mamoipone Senauoane, Motlatsi Maqelepo, Moshoeshoe Fako, Motebang Koma,
Nto Moakhi, Tello Kibane, Sotlehang Sekhamane, Mphosi Nkhasi to form Basotho Action Party (BAP). They were later joined by Likhoele no 53 MP Molefi Phamotse.
Also, the party suffered another split which saw Hon Tefo Mapesela forming his Basotho Patriotic Party (BPP). The other MPs who have left ABC to join other
parties are Hons Sello Mooko who joined AD, Mokherane Tsatsanyane who left for the Democratic DC and Nyapane Kaya who is now with the Movement for Economic
Change (MEC). After the 2017 general elections, ABC formed a coalition government with BNP, AD and Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) the coalition which collapsed when Thabane faced pressure to step down and paved a way for the current coalition regime. The country is heading for general elections in September.
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