Africa-Press – Lesotho. WHEN they came to the rally at Koro-Koro last Sunday, all they expected to hear were grandiose promises from their leader about how he was going to improve their lot in life.
They want jobs for their children. They want their old age pensions increased and they also want better services when they walk into government offices. And in Nkaku Kabi, these All Basotho Convention (ABC) supporters truly believe that they have found a man to change their economic fortunes.
Despite that their party appears to have been weakened by bitter factional fights, they are still rooting for Kabi as the party’s best foot forward come the general elections in October.
Sunday’s rally was a normal political gathering — until Sarele Sello also known as Lehlanya — walked to the podium and gave Kabi stashes of cash, M60 000 in total, to distribute to the elderly and poor who were at the rally.
Christmas had indeed come early for the ABC’s faithful. Each elderly person, deemed to be 65-years and older, lined up and were handed M400 each in cash.
Without IDs to prove one’s age, one simply needed to look 65 to qualify for the “early Christmas bonanza”. Others who were deemed not so old by their own looks did not lose out altogether.
These were handed M100 each. “Before our leader gives his speech, I want him to give our elderly people a surprise gift,” Sello said, as Kabi was about to deliver his keynote address.
Sello said as Terene they knew that the elderly “cannot do some things and therefore deserve to be financially supported while the young blood can still try to make ends meet”.
The elderly ABC supporters, who had quickly formed a meandering queue to the podium, burst into song and dance with ululations piercing the normally serene atmosphere. A fired up Kabi told his supporters that before the end of this year, the ABC will form the next government again.
The ABC, which was the biggest partner in a coalition government with the Democratic Congress (DC), withdrew its support after Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro refused to step down.
Majoro has however retained power with the backing of the DC and a few ABC MPs who are in the Cabinet. Kabi thanked Sello and his famo music gang for giving the elderly cash which he said “was flowing like water”
“You paid for food and accommodation for us when we were in Klerksdorp, Matlatsane, recently and it shows that you are the most organised group,” Kabi said.
He said the Terene members had asked to meet Police Minister Lepota Sekola to strike a peace deal. Last week soldiers who said they were looking for illegal weapons, beat up Terene members who were coming from a funeral.
Famo gangs have become a menace in Lesotho where opposing members often kill each other. They even kill women and children when they do not find their targets.
They are also a nuisance in South Africa where they illegally dig gold in used and abandoned mines to sell in the ever growing black market. Leading political parties in Lesotho, in part eyeing support from the gangs, have formed alliances with the violent groups.
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