Africa-Press – Lesotho. CHIEFTAINESS ’Maposholi Posholi, 53, is living in fear after one of her subjects nearly killed her earlier this month. Chieftainess Posholi of Namolong in the hard-to-reach area of Quthing district escaped death by a whisker, thanks to the assailant’s brave brother who came to her rescue.
Men from the village who rushed to her place in response to her calls for help did little to assist. Too afraid to intervene, they stood metres away. The assailant was Moqochoa Ramoorosi, a messenger of the Mount Moorosi local court, whom the Chieftainess had declined to serve at the instruction of the senior chief.
Chieftainess Posholi said she told Ramoorosi that she had been instructed not to serve him until he had reported to the senior chief. The senior chief, Chieftainess ’Mantolo Mohale of Seja-Meloling, had instructed the junior Chieftainess Posholi to tell Ramoorosi to report to her court to settle an issue he had with her.
Instead of heeding the instruction, Ramoorosi became angry and started insulting Chieftainess Posholi and beating her. “He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me towards a nearby precipice, telling me that I did not want to work and he was going to force me to work,” Chieftainess Posholi said.
“He took out a rope from his pockets and tied my hands and dragged me while beating me.
I had fallen to the ground and he hauled me anyway, despite my cries,” she recalled. Her two grandchildren, aged 13 and three -years-old rushed to call for help.
She says some of her men working in nearby fields responded to the distress call. However, they didn’t take any action when they realised that the assailant was Ramoorosi, a feared man in the area.
The men, she said, stated that Ramoorosi was fighting using a polyacetal rod (molamu oa lesapo) and they were afraid to get any closer. “Ramoorosi only stopped when his younger brother came and told him to stop assaulting me. My whole body is aching,” she told thepost.
Her other subjects could not come to her rescue on time because Namolong village is sparsely populated as many residents have left owing to lack of basic services like road infrastructure and piped water, while electricity is non-existent.
The village is in Mount Moorosi Constituency, one of the country’s most disadvantaged constituencies. “I am going to flee from this place sooner rather than later,” she said, adding that her life is in serious danger.
For now, Chieftainess Posholi is counting on her daughter for support. But it won’t be for long. “I will lock my home and stay at my maiden home as soon as my daughter returns to her workplace,” Chief Posholi said, adding: “I will only come here to offer services on certain days and go back”.
Chieftainess Posholi said her dress was torn during the ordeal. “I was almost naked. I was left wearing my panties only,” said Chieftainess Posholi, a widow whose husband died in 2008.
Chieftainess Posholi said she tried to open a case with the Mount Moorosi police, but was told that the station had run out of medical forms. She rushed to the district police in Quthing town, where she received help.
She expressed disgust, especially because Ramoorosi was released shortly after arrest without an explanation. She accused the police of taking sides. The president of the newly formed Lesotho Association of Chiefs, Chief Makoanyane Seeiso, was angry following the attack.
He said the incident “is a typical example” of the daily experiences of traditional leaders in various communities. “It is the order of the day for chiefs to be killed or experience all sorts of abuse.
It is for this reason that we formed our association as chiefs,” he said. Chiefs, he said, deserve respect as representatives of King Letsie III at the community level.
“We are representing His Majesty’s crown. We are tasked to see that law and order prevails in our villages but we have become targets,” Chief Seeiso said.
He said his organisation would soon write to the Principal Chief of Quthing about their concerns. “We want to see action being taken against that man.
We want to see the man getting punishment that would act as a deterrence. Failure to take stringent steps against the intruder would set a bad precedence that chiefs are soft targets,” he said.
Chief Seeiso called on principal chiefs and the government to take the security of chiefs seriously. The Executive Director of Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Advocate Libakiso Matlho, condemned the attack on Chieftainess Posholi.
“It is wrong on all fronts,” she said.
“Women have a right to occupy administrative positions in the country without fear.
“The incident shows that women are not respected as leaders. He did this to her simply because she is a woman,” Advocate Matlho said.
Contacted for comment, the Principal Chief of Quthing Chief Seeiso Nkuebe said he was not aware of the incident. “It has not reached my office yet,” he said.
Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli said the Chieftainess Posholi had opened a case with the police. “We are just waiting for a directive from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to deal with the case,” S/Supt Mopeli said.
Being a court official, Ramoorosi is a civil servant and cannot be arraigned without prior approval of the DPP. “We are not dragging our feet as the victim alleges.
We have to get a go-ahead from the DPP,” S/Supt Mopeli said. He says Ramoorosi is facing a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH).
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