Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Mabote MP, Fako Moshoeshoe, has quit the Basotho Action Party (BAP) and has set his heart on joining the newly formed Revolution for Prosperity (RFP).
Although he was yet to officially announce his defection to the RFP, Moshoeshoe confirmed to thepost yesterday that he had left the BAP. Moshoeshoe said he was not happy with how things were being done in the BAP which is led by distinguished academic Professor Nqosa Mahao.
He said the last straw came after the BAP’s secretary general, Lebohang Thotanyana, cut him off the party’s social media group. Thotanyana’s move, he said, showed that the party no longer considered him part of the team and did not want him to contribute to discussions of the party’s affairs.
The party’s social media group is shared by committee members and other prominent people. It is where critical decisions are often mooted and debated although it is not an official communication platform.
Such decisions are then passed to the relevant committees just as a formality. So, being kicked out of the group means one is no longer relevant and is pushed to the periphery where they cannot play any significant role in the party’s affairs.
Moshoeshoe’s removal from the party’s social media group came a few days after he asked Police Minister Lepota Sekola why leaders who hold large rallies are not being arrested for violating Covid-19 regulations.
One of the parties which has been holding rallies is the BAP and Moshoeshoe has never attended any of them. His comrades in the BAP felt the question was a direct attack on party leader Mahao.
Sekola, answering the question in parliament last Thursday, said parties are allowed to hold constituency rallies only, adding that the issue would be investigated.
Moshoeshoe told thepost that he also made it clear on some local radio stations that he wants the country to be ruled by Sam Matekane, the RFP leader.
“This country should not be ruled by a person who is busy begging for money from people for his campaigns promising to pay them back when he wins elections,” Moshoeshoe said.
“It is dangerous not to have our own resources as politicians because the people would expect paybacks with ministerial positions once we are in government.
“Only Matekane and his party are the ones who can change the situation Basotho are in.
Thotanyana confirmed to thepost that he indeed removed Moshoeshoe from their party forums because he had started going public about his love for the opponent.
“He is now free to go and campaign for Matekane and his party,” Thotanyana said.
He said Moshoeshoe no longer believed what they used to believe in “therefore we decided to remove him”. “He has already defected to the RFP,” he said.
“He was not part of the party structures except for being a Member of Parliament.
Moshoeshoe recently contested for the deputy leadership position during the BAP’s elective conference where he received only 10 votes against Motlatsi Maqelepo’s 408.
Moshoeshoe is the second MP to defect from the BAP in a week. Last week the Maputsoe MP, Sotlehang Sekhamane, left to join the Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
Sekhamane and some of his followers announced outside his house that they had defected to the MEC. While addressing his followers Sekhamane reminded them that they had made that decision together to leave the BAP.
He said he met the MEC leader, Selibe Mochoboroane, for talks. “I called Mochoboroane, and he came here at my house on Tuesday, he left here at 11pm,” Sekhamane said.
He also said he had learned from his legal team that being over-excited to leave the BAP and join the MEC without conditions would not be good. “This is because tomorrow they might turn against us like these in the BAP who turned us into enemies yet we were together yesterday,” he said.
He told the followers that Mochoboroane agreed to all their conditions including that Sekhamane should contest for the coming elections in Maputsoe. “This decision was made by the people and not me,” he said.
He said he had for a long time asked the BAP leadership why they had been failing to solve the Ha-’Mathata branch grievances but to no avail. He also told his members that they should be true to their new home and love it.
Sekhamane told thepost that he crossed with all the four Maputsoe branch committees made up of about 117 members. He said their main reason to leave was the issue of constituency committees that were elected outside the law.
He said the confusion started when the committee members who crossed to the BAP from the ABC wanted to join while keeping their positions. He said their leadership then decided that the members should be allowed to elect their interim committee and not use the old committee.
“The day to elect came and all the people who were contesting withdrew saying they would work with the existing structures while waiting to vote their new committees officially,” he said.
He complained that the time to elect the new substantive committees also came and the party did not follow the law. “The (party) constitution says a person to contest should be nominated by their branch but here any member from any branch was allowed to nominate a candidate for any branch.
” He also said during the election the ballots were not used at all, which was inappropriate.
“Some members then appealed and the leadership agreed that the law was not followed,” he said.
“Now we are tired of writing letters to request the reelections, we are simply leaving.
” Thotanyana said they are not happy with Sekhamane’s defection adding that they tried several times to solve the Maputsoe issues.
He said they went to Maputsoe about three times “and in all those three times Sekhamane and his faction lost the elections”. “He must tell the truth,” Thotanyana said.
He said Sekhamane should tell the truth that the Maputsoe community no longer wanted him to stand for elections. “That is why he defected with the conditions that he should stand for the elections. That decision is made by the people and not the leader of the party,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Lesotho Follow Africa-Press
