Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader, former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, has accused his deputy Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro of leading a faction fighting him.
Thabane made the allegations as he addressed the ABC’s fifteenth anniversary in his Abia constituency on Sunday. Majoro did not attend despite being invited.
At the same event, the ABC secretary general Lebohang Hlaele accused Majoro of not having the courtesy to apologise for being absent. Majoro and other executive committee members were expected to attend the event.
A seemingly furious Thabane said Majoro’s absence from the event was a reflection of a new phase of factionalism rocking the party. “Now there is Majoro’s faction and Thabane’s faction in the party,” Thabane said.
“What should I do to rescue myself and maybe rescue you as members?” he asked.
“I am not satisfied because you have formed rival groups amongst yourselves.
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Thabane also ordered Hlaele to immediately organise a meeting with constituency committees to deal with problems in the party.
“I see that you have forgotten that I am still the leader of this party,” he told his followers.
He said he was “not made a leader by a few people but the majority of the ABC members,” a cynical comment possibly directed at Majoro who was picked by the national executive committee to be the deputy leader after Professor Nqosa Mahao left in a huff to form the Basotho Action Party (BAP).
“Remember where we come from,” Thabane said. Thabane also seemed to concur with the recent allegations that Majoro doesn’t consult the party on critical issues.
“No party can lead a government but does not consult its followers”. After the event, Hlaele told the press that “all the absent members knew about the gathering”.
“We have a WhatsApp group and the invitation was sent to everyone through it,” Hlaele said. He said only one person excused himself.
“The deputy leader is there in the group but he did not state any reasons for not coming,” he said.
Moreover, he said they were expecting all the national executive committee members to be present at the celebration or at least give an apology if they were to be absent.
“It is unacceptable behaviour not to heed the leader’s call,” he said.
“We have heard from the leader’s speech that there are some factions in the party, maybe those who did not come fall under the group that does not go with the leader.
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“We should leave individualism and focus on our party because we are aware that some people forgot their purpose of being in the party,” he said.
Last night Majoro told thepost that “it is true that I could not make it to the said activity because I was out on a well-known official assignment in Mokhotlong, a task that my esteemed leader knew about it, i. e. service delivery to Basotho’’. “Secondly, the NEC had not sat and decided upon that celebration,” Majoro said.
“I must indicate that the very same allegation was addressed during the sitting of the NEC on Monday this week where all sides agreed that no proper communication regarding the celebration was done, as an invitation was posted in a WhatsApp group, not via a circular, which is an official communication to all members of the party.
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“Failure to make it to the festivity shouldn’t be seen or described as a snub to it,” he said. Leshoboro Mohlajoa, the Malimong constituency who is a Thabane loyalist, took to the podium to fire salvos at some of the party’s coalition partners.
Mohlajoa said the ABC is “ruling with a party that is only interested in getting resources to campaign for the 2022 elections”. Mohlajoa was probably referring to the Democratic Congress (DC) which some in the Thabane camp have accused of influencing Majoro’s decisions.
He lashed at those who blame the ABC on everything that happens in the government. “They must pull out of government if they think the ABC causes problems,” Mohlajoa said.
“We are ruling with a type that does not believe in this government, but is in it for resources.
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Thabane formed the ABC in 2006 after a nasty fallout with comrades within the Pakalitha Mosisili-led Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) government.
