By The Post
Africa-Press – Lesotho. All across the globe, the Christmas period is a time to spread cheer. In Mafeteng, it is a time of sorrow, bloody killings and anguish as vicious rivalry between gangs related to famo music turn deadly.
“During festive seasons we normally have restless days and sleepless nights because that is when most people come home for the holidays,” says ’Mampheng Lesoma, the Chieftainess of Ha-Sekhaupane, a village in Mafeteng.
Lesoma was speaking at her homestead, where people gathered on a recent day to share stories about how famo-related violence has shattered their lives.
The Chieftainess said people in the area are living in fear because tensions among warring factions are triggering killings that are leaving a trail of widows and orphans in their wake.
In her village, the Fito, Terene, and Seakhi gangs rule the roost and do not see eye-to-eye. “We have experienced sad stories of the brutal killings where people have been mostly gunned down or stabbed to death in both Lesotho and South Africa,” Chieftainess Lesoma said.
Mefeteng is considered the headquarters of vicious famo music gangs. The widow and orphan population is increasing in the area according to some studies.
A 2021 research by a National University of Lesotho (NUL) student revealed that there were 80 widows aged between 18 and 50 years in the area due to famo gang wars.
’Matšepo Lekhooa’s thesis, titled The Livelihood Strategies of Widows Associated with Famo Music Gang Conflicts in the Mafeteng District, showed that from 2000 to 2021 the number of widows increased from 14 to 38 percent of the total widows in the district.
The hotspot of the famo-related murders is Matelile, an area with multiple rival gangs. thepost last week visited Matelile Ha-Sekhaupane, about 76 kilometres south of Maseru, where famo gang wars have wreaked havoc.
For the past years, the village has been rocked by killings caused by famo differences that are usually linked to illegal mining in South African gold mines that have been closed by the owners but are still dug by illegal, artisanal miners.
The village, which is blessed with renowned artistes like the late Teboho Lesia, also known as Famole in the music circles, has often posed a great danger to innocent people who are caught up in the crossfire.
The village has been gripped by fear since 2012 when artistes, their supporters and famo gangsters were killing each other like flies. Women were widowed and children orphaned.
Visiting the area, there are grim tales of brutality that send chills down one’s spine. Members of the affected families swarmed the Chieftain’s place to share their stories with thepost.
A sombre mood engulfed the atmosphere when families shared harrowing tales about the deaths of their loved ones. Chieftainess Lesoma said Matelile police are struggling to contain the volatile situation because of lack of resources such as transport.
“Many widows have left this area to look for greener pastures. Widows have dispersed all over to look for job opportunities,” she said.
This is because once orphaned children complete primary school where fees are paid by the government, they either drop out of school or their mothers have to find jobs to get money for school fees.
“They wallow in wretched poverty and endless pain with no closure,” said Chieftainess Lesoma. She thinks only divine intervention can help.
“Out of despair and frustration, we have resorted to churches to help the village with prayers,” she said.
The joint forces of police and army have also helped curb the killings in the area but without much success. The army was deployed to Matelile following rampant killings that played out in the area last year.
’Maliao Lebajoa, 59, says her son, who was a famo music follower, was brutally killed when he came home to collect money that his family had generated through the sale of second-hand clothes.
With the money he generated from the sale of clothes, he would pay for his children’s school fees and take care of his extended family. “Following his death, the children are starving and we cannot to afford some basic needs,” Lebajoa said.
The deceased left behind two children whose mother is unable to take care of them because of a low paying job. Lebajoa said she remembers the scenes when her son was gunned down in 2018 around 7pm.
He was riddled with a hail of bullets on his way home. “He was on his way home when he was sprayed with bullets. Gasping for breath, he was rushed to Scott Hospital and later to Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital where he was confirmed dead on arrival,” she said.
The inconsolable Lebajoa said her son was trying to earn a living through an honest route. “His children are now struggling to go on with life because their father is no more.
Their life is shattered. ” Her daughter-in-law, she said, is struggling to make ends meet in Maseru where she is a domestic worker. Many people in Ha-Sekhaupane told thepost that they were constantly in mourning and are now afraid to stay in their own homes.
A close relative of Teboho Lesia (Famole), Lefa Lesia, intimated that he has lost four relatives to famo music violence. He said his uncle’s two children are now living in South Africa with their grandmother.
“My uncle would assist everybody in the village, including those who were not his relatives,” he said.
Famole died in 2003, allegedly in a car crash in his home district of Mafeteng. The Matelile MP, Maimame Maphathe, said the situation in the area is worrisome.
“The situation is just unbearable,” lamented Maphathe, adding that he is already stressed as Christmas approaches.
“I am wondering what is going to happen when these zama-zamas and famo gangsters head home for holidays,” he said.
Zama-zama is a colloquial expression that describes illegal mine workers in South Africa who are trying their luck to see if they can one day strike it rich.
Maphathe said some government officials came to the area to register widows and orphans of the famo music killings during the days of former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s rule.
The initiative, he said, was to explore ways to assist the widows and orphans. “But to date, no one has come through to help the said key populations in this area.
” Maphathe said there is still a long way to go before the scourge is eradicated.
“The sad reality is that these gangsters do not even head to the polling stations during elections. They just hang around political leaders and never vote. They have been attending rallies but do not go to the polls,” Maphathe said.
’Macolise Setaka, a councillor in Ha- Raliemere Mafeteng, an isolated village which has a long-standing history of brutal killings owing to the rivalry in famo music, said she is gravely worried by the violence in her village.
Her area is riddled with killings attributed to zama-zamas who are linked to famo factions which have now spiralled to other districts. “Now the sad reality is that women are widowed and children orphaned,” Setaka says.
Sobbing, Setaka said there are scores of widows coming to her home asking for food because she is one of the leaders in the area. “We have 14 families which have been affected by the rampant famo killings,” she said, describing the situation as a “crisis”.
Rolling back tears, the councillor said some men from her village have been burnt to death over famo differences. Setaka said as a councillor “it is the order of the day” to see miserable orphans going to bed on empty stomachs while others survive on unpalatable diets.
The councillor said some young men from the village have returned from South African mines to stay at their homes. “So those who are still in the closed mines fighting over gold usually come back home to hunt for those who have deserted,” she says.
“Those who have returned to Lesotho do not sleep in their homes at night. They sleep in caves and dongas out of fear,” Setaka said. “There are daunting challenges here. ”
Narrating her story, ’Mathabang Moliko, 66, of Ha-Raliemere, said her son died while working in the South African mines. Her son left behind three children who are under her care because their mother has since abandoned them.
“I have been informed that my son was thrown into the shaft. We have not seen his body,” a teary Moliko said.
With her head tilted to one side, Moliko said “we would be healed if we saw his body”. She says she is struggling to send her grandchildren to school and feed them.
To keep hunger at bay, she lives on handouts from her neighbours. Recounting her story, ’Mamorena Mochekoane, 48, from the same village said famo violence claimed her husband’s life.
She said he was a staunch supporter of the Fito famo gang. Mochekoane recalled that she was busy with household chores when she received the news of her husband’s death.
“Because I do not have a proper education, I struggle to land a good job to help my family out of poverty,” Mochekoane said.
Chieftainess ’Matheko Posholi said Malumeng’s husband was killed in 2010 in broad daylight after he told his subjects at a funeral that he saw a hit list on which his name appeared.
The late Chief Ntja Leluma Posholi was addressing mourners at the funeral of a famo gangster in 2010. He was gunned down shortly after the event. His widow, Chieftainess Posholi, now the village chief, expressed concern over the frequency of murders in her area.
What worries her more is how widows are unable to keep fending for their families and end up going to South Africa to be domestic workers. “No one is left here. They have all gone,” she said, adding that abject poverty pushed the widows out of their homes.
Chieftainess Posholi said the trouble becomes apparent when children have to further their studies to secondary level and their parents cannot afford their tuition fees.
She said dozens of people have been killed since she took over from her late husband in 2010. Chieftainess Posholi said famo artistes kill each other either in Malumemg or in South Africa.
“They return home as dead bodies,” he said. Often, revenge killings carried out by affected families follow and the vicious cycle of killings continues unabated.
The councillor of Lehlakaneng Community Council in Ribaneng, ’Mammusatso Pekeche, said her village is in dire straits because of the killings. She said at least 45 people have lost their lives in the area in killings related to famo music gangs.
Pekeche said she learnt of zama-zama in 2009 and all was good at first. They were bringing money into the area and life was better because families could afford to pay for their needs, she said.
“There was no poverty or hunger,” Pekeche said.
“Now it is the opposite.
Families are mired in hunger and joblessness,” she complained, noting that there are three famo gang groups in the area and they are not on good terms.
The three groups are Seakhi, Terene and Tornado, which are identified with their attire. “Since the army was deployed in the area, the killings have subsided.
The army has played a critical role in stabilising the area and bringing peace,” she said. “But there are still some hit and run scoundrels who come into the country to kill and flee to South Africa,” said Pekeche.
Scores of young widows “have all left” to seek jobs elsewhere, said Pekeche. However, most are domestic workers and the money is hardly enough to pay for their children’s secondary school education. Pekeche said some have resorted to alcohol abuse.
Police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, said famo killings in the country have dwindled due to the campaigns by law enforcement agents to sensitise Basotho about the evil of such killings.
“The killings are not as many as they used to be,” said S/Supt Mopeli, adding that the police are still on the hunt for some suspects that are on the run.
Another strategy that the police are using is to ban traditional songs (Makhele) at funeral services of gangsters. “These songs fuel violence,” S/Supt Mopeli said.
He said police are increasingly dealing with a wave of hit-and-run gangsters who usually skip the country to hide in South Africa after committing crimes in Lesotho. The police have also banned attire associated with famo gangsters, but some people still defiantly keep wearing it.
In her thesis, Lekhooa, the NUL researcher, observed that the conflict is widespread in Lesotho and also rife in neighbouring South Africa, especially the mining towns in the Free State such as
Welkom and lately Johannesburg where illegal miners are concentrated. She noted there have been various artistes and groups since the 1920s. But the formation of two groups which are domains of famo music, Seakhi and Terene from Mafeteng, has led to the spilling of blood among Basotho.
The dispute between the two factions concern supremacy in the famo music industry because of the increasing market competition. The hatred involving artistes and supporters often escalate into violence, noted Lekhooa.
“These famo musicians’ killings are now spreading across the entire nation and this reveals that enough mediation procedures have not been done by the authorities,” stated Lekhooa.
“The shootings affect economic development of the nation since young men in their productive years are leaving women as widows and children as orphans.
” Her research revealed that the highest percentage (38%) of women were widowed between 2017 and 2021.
“This shows that the famo gang killings were rife in this period leading to increasing numbers of widows.
” The lowest percentage (14%) of widows are those whose husbands passed away in between the year 2000 and 2005. This is because the famo music gang conflicts were at their earliest stages, she said.
Contrary to S/Supt Mopeli’s observation, Lekhooa’s findings are that “famo musicians’ killings are increasing at an alarming rate in Lesotho”. She also found that the majority of widows (44%) have between one and two children.
“The highest percentage can be linked to early mortality rates of their husbands.
” The research findings show that men have left their wives in their youthful ages.
Only one percent of widows reported to have no children at all perhaps because their husbands died at an earlier stage of marriage. Lekhooa interviewed 80 widows in Mafeteng district. Data was collected from widows located in Likhoele, Thabana-Morena, Qalabane and ’Maliepetsana.
https://www.thepost.co.ls/the-widows-of-famo-music/
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