Botswana study tour will humble Khasu: Moleleki
MASERU — Former mining minister Monyane Moleleki on Tuesday said Mining Minister Tlali Khasu is going to come back home from his study tour in Botswana a “humbled man”.
Khasu was expected to leave for Botswana yesterday to establish how the Botswana government entered into an agreement with De Beers.
Botswana has entered into a 50-50 joint partnership called Debswana with De Beers Centenary AG, which accounts for all diamond production in Botswana from its four mines of Orapa, Jwaneng, Letlhakane and Damtshaa.
The government says it tasked Khasu to visit Botswana to study how it implemented its shareholding policy in mines.
The study tour comes after Prime Minister Thomas Thabane confirmed that government was seriously contemplating acquiring a bigger stake in mines.
The government currently owns 30 percent while foreign investors own the remaining 70 percent.
Moleleki said Botswana’s production of diamonds is of a higher grade as numerous diamonds are recovered from the ore.
“Our production of diamonds is 300 000 carats annually whereas Botswana produces 33 000 000 carats, with Australia coming second at 30 000 000,” Moleleki said.
“Again, it’s risky to run a mine in Lesotho because we only produce 0.2 percent carats per 100 tons of ore while Botswana produces 19 carats per every 100 tons of ore.”
“Moleleki said this was because Lesotho’s ore is mostly hard rock while Botswana’s is mainly soil”.
“This means because of our rocky ore, processing is labour intensive and costly while that of Botswana is easier and cheaper to process,” Moleleki said.
Moleleki said the only advantage Lesotho diamonds have over Botswana’s is that “ours are of a quality that is 20 times higher than theirs”.
“Lets’eng Diamond Mines especially produces high quality diamonds. But because our diamonds are huge, they are very few and far between whereas those of Botswana are smaller and high in numbers,” Moleleki said.
Due to this reality, Moleleki said, it was risky for Lesotho to even consider taking a similar route to Botswana.
“My strong conviction is that taking a route similar to Botswana is not suitable for Lesotho and government does not have enough capital to put down,” Moleleki said.
“Our terrain is also very (tough) as it’s mountainous, unlike Botswana which is flat and easily accessible.”
The Botswana government and De Beers each injected US$12.5 billion (about M103.3 billion) capital into Debswana, an amount which Moleleki is convinced Lesotho does not have the means to raise.
Moleleki said former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s government initially had plans to go the Botswana route but was dissuaded by investment adviser Charles Lipton of New York, who was an adviser to 60 governments around the world.
“Charles Lipton warned us that going the Botswana route would result in dire consequences for Lesotho and made apparent to us the realities I’ve already mentioned to you,” Moleleki said.
“These are the same realities that Minister Khasu is going to be confronted with when he gets to Botswana. He’s going to come back to Lesotho a humbled man, disheartened.”
Moleleki added that what Khasu will see will also exonerate him because for years, while he was still a minister, he was accused of robbing government of diamonds by members of the opposition “especially the All Basotho Convention (ABC)”.
“Maybe this revelation will put to rest the allegations that I used to run around with a can fruit bottle filled with diamonds,” Moleleki said.
“The impression that I sneaked into the Lets’eng mine to steal diamonds will finally be erased.”
Former security manager at Lets’eng Diamond Mine, Bofihla Makhalane, earlier this year alleged that Moleleki orchestrated his expulsion from the mines because he barred the former minister from stealing diamonds.
He further alleged that there was a person who was caught with a can fruit bottle filled with diamonds “belonging to Moleleki”.
Comment by Kholumolumo on 9 August 2012:
U tsotsi hle Mokola rea u tseba, for sure if ene ese ka wena mining industry ea Lesotho e kabe ele hole, ska nyahamisa batho haba etsa development and positive changes…ntate Moleleki I think nako ea hao e felile, hee u jele holekane
Comment by Teba on 9 August 2012:
Mr Moleleki u did not say this things b4 where now ‘Baba’ ache e fihlile nako,boholo ba nako u ne u etsa lintho molemong oa hao le bakhotsi ba hao, haholo ba South Africa
Comment by Oa Likoetseng on 9 August 2012:
Ba ea o oela Ntate Mokola..Ha ba o ts’oare ke eng ha e ba o tsotsi?
Mona kea o thoholetsa ka keletso ea hao. Ke oo he Mosebetsi..Mosebetsi oa bohanyetsi ke ho eletsa. Rea Leboha.
Comment by Lefefooane on 9 August 2012:
“…Botswana has entered into a 50-50 joint partnership called Debswana with De Beers….”
He bathong. Oe, we need media policy. DEBSWANA is not the name of a partnership but the name of a company. Oe ntate molimo hauha. Nxa, hae. Debsawana and Debeers and dimond companies. He makwerekwere ana a lesotho times a ntenne.
Comment by Chaaba on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki is very jealous and he feel that Tom is on the right track that’s he is critizising this idea coz he failed….
Comment by Lefefooane on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki o ntse a pota. He must sit down and learn. He was the only one benefiting from our diamonds so he is bitter that Baostho are set to benefit from their diamonds. Ke utloa moleleki a ntse a pota. Hanhle o ntse a reng motho eo. That the rock in Botsana is soft while ours is hard warrants for us to have a smaller share in our diamonds than Batswana have. Does this Moleleki even understand what he is saying? For Gods sake, moleleki is unloading a bucket of bull hence we need not even consider what he is saying. His fear is that when the government gets 50% stake then his(Molelekis stake) will surely decrease. Ua pota. Re tlilo mo qaolla litaemane tseno. Ha a tlohe mona.!!!
Comment by Coalition on 9 August 2012:
Mokola has deliberately failed to tell that revenue for Lets’eng far surparsses that of Botswana mines because of the fact that Lets’eng diamonds are of highest quality (“ours are of a quality that is 20 times higher than theirs”); the benefits of educations is no one will be able to play with numbers to deceive you, ke mapotoana feela mashoela tumelo ba tla lumela manyampetla ano a Mokola
Comment by Minority Gov. on 9 August 2012:
Mokola o be a se a tsubile nyaope hape.???
Comment by Realeboha on 9 August 2012:
i think minister khasu should do what he feels best to do. i think he should listen to what moleleki has said and end it at that. for years moleleki has been a minister and nothing has become of the diamond industry. if progress has to be seen changes have to be done. lesotho has the money contrary to what moleleki has said. khasu should take the plunge and take the diamond industry hinger. there is no smoke without a fire, so if allegations arise of canfruit and what-what, then there must be a reason.
minister khasu trust your gut and do what feels right, if it goes wrong try something else until you get it right. do your thing, moleleki has done his, be courageous and do your thing!!!!
Comment by Watchdog on 9 August 2012:
so wat do u suggest? le tona le ske la ea moo hobane wena oso mo etselitse study? did u suggest this when u were making the handover? kapa u ddnt even make the handover? I c a person who is scared of certain revelations. U people failed to report back to us as the nation about this kind of study because u perceived us very shallow.
let the minister go and report back to us.
Comment by Tsela-Khaoletsa on 9 August 2012:
Minister Khasu will get this info without your help mr Moleleki, so just shut up and watch as Basotho get what they deserve from our mines.
Comment by limo lomong sa makoanyane on 9 August 2012:
There is a saying in Sesotho that goes “Mokola o ile le khongoana holimo” this was coined long before Moleleki was born and gets the nickname Mokola, but I applaud the wisdom of whoever coined that because we see that he/she perhaps had in his/her mind that 100 years down the line there will be tsotsi e ngoe e tla ba letona joale e ee le khongoana holimo hore ke eona e bohlale kapa e keneng sekolo ho feta basotho ba bang – bona e qhekanyetsa moetapele oa eona hore a theohe setulo sa boetapele ba bohanyetsi eena a se lule ka ha o batla ho ipata kamora maemo e tle re ha a nkeloa likhato katsa taba tsa hae tse morao koana, e be u re hee!! hee!! moetapele oa bohanyetsi, hee!! hee!! muso ona o oa hatella – Kobo-li-nyane (size 2) le eena u sa lumela a re ke ea theoha mokola ‘na ke tla katoa based on former PM benefits not realising hore there is no way in the current government or anywhere else where we would allow someone to receive a salary as MP and pension for being former PM which resulted from being an MP – two earnings from same source NO, NO, NO re ka theha ka metheo e sele, what will happen? Kobo-li-nyane ke eena a tlo tsamaea a sa katoa and he will realise hore Mokola e sa le a mo lihela – re tlo kenya clause molaong oa li benefits tsa former PM e reng “benefits shall apply to Former PM who has retired from active politics” Size 2 is an opposition MP just like Ramathebane, why should he have a competitive advantage over other MP’s ka Mercedes Benz GLI?- Ntate Pakalitha ha u falla ho LCD ruri u ile oa tlamella thoto le noha Ntate
Comment by KEALEBOHA on 9 August 2012:
OEEEEEEE!!!!!!REle mametse ho lekane ntate Moleleki!! plz a k’o hauhele tsebe tsa rona re tla utloa ha mhl.Khasu a khutla.
Comment by Maborokoane on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki is creating stories now. Why did he not tell the Basotho nation every piece of what happened in the Mining Industry. Why did he keep quiet for 16 years? He must be afraid of the following:
(1)that Khasu will discover that the Mining Industry would have boosted Lesotho’s economy if it were not of Moleleki’s mismanagement of the Industry.
(2) that the coalition government will discover secreet deals his (Moleleki) government had in the mining industry which made Lesotho still be at the stone age.
(3)that Lesotho’s economy and Basotho were held at ransom in the path of development for nearly two decades of yours truly autocratic rule.
Comment by Phamola, Tim on 9 August 2012:
Being a minister and a specialist in de mining industry r two different portfolios! the former exposes u to information to enhance ur knowledge in monitoring the activities of the ministry, and the latter exposes u to information, knowledge and skills that makes u an expert in the industry, coupled with hard-core, hands-on experience in the industry, one is able to build competencies to offer expert advices to anyone who so demands…..UR FREE TO MAKE UR OWN JUDGEMENT!!!!
Comment by haochaocheche on 9 August 2012:
Ha re sa hloka litlhalosetso hona jwale re jooe boholo ke muso o fitile re batla ho ya pele re le basotho.
Comment by Mokotla on 9 August 2012:
Sehlotho a ska re ants’a phooko hle banna a iketsa motho kajeno a nahana hore re tla sbaya sa lithoholetso tsa hae,they dismally failed us kahona a lule a lebelle ha ngoale e khiba hore na ha ho thoe Lesotho pele,basotho pele ho boleloang…eseng ntho e sele eane ea ho leqetsa a na e bue TV
Comment by NARE EA POHO on 9 August 2012:
KE EO HE MLELKI LE MSEBETSI EA HAE BASOTHO. KE ‘M’E MALEPONO FELA E A ENTSENG HANDOVER HA BOHLE BA ENTSE TLAPA-LE-THELLETSE CZ BEHIND DE CURTAIN WE MIGHT C MENYABUKETSO ENA EA BONA BANA BA SENANG LERATO LA NAHA. NTATE MLELEKI KE HONA LE RATANG HO REFA INFORMATION KA MESEBETSI EA LONA? LE HLOTSOE KE’NG HO REPORT @ TIMES? LE QALELLETSE HO NKA MOBU? AGRIC MOO KE MANG EA TLO NKA MOBU JWALE CZ KOLONYAMA O WETSE KA SA NKETSE? WILL LINEO B IN THE POSITION 2 ARGUE MR.MOLAPO HAA TSEBA’NG? ‘MASERIBANE EENA O TLO THIJWA KE MANG? KE HONA LE HLOKOMELANG HORE LE JETSE MOKORUTLANENG? JWALE BASOTHO HV JOINED THIER HANDS AGAINST FRAUD, HUNGER LE BOSHOLU BONA BOO LONA LENENG THABA KE HONA
Comment by Makhoalibe oa Matsekheng on 9 August 2012:
Khelek. Ho thoe ho hobe kae ho botsa hore na Botswana eona e ile e tsoa le kae. Ho thoe private company ee eona e ntsitse bokae in capital e ka imelang naha? Hona ke mang ea reng this 50% percent share e tsoanetse e pataloe upfront.
Beng ba ka ‘na ke re ho botsa ke mahala, athe ho se botse ho ka qetella ho u lahlehisitse. Ka hona letona Khasu ha a ee Botswana. Ha re khutla re khathetse matla re tla be re lahlehetsoe ke eng e kaalo? Ke hopola ka nako ea boiketo ntate Moleleki a hana ha ho thoe ho be le over-sight body to oversee the operations tsa li-mine tsena. Mohlomong re ka ‘na ra tla re fumane a good model our public management of diamond mines.
HO BOTSA KE MAHALA. HO SE BOTSE KE HO NAHANA HORE O OA TSEBA, ATHE EA BOHLALE O ITHUTA KAMEHLA. KE EA TLA, MORENA OA MATS”EKHA O NTSE A MPITSA.
Comment by Gaddafi on 9 August 2012:
Boramatsete bona ba keke ba tla Lesotho mona ka 50 50 eo ea bona. ‘Me joale ba tlo baka mehau tlala e tlilo ba hoaea. Ho tla lula ho tla machaena fela Lesotho mona ba sa pataleng salary tse betere. Lesotho does not attract foreign investment at all. Ba tla baleha joalokaha ba balehile Zimbabwe ea Mugabe, joale batho ba hae ele bana ba rekisa mafielo Lesotho mona ka 51% stake eno ea bona. Batho ba bats’o baa forotlela hake khathale. Ba selehe ba bile ba nahana ha sesane joaloka khoho. Ha e etsoe 50 50 eo unemployment e tsebe hoba 65%-80%. Batho ba batla hoea ja kaha ba fihlile ba lapile!!!
Comment by Kabi Kolobe on 9 August 2012:
It is very sad that every aspect of our society has to be politicized. It is equally sad to note that not a single comment so far constructively interrogates subject matter at hand.
1. I think we need to appreciate that government (as with most other governments) in order to carry out its mandate and programs, has to collect tax and in some instances make borrowings. However the bulk of its funding comes from tax collection, and for this to happen, there has to be businesses which employ people and generate profits.
2. At the last check, govt budget was around M 11 bn which in itself is proving to be inadequate to cater for all our needs and requirements. If government elected to take up more shareholding in the mines, it would mean that some of the current needs provided in the budget would have to be foregone, because govt would need to fund its additional stake. So we would have to make a tough choice somewhere
3. We all seem to be under an illusion that diamond mining is a very lucrative industry. If anything, the industry in the past four years has been bleeding and the leading producers have been under significant pressure to remain viable. Very few mines generate margins in excess of 25%, and these were last attained before the global meltdown.
4. At 300k carats per annum, we produce just under 1% of Botswana’s production, which hardly even compares. We barely generate M 2bn per annum, whereas Debswana, which is jointly owned by Botswana government and De Beers Consolidated Mines, alone generates $ 2bn per annum ( about eight times more).
5. Contrary to popular belief, the current shareholding structure of 70/30, is in fact in favor of government as they earn the lion’s share of earnings from the mine without having to invest additional capital in the mine. Currently govt earns royalties at 8% on turnover, corporate tax on Earnings, 30% dividends, Withholding tax on dividends of the foreign shareholder, and most importantly nearly a 1000 citizens are employ. At 2bn turnover, the foreign shareholder earns just about M 378m versus governments combined earnings of about M 430m ( excluding PAYE from employees). We have to be mindful that the foreign shareholder has to bear the capital cost for the operations.
As a concerned citizen, I would urge our new government to very sober when handling this matter and not necessarily yield to uninformed populist ideals.
Comment by Leraba on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki,Mokola,Mahaletere,leqeqe butle hanyane ka likeletso tsa hao tse bohla eona thola feela o shebelle hobane Lesotho lefutsanehile tjena ka lebaka la hao,u sesinyi.
Comment by general on 9 August 2012:
GADDAFFI O MO HLOBO O FE HA’EKA O TSEBA SESOTHO HAKANAKANA? ELE HORE WENA HAO MOTSHO?
Comment by Kokota on 9 August 2012:
As for the government requiring capital to move from 30 to 50% shareholding it is understandable and every literate person is aware. However it is worth analysing how much capital injection government needs to move to 50%. If it is prohibitive at least we will have that info. Whether to remain with the status quo or invest more at least that would be an informed decision. I believe this is exactly what Khasu should do after the trip to Botswana.
But as for terrain and grade (carats per 100 ton) I do not see what dire consequences Moleleki is referring to and I fail to understand why he cannot explain them. He should be open enough to explain and Les Times’s interview should have been more probing also. I do not see why terrain (Botswana being flat and Lesotho being mountainous) should affect shareholding.
Khasu should proceed to Botswana and learn their model, go through the study by that Charles Lipton (Moleleki’s advisor) and see how we can tweak Botswana’s model to suite our conditions here. We should not be dissuaded from attempting to get a better deal out of our mines by Moleleki. If the outcome of Khasu’s endeavours will exonerate Moleleki from previous allegations then well and good.
Comment by rethabile on 9 August 2012:
we have good diamonds, nice
Comment by Motlotsuoa on 9 August 2012:
Ache ha ke utloi taba ea ntate moleleki,o qalile pele ka ho batla moeletsi ea sekameng ha bohloko ea se nang lerato la Afrika, why did hehave to look for someone from new york while ther many from Africa, this man gave moleleki what he wanted to hear, i wonder how much he was paid for his advice.
surely even if our rock and terrain are what what, but the quality of our diamonds far surpasses any disavantage that we may have, hona ho hlakile le ho tsipa sehole hle bo `me le bontate, moleleki thinks he can pull the strings even today by feeding us patent lies….NO, I applaud the government for trying to find a better formula and at least they are trying and they inform us
Comment by Kabi Kolobe on 9 August 2012:
@Kokota, the issue of terrain relates to costs. Running a remote mine site is very different to an operation that is accessible. From the security guard manning the gate to the senior most official, each one of them charges a premium. The same goes for all service providers which in turn pushes up the cost of the operation. High costs are bad news to any investor as this eats into his margins. It therefore goes without saying that our prospects of attracting future investment would be adversely affected.
Comment by BKC on 9 August 2012:
Where the former minister himself acknowledges that the quality of our diamonds is comparatively higher to that of Botswana this represents an opportunity to be explored.
It is a good practice for the opposition to engage the current government on each and every issue but priority here needs to be given to National interests than political aspirations and ambitions.
The previous government has been for full scale privatisation of the national economy. I believe everybody has seen both the prons and cons of that approach.
I sincerely believe that every right thinking politician to pause to reflect on the strengths of and weaknesses of his approach. I believe strongly that where the previous government can honestly looked back into its policies it can strongly contribute to the development of a new economic outlook for this country.
After all, even the opposition cannot honestly say that the economic approaches by the past government did not have its flaws that can be re-looked into.
I respect a man who strongly believes in something but is equally open to reflecting back and acknowledging that,’ here I was wrong’!
Comment by Matamong on 9 August 2012:
Jonna mahaletere leqe oeeee! ke hona u bonang neng hore o tlameha ho bua le basotho ka taba tse ba amang motho oa Molimo? ke ho tloha neng o ka eletsang motho ka boeletsi bo tsoang botebong haese feela ho mo lihela joalokaha u entse kobo linyane hau qeta u batla ho mo siea ka lengopeng. Tsamo bolella mapotoana ke bona feela baka mamelang mepoto ea hau haele basotho ba u bonts’itse ka li 26 May hore haba sa thetsoa. Ntate Khasu se ntle ke ho boea le marumo.
Comment by Halakashaa on 9 August 2012:
A ka be a ntse a sa hlatse li-bilione haeba Lesotho mines do not have money. Anyway the Government can use those billions tseo a ntseng a li hlatsa to buy that stake. If deep investigations are carried out one may even find that Moleleki has a share in the 70% owned by the invester, hence this large loot that he has.
Comment by Mokoko oa Lihlaba on 9 August 2012:
Maborokoane::Ontse o bua taba tsaka,Hantle ntle Moleleki o tsosoa keng ha Ntate Letona Khasu le Moifo baea Botsoana ?Ese ntse e ikarabile ,Moleleki o tsosoa ke libe tsa hae.O tseba hantle hore share-holding eno ea Debeers le muso oa botsoana e tsoetse Batsoana molemo o joang,Botsoana ha e bapale ,ke o etsetsa mohlala feela ka company e tsang makoloi mono,haeba ha ke fose nka hla kare Botsoana ,ka kakaretso,hao le Ramatsete ,joang kapa joang ,Batsoana either they have 40-45% shareholding ,no mistake otherwise you can keep your money in your purse,so bo Moleleki ,ba nahana hore re phintsoe re le Sechaba sa Basotho ,ha rea tsoaloa ,ho tsoetsoe bona feela Lesotho mona. Morena Molimo a Hlohonofatse ‘Muso ona o ntsetse Basotho pele ,O tlosetseng ruri Litleneng tsa Moleleki le Mosisili.Amen.Ntate Tom ,Ntate Metsing ,Ntate Maseribane rea Leboha bo Ntatee hleeeee.Ho ja batho bana ba DC baile ba nka puso ,Basotho re ne re tlo jana ke tlala.Hoo ke o khothaletsang Basotho Ke hore le rona re tlohelle ho loana ,ha rehlahiseng li projects tse Kholo ,tseo ha re ikopantse re ka atamelang muso hore o re khahlametse.O na ‘muso o buleileng.Amen
Comment by limpho on 9 August 2012:
Nxa! o so qalile ho tsipa mobu moshana? but joale o o tsipa ka nako e sele man. butle ho re koalla ka botlolong hle re holile ha re bana. o ntso hlanya Lesotho le ea pele now. emalla thoko
Comment by Kokota on 9 August 2012:
@Kabi Kolobe, my friend. By relating remoteness you are explaining it better than you former minister who talks about terrain (flat vs mountainous) which means something completely different.
Those of you (specifically my friend Kabi)saying at 30% shareholding the government earns a lion’s share because it has not invested you forget that the nation through the government owns the resource/ore. How do you value the resource? Obviously if you decide to mine then it has move value than the equipment and infrastructure that the other party is paying for. That alone to me says the equity scales should tip in favour of government from 30% upwards. We consider the God given investment (diamond resource/ore) when we negotiate our stakes.
Comment by Kokota on 9 August 2012:
Correction; “We should consider…stakes”
Comment by semenekane on 9 August 2012:
Ha u ne u re bolella hore oa leqetsa, u ne u re re reng ho uena Mahaletere?. Leha hole turu ho cheka litaemane tsa Lesotho, na quality ea tsona e ke ke ea lekangoa le tlhahiso ea bongata ba litaemane tsa Botswana tse cheap?.
Aebo! E le hore Shallow Cabinet ea hau Mahaletere e se e kene ts’ebets’ong?. U buile hantle Mahaletere empa e le hore rona hare na thahasello litabeng tse sa haheng kapa tse nyahamisang.
Khasu nyolla li shares e be 50\50
Comment by Kabi Kolobe on 9 August 2012:
@Kokota, You make a fair and valid point that the diamond resource belongs to the Basotho nation. However the point that I made earlier is that running a govt is a matter of making choices, some tougher than others. For arguments sake, at a P/E of 10, we could say the mine is worth M 6bn of which 50% would equate to M 3bn. This would mean govt’s share with 0 investment has grown to M 2 bn. To increase their stake to 50%, govt would need to pump one billion Maloti which is almost a 10th of our budget, meaning govt would need to forego something in the current budget. Do we have a billion lying idle somewhere? Note that this amount excludes future investment in plant of which shareholders would need to fund.
It further goes contrary to the privatization policy which embarked upon around 1994/95. See note 5 of my initial submission.
I’m in no way against Basotho getting more out of their resource. All I’m saying is that we must be mindful not to chase away our investment partners.
Comment by LEO-TY on 9 August 2012:
I think that Moleleki received a wrong advise from investment adviser Charles Lipton . Moleleki says;’Botswana’s production is of higher grade as numerous diamonds are recovered from ore ‘.The statement is not correct . What is ore ?. Ore is a mineral substance of economic interest ; in laymans language , simply means diamond , gold , platinum etc
Moleleki is making another defferentiation that we have got high quality , low grade but irratically placed diamonds as opposed to Botswana . If at the end of the these investors are able to make a profit i think it would not be a futile exercise to finance such a project as opposed to what MOLELEKI said\belief . As we are finally looking at 49-51 STAKE ,
Comment by Mokola on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki u mona hape u lefufa! Ke masepa feela tjena a motho!
Comment by Oa Likoetseng on 9 August 2012:
Hee Ntate Mokola le oena!!Ha o mpa oa fa Batho baa chelete ee eo bareng o e jele, ‘nake oa tsoa litabeng?
Haeba ke ‘nete ona le lishere ka mono ka Li’maeneng..ha kere otla ‘ne o itjelle hamonate Mofokeng? A ko utloe Mahlapa ao joale ba o rohakang ka ona..Aache!!
Comment by soso on 9 August 2012:
taba ena e hloka ho ko qaloe qalong ho ko chebisisoe li investigation(scientific) study, tsa pele ho ka rafuoa. litsibi tsa bana ba basotho, mohlala li actuaral scientists ba fana ka kelotso ho sebo tsa bona hore na how viable let’seng, li engineere li ke li bitsoe tsa bana ba bosotho bao eleng hore agenda ea bona ke hore Lesotho le ee pele, ba ke ba fane ka maikutlo ho latela litsebo tsa bona. taba ene e sirious hoba kannete matlotlo a basotho ke khale joale a inkeloa feela.. what the new government is doing is not wrong and it needs to be supported by all of us. by contributing in our knowledge and being very objective
Comment by Mokola on 9 August 2012:
Ke tsuhile hle motho ba molimo mr khasu ha aso fihle? hoba khale ke leqetsa le boo mphato ba ka. joale ke hona ke bonang hore tsatsi le li ketse. Joale le likeletsa na ke le mong.
Comment by Lefito la matjobo on 9 August 2012:
Moleleki ere rona re u joetse monna oa heso, Ona ‘muso bebeleng u phetlile ka ho Tsenolo ha u tibehe. U ne u ntse u tholetse e ka u feele, hoba ke bona le palo oa tseba monna
Comment by Rhino Horn on 10 August 2012:
Khilik, ke eo polotiki: Leqe a tetemisa banna le Basali ka maleng. Moleleki wa tseba o tla ferekanya naha ee ea Ntate. Once u open your mouth matloana a ea tlala.
Ke boo bohanyetsi hee!!!
Comment by kereke on 10 August 2012:
kea o utloa Mokola… o oa nepa hao eletsa ke mosebetsi oa hao oo, feela hopola your study was conducted during your time with your objectives in hand. Now boeletsi boo re bo beha kathoko re etsa barona bo bocha with objectives which are not self centered. nako e fetile eo o neng o amohela batho mane lifofaneng le metsoalle ea hao ka tsa khoebo. we a now looking forward to new challenges with the new government of national unity. re tsohile morolo ntate re eme ka maoto ho bona katleho ea naha eseng hore haeba e mosoeu a ngotse lengolo la ho pana basotho le kajeno ntse le saloa morao ke ba litulong. lona le ile la fuooa boeletsi ‘me la se bosebelise. hoba re a tseba research has two conflicting issues and if further research is conducted with a certain objective we can find solutions to a dilemma.
Comment by Lefefooane on 10 August 2012:
@Kabi Kolobe, you talk like the budget is the only way/option available to the government to finance the purchase of stake in mines. Like I said before, we in ABC beleive that that stake can be sold to Basotho investors. Government can just raise that you R2 billion through public borrowing and then transfer the stake to us (owners of those diamonds). If one man Mahaltere was able to have a huge stake in the miones, how can the government fail to do the same. Not withstanding that Mahaltere is richer than the government. Haeba Monyane Moleleki a khona ho ba le liabo limaeneng a le mong rona re le 1. 8 re ka hloloa ke eng? Ha tlohe mona!!!!
Comment by Moleko on 10 August 2012:
Mokola tloela Khasu a etse oa hae mosebetsi oena o shebane le froozen a/c’s le lehae la likhutsana le seng likhutsana empa le ngolisitsoe so fast o so na le khutsana tse ngata ha kale?Halala luuuuuuuuuune leqe-leqe
Comment by Leraba on 10 August 2012:
Molakolako u etsoa ke hobane ono sala litaemane morao ha lilo rekisoa, hobane o tseba hore ona le share ea hao litaemaneng mono.
u enka kae chelete ena eo ontseng o e hafaka o reka batho kaeona?
Ntate Thabane o ntsitse koepere moraheng ene otla u nomoro buti.
Ho ena Lekhoakhoa !!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Lets'aba on 10 August 2012:
Kea liqotsa litaba tsena,
“Former mining minister Monyane Moleleki on Tuesday said Mining Minister Tlali Khasu is going to come back home from his study tour in Botswana a “humbled man”.
“Moleleki added that what Khasu will see will also exonerate him because for years, while he was still a minister, he was accused of robbing government of diamonds by members of the opposition “especially the All Basotho Convention (ABC)”.
“Former security manager at Lets’eng Diamond Mine, Bofihla Makhalane, earlier this year alleged that Moleleki orchestrated his expulsion from the mines because he barred the former minister from stealing diamonds.
He further alleged that there was a person who was caught with a can fruit bottle filled with diamonds “belonging to Moleleki”.
“According to the affidavit, the orphanage’s funds are in the said FNB accounts, with Moleleki the sole signatory”.
Really surprising and shame to Basotho. I just quoted this in reference to the what has been reported or said by; Ba ipitsang hore ke ba ratang naha ea Lesotho. Ana lire nts’etsa pele lipolotiki tsee tse cheap tsa Lesotho? Ke kopa ho ikaraba, Chee! Hase taba tse ahang tsa Mokola kaha ho buoa. Why can’t we just appreciate and lokisa moo re bonang phoso teng. Ana re ntse rere ke bona batho ba ho etella pele sechaba bona baa?
Comment by scool on 10 August 2012:
Helik!!!Joale oatla oa pota Leqe,nako ea hao e felile rona rele basotho haesale re emela report 4 14yrs,o sa refe.O bua joalo ka khoho e chesoang ke lehe hoba joale ua bona hore bokakalope bo esale o boetsa bua hlahella.Mr Khasu,tsamaea o retlele litaba tseo o lirongoeng tlohela enoa ea inkelang ka mahahapa.A/C li freezer tjena hobane hona le chelete tsa boqhekanyetsi mono tsa sechaba.Bakeng tsa likhutsana teng,ke lumela hore ba letse ba kokotela batho ba kopa ho ngolisa bana ba nang le batsoali.Litla hlahella very soon!!!!!!!!
Comment by Lebeoana on 10 August 2012:
Hee utloang banna, motho eo o ntse a reng? U ts’aba ha ho ka hlaha batho ba nang le chebelo pele e fetang ea hau? U lilemo u se lutse se maratsoana fela ha ho tema joale ha li tloha fela u so kukuneloa ke libe tsa hau ka ho ikhapela tse e seng tsa hau. Spare us the lecture we dont need it, we have had enough of your DC arrogance and autocratic leadership style. Hase pusong ea DC mo ne le entse competition ea borui ka lichelete tsa sechaba.
Ke utloa u nferola libete ke bokakalope bona ba hau. Hoja la ithlompha la tlohela ho itlontlolla tjena. Ha eshoa ea raha.. kh’uooeeeeee
Comment by Mokhomotsane on 10 August 2012:
Ke hore Basotho leha le bua fela le utloahala hantle hore le lefifing le lets’o le reng ts’o. Le mofuta o ratang bonyefoli le moo ho sa hlokahaleng. Khasu o tena a ea study tour Botswana hobane a qakehile le eena a sa tsebe hore na o qala kae ka leano lena la bona. Ho bua ha ho ts’oane le ho etsa. 50 50 eo ea hae o tla tlameha ho hata ka bohlale a seka phasumela feela hobane o tla ithoala meli hloohong. Haba ka ba eletsana keng haba qala ka mine oo hobane ntate Thabane e ne ele letona pusong eo ka nako eo? Ke hona a bonang kamora lilemo tse kae Lets’eng e butsoe moo? Che hee Basotho ba selehe hle.
Comment by Lefefooane on 10 August 2012:
Mr. Moleleki seems to be so confused and ill informed. But I am not surprised. This is what happens when you make one minister misruns the same ministry for 14 years then he thinks that the ministry is his own thing. I think Molelelki thinks that the phrase Lesotho diamonds is a synonym of Monyane Moleleki. Ao, poor Mahaltere. Lula fatse bo nate Khasu ba sebeletse Basotho. A kere uena o hlotsoe eaba o icheba bouena. Oa bola> Oa leqetsa. Lula fatse re u bontse ha litaba tsa lihloliloeng tsa naha li sebeletsa sechaba e seng uena ea neng a ikhaba ka tsona. Hantle o entse joang na monna eo ea kutang litelu ka smart?
Comment by Oa Quthing on 10 August 2012:
It’s amazing and disgusting to see how mr Moleleki continues to undermine Basotho’s integrity!His comments are unfounded it’s just a way of causing more confusion to some of our people who he have brainwashed over these years and continues to do so! A living example is the confusion he has caused to the people of Machache Constituency regarding the Boikhollo bofumeng scheme! Nt. Khasu should be courageous and learn not only from Botswana but globally. For our ultimate goal is to surpass Botswana and be the best.
Comment by semenekane on 11 August 2012:
Qaleho ea mats’oenyeho a Mahaletere
4 accounts @ FNB have been freezed while police are investigating him. Lintja li tla nyeka Maloala, monna a itlhabe ka Lerumo mpeng.
Nyeoe ea polao ea Maile Mosisili e ka le eona e se e hatetse pele haholo. Monna e mong ea nkhakang ka lebitso e ka Lintja tsa ‘muso li ka na tsa mohora-hora ka lipotso haufinyana.
Ho bona banna.
Comment by Lefefooane on 11 August 2012:
Again Mr. Moleleki misses the point. With a degree in journalism coupled with misrunning the ministry of diamonds for 14 years he thinks he is now an expert on the diamond industry to such an extent that he thinks he can offer some advise. I tend to disagree. There is nothing that Moleleki knows about diamonds beyond just being a politician who was a minister of diamonds, hence he should not be scared when other politicians undo his deeds.
Somebody tells me that Mr. Moleleki four bank accounts have been freezed. I am also told his two bank accounts in South Africa have also been freezed. There is yet another bank account in Moscow Russia that is freezed. On the Moscow bank account, one wonders why an African politician can have a bank account in Moscow. We needs the detailed bank transactions and balances of all his accounts. Ke utloa ke tsaba taba tseo re tlang ho li utloa. Ke oo he muso oa Makhomeletso o kene tsebetsong ea ho phahla bobolu.
Comment by Alexander von Gerlach on 12 August 2012:
The issue under discussion is one of national importance only the Government and the people of Lesotho can and should address. As a foreigner interested in making a contribution towards the development of Lesotho I am only entitled to observe, not to prescribe, what should be done.
Below are some unsolicitated, general observations one made over the years that decion makers on both sides, it is hoped, may find useful.
1. Government is to be commended for inviting public debate on such an important and complicated issue. Judging by the comments, the debate is certainly a lively one. By definition, participants come from different angles and propagate different views. Such contributions are valuable provided they are objective and not simply partisan ones that seek to protect vested interests.
One can only hope the decision makers on both sides will be given the wisdom, after considering the differing points of view, to arrive at a decision in the best interest of the stakeholders: mining companies and Government representing the people of Lesotho. It is belived possible to create a win win situation for all and that must be the desired outcome.
2. We are witnessing an unfortunate, general decline in moral values worldwide that has given rise to the sad state our world is in. One of the leading contributing factors has been the uncontrolled pursuit of profits and personal gain at any cost which, it is beginning to be clear to many, is proving, by its very nature, not only a destructive – but also a self destructive force.
In the context of a contemplated review of the fledgling mining industry of Lesotho, is a mining company that invests in Lesotho entitled to a fair and even attractive return on its investment it made on risk? No doubt, it is. But can Government condone mining activities to be conducted in a manner that maximise its profits at the expense of the environment and society? Most certainly not. Can Government insist on a stake in the mining industry that leaves the mining company with a return on investment that is unattractive compared to those in other jurisdictions? Of course, it can, but to its own detriment.
To find the right balance is no easy task. It is similar to balancing the negative impact any economic development has on the environment. Development is needed and is necessary but we are beginning to realise it has to be done in the most responsible manner possible.
Any such debate assumes, of course, that all parties are dealing with each other in the utmost of good faith and respect each other.
Finally, one should resist the temptation to be guided by perceptions. Parties are rarely all good nor all bad, they are mostly a bit of both. Very few of us delight in being “bad”. Building on and seeking to expand the “good” in the “opposing” party therefore seems a negotiating strategy likely to achieve the desired result.
Comment by Boss Tom on 12 August 2012:
@kk I would not be surprised if you have a stake.can you go abroad and buy a 70%stake in a natural resource? I guess no.minimum lesotho can settle for is 51%.how many diamonds are leaving that mine unaccounted for?it’s a few that are enjoying enough is enough or rather make way for the new dogs in the pound.
Comment by mokakapane on 13 August 2012:
YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL MOKOLA LET THEM GO AND THEY WILL REGRET EVERYTHING THEY SAID. tHE FIRST STARTED SUSPECTING DC KA LIRETLO THINKING KE MADC A RETLANG NOW DAT IS FOUND HORE SERIAL KILLER KELE ABC THEY ARE HUMBLED BY GOD SO THE MINISTER WILL ALSO BE HUMBLE LIKE YU MENTIONED. NNNEEEEETE….
Comment by Lefefooane on 13 August 2012:
I suggest cde Khasu should not only stop at studying the shareholding model in Botswana. He should also report to us about that mysterious plane which was grounded in Botswana enroute to Europe to sell diamonds. When cde Khasu comes back we will inform him about one strange Lesiba orphanage whose accounts whave been freezed at FNB. I urge Mokola to focus on having his accounts defreezed rather than playing an expert in diamond mining. He should only focus on what he knows best: setting up orphanage homes like Lesiba.
Comment by Lebeoana on 14 August 2012:
Somebody please tell me, what is going on with ex-minister Leqe? I just heard but dont have much details. You mean this guy is multimillionaire ka lichelete tsa Basotho? What a shame, this Lesiba orhanage, are there really any OVC children or this is just a cover up by this despicable man?
Comment by Mokoko oa Lihlaba on 14 August 2012:
Halakasha le Lefefooane, Re kopa Maponesa a shebe hape Deal ea Moleleki Le HARRISON AND WHITE INVESTEMENT EA 15 bn WHICH WAS SIGNED ON THE 28 OCT 2011 HO THOE KEA METSI LE ENERGY ,LE BO RAKHOEBO BA SA TSEJOENG BA MACHAENA PLEASE .CHE MOLELEKI O LIHILE NAHA E NA KA BOSHOLU.LE FOUNDATION ENA A RENG KE A LELAPA LA HAE LE NTSEBE KOKOME,KE NA LE MAIKUTLO A HORE MANNETE RAMAILI O HANNE HO EA PARAMENTENG HOBANENG ,HOBA BOGUS FOUDATION ENO ,LEBITSO LA HAE LEA HLAHELLA MONO HO BOARD OF TRUSTEES.MATHATO MOSISILI KA M200,000.00 MILLION EA AIDS FROM WHAT WAS CALLED FIRST LADY ‘S OFFICE.HASE PHETHO ,KE NTSE KE BATLA TSE LING
MAPOLESA MOSEBETSI O HLAHILE
Comment by Matamong on 14 August 2012:
Tsatsi le teng le tla chabela matona a phakalitha. Ke lona le kang ana hee matsatsi. Ke hona Molimo a tlilo re senolela mehlolo. Joale re kopa ho botsa mapotoana hore na ho etsahalang ka lona le muso oa lona oo le neng le re peretlisetsa hore ke oa sechaba ka sechaba?
Comment by Phau-Ts'ethe on 15 August 2012:
Mokola grow up
Comment by Lefefooane on 15 August 2012:
I have a suggestion here. Moleleki should also seek amnesty if it is true Timothy Thahane has sought such amnesty. In most cases I have never seen suppossedly corrupt ex ministers winning their cases in courts of law especially when they are no longer in power. The only thing that Ntate Moleleki can do is seek amnesty and return all that loot he took. Ntate Mosisili should also follow suit. Infact Mccd should have put that as a precondition when he “handed over power”. Suprisingly motho o ipotsa hore na batho bana ba eletsoa ke mang. Politically, when it became clear that mccd is handing over power he could have struck such a deal. It is not uncommon for ex rulers to strike deals of amnesty before they hand over power. But stupidly ntate mccd relied on Litjobo arrogant advice. This matters are far bigger than a driver in the name of Litjobo and they are more damaging to the Democratic Potoana as a party. Not unless these people want Potoana to die asap. Until now I think it is never too late to do such.
Comment by Lefefooane on 15 August 2012:
One way to try get amnesty could be mccd retiring from active politics other than being embarassed by Majara Molapo on radio. This morning Majara Molapo damaged mccd reputation and I think it would irreperable now that mccd does not have access to the media and he (mccd) is not a good researcher like Majara Molapo. You see that man Majara Molapo gets scholarly in his presentations, hence people tend to beleive him. Majara Molapo will tell you the names of places people dates volumes of publications and page numbers. He even tells you the number of un resolution like resolution 11553 page 4. Now that leaves a lazy person like ntate size 2 with no weapon of difence. I would like to hear Professor Pakalitha Mosisli debate with Doctor Majara Molapo on all these matters. I bet the poor professor would faint. Lona ba haufi le Professor Mosisili please advice him to scholarly challenge Doctor Majara Molapo. In doing so, he should also cite the documents and page numbers and volumes like Molapo is doing. I hope the poor professor will leave to the expectation. I wait.
Comment by Matamong on 15 August 2012:
Mohlomong lerata la bo Litjobo le bo ramahooana le mosali oa bona molebatseng le tlake le fele lena la macongorese le manasi. Hoja ba eletsana kahore na tsabo moshemane li khutlisoa joang hona le ho re tena ka bonashelane le bo congerese. Majara Molapo o le elelitse this morning hee mccd le potoana ea hau hore le ithaopele ho ikisa sepoleseng le khutlise tseo le li nkileng ka bolotsana e sere la hatisoa masepa a namane, ele hore e tle e re halere ‘Neeeeete!! ruri le be le bua eona. Hela Fefe hantle ho etsahalang ka Ocean Basket le basebetsi ba eona ka meputso ea bona? Hana bane ba pataloa kae? aku re fumaneleng e le hore haba ntse ba khutlisa le eona eo e khutle. Mapolesa, ntate Masupha Masupha aku thehe Operation e ngoe e lokelang lichelete tsa naha eena tse neng li nkuoa ke kobo li nyane (size 2 mccd) le muso oa hae a patala bana ba linyatsi tsa hae bao a ba hirileng Ocean Basket.
Comment by 'Mathabo on 15 August 2012:
Basotho, re bonahala re sa na le leeto le le telele pele re hola litabeng tsa amang development ea naha ea rona. Hangata re potlakela ho arabela litaba ka bohale kapa ona mahlapa, ka nako tse ling re bile re sa ithuta taba ka botebo. ‘Na ke be ke oele molekong oa ho nahana hore re kohela ho hloka tsebo kapa hona ho ipatlela ‘nete ea taba ka ona mokhoa ona
Ke hopola lilemong tsa ho feta ha Topix Forum e sa phela ha li-forum tsa linaha tse ling li ne li bua ka li-issue ho ts’etleoa mabaka hantle ke ba kenang. Ho ea Lesotho teng e ne e tla otla habelinyana ebe e se e ba mahlapa a tala feela.
Taba eaka ke hore re le Basotho re ke re ithute ho sheba litaba ka mokhoa o ahisang, lehaeba e le ntho eo re sa e rateng, re se ke ra li ‘qhomela’ ebile ka nako e ‘ngoe re se na le mapaki, feela re re re rutehile.
Kea ikokobetsa
Comment by x360 turbo cooling fan on 8 September 2012:
xbox1 for now for day after today hardly ever comes ;-)