Sekatle pulls out of race for DC top post
MASERU — Main opposition Democratic Congress (DC) interim deputy secretary general, Semano Sekatle, has pulled out of what should have been a bruising contest for the post of secretary general at the party’s elective indaba this month-end, the Lesotho Times can reveal.
Sekatle was expected to go head-to-head with interim secretary-general Ralechate ‘Mokose for the top post at the party’s January 25-27 conference at Maseru Methodist High School hall in Berea.
However, a senior DC official working closely with the party’s executive committee told the Lesotho Times on Friday that Sekatle had resolved to withdraw his nomination for the post of secretary general and will instead now contest for the post of deputy secretary general.
“It was expected that Ntate Sekatle would take Ntate ‘Mokose on for the position of secretary general but he has withdrawn his nomination,” the source said.
‘Mokose in his capacity as secretary general is yet to officially announce the final list of nominations in a circular to be distributed to DC constituencies nationwide.
The source said Sekatle had probably bowed to pressure from several constituencies that are pushing “that the executive committee be retained as is”.
“Most constituencies have indicated through their nominations that they want members of the current interim executive committee to be retained. Remember Ntate Sekatle is the deputy secretary general,” the source said.
Another source, also a senior DC official, revealed that Lineo Molise-Mabusela and Refiloe Litjobo, both of whom had been nominated for the position of deputy secretary-general, had also declined their nominations.
Litjobo and Molise-Mabusela represented the DC in Koro-Koro and Hlotse constituencies respectively during last May’s general election.
According to the source, Sekatle struck a deal with the two to withdraw their nominations.
“It had to be negotiated with them to pull out. Besides, Ntate Sekatle is very senior to them and also a seasoned party veteran. They did not stand a chance against him anyway,” the source said.
However, it was not clear if Dr Thabiso Molapo, the DC’s May 26 election candidate and nominee for the post of deputy secretary general, had also withdrawn his nomination.
When contacted for comment on Tuesday, Sekatle, confirmed that he had withdrawn his nomination to contest for both treasurer and secretary general.
“Yes, I have withdrawn my nomination to contest the posts of treasurer and secretary general. I have settled for the position of deputy secretary general,” Sekatle said.
Litjobo has also according to the source, withdrawn another nomination to contest for the post of treasurer but that he will instead compete for the post of deputy chief editor of the party’s propaganda mouth-piece, Thebe, newspaper.
He will deputise Tšoeu Mokeretla who appears likely to retain his post.
Litjobo is slated to compete with the current DC youth league president Mosala Mojakisane for the post of deputy chief editor, the source said.
Meanwhile, this paper has learnt that former forestry minister and the DC’s Sebapala constituency MP Kabelo Mafura, former National Assembly Speaker and Hloahloeng constituency MP Nthloi Motsamai and Hloaele Mokoto, the DC MP for the Malibamats’o constituency could have all declined nomination to make room for the current treasurer ‘Mamphono Khaketla to retain her position uncontested, in line with the call to preserve the current committee.
Kose Makoa, the deputy chairman, is also said to have withdrawn his nomination but has settled for the post of deputy chairman which he has been holding for the past year on an interim basis.
However, another nominee for the chairmanship, former government secretary Tlohang Sekhamane could not comment on whether or not he had accepted his nomination.
“I’m in Mokhotlong as we speak. I don’t know anything about my nomination and what it means. I was nominated without consultation,” Sekhamane said on Tuesday.
“I’m yet to come down to Maseru to seek an explanation and understand what is going on.”
Litjobo told this paper that he had declined nomination for the posts of both treasurer and deputy secretary general because “I’m not yet ready for it”.
“Despite people in the party structures showing confidence in me by recommending me to run, I’m not yet ready to contest against my elders,” Litjobo said.
“I realised that I had to be patient and wait for such a time my seniors are ready to relinquish the reins of leadership to younger blood.”
When contacted for comment yesterday, ‘Mokose said the nominations had still not been officially announced but indications were that the interim executive committee will be preserved.
“There’s nothing official yet on that front, the nominations are yet to be officially announced. However, indications are that the executive committee will more or less be retained,” ‘Mokose said.
Comment by semenekane on 17 January 2013:
Hona ke papali ea Mantloaneng. Molemo oa ho boloka interim executive committee ena ke ofeng?
Ke hore Mahaletere a tsoelepele ho leqetsa?. Let us watch the space, hafeela Mahaletere le Size 2 ba ntse li hula nthau boetapeleng ba DC, e tlo tsamaea kalebelo ho ea timelong.
Bo Mr Sekhamane ba ka sebetsa hantle hona le bo-Mahaletere bana hle
Comment by Shishaba Gi Poyo on 17 January 2013:
The party in self denial. Mahlathini le K’haphela have passed their sellby dates. Party without innovation e setseng litopo tse mabitleng morao ba re ke baetapele ba eona.
Comment by Antonio on 17 January 2013:
Hantle potoaneng mo keha tali na,bo sekatle base ba thola fela leha ba hatelloa.ke bo eka hona joale ke ‘mantloane
Comment by Leloko on 17 January 2013:
Na hona le thuso ea seboka sa khetho ea komiti e kholo haeka katara ho lla ea ntate Moleleki, achee ‘na joale ke ea nyahama ha eka re ntse re tsamaea hantle joalo ka haeka re ntse rele ka bola ka LCD.
Ka ‘nete ‘me’ Matumelo Pontso Sekatle le lumela khatelo ee ea ntate Moleleki hore e tsoele pele. Rona re keke re lumela bosaoana bona ba ho joetsoa hore batho ba bang ba betere ho feta ba bang.
Comment by Khatibe on 17 January 2013:
Elections are a way of determining what people on the ground think about you, and the confidence they have in you. These culture to decline nominations according to me is dangerous to democracy as it takes away the power from the voters and puts it in the boardroom where positions are negotiated over the table.
It will be annoying for Mokose and I assure you that it’s a matter that will dog him for the rest of his term in office as people will keep on reminding him that he got the position by sympathy or he was done a favour. Who wants to represent a group of people whom you have no sense what they think or whom they would prefer in your position if democracy was allowed to prevail.
Comment by Ntate Mokhatholane on 17 January 2013:
Nneetee.! Maneishinare,lulang fatshe le ithute ka tsamaiso ea Lekgotla.
Comment by Lefefooane on 17 January 2013:
Keeping interim structures as a way of “avoiding problems” will only delay/postpone the problem. The problem is never solved by postponing it. Rather DC needs to clean up itself and solve the problems that confront as a party. Chief among them is for the DC the decide “who it plays for”. DC must segment the market/electorates and decide who a “typical DC voter” is. Up until they decide as to who they target as a party I bet they will not win anything. As of now DC has not determined who a typical voter of DC is. Is it the old and the rural? Or is it the young and professional?As of now it is just a hybrid hence often very difficult for to package “messaging” for the prospective voters. Sure enough you can not be a business that “targets everybody”. Such businesses never succeed. Parties need to decide if they are far left, far right etc etc. Most parties that play in the middle never succeed. You cannot be a party that pushes the both the socialist/communist and capitalist ideologies simultaneously. You surely will not succeed. Often parties need to decide (sometimes they do so informally) on political ideologies.
Comment by Sekake Sejanamane on 17 January 2013:
Hona e hlile ke bothata ba borikhoe ho monyoha ka hlooho.E be na khotso e sa tla ba teng kahar’a mekha ea rôna?Ma-DC,le sa tsoa tloha kahare ho rona likhoeling tse ‘maloa tse fetileng ‘me ke lumela le ntse le tseba taba tsa boiloko ba litaba tse sebetsoang ka lisuua
Comment by Letebele on 17 January 2013:
Hantle lona manasi le lla ka eng mo? Hahahahaha!! Hana le ne le ntse le ithetsa le re DC e tlo aroloa ke likhhetho tse? Ha ho joalo beso, it is going to be more intact kamora tsona
Comment by Thebe ea mosotho on 17 January 2013:
Can we call bargaining of positions over the table democracy? DC seems to be in denial, and just postponing the inevitable. The party will implode when leadership supresses people’s will.
Comment by Maseyabonka on 17 January 2013:
kea le thoholetsa MADC ke mosebetsi o tsoilemg matsoho le pele lea ho khetha komiti e kholo ea lekhotla la lona….Nete ke thebe
Comment by Caswell on 17 January 2013:
hahahahahahaha he le bohloko matoala ke le joetse batlo le khama boetapele boo
Comment by Observer on 17 January 2013:
I wonder hore na thuso ea ho etsa seboka se elective ke sefeng haeba komiti e ntse e sa tlo change. Chehe! Win DC! is this what you call democracy?
Comment by Caswell on 17 January 2013:
at its best observer.
Comment by mju on 17 January 2013:
This is the kind of tolerance we have always been talking about. If people can be able to talk and listen to each other, and probably be able to bend a little, that in itself signifies maturity. Whether that is done in order to avoid premature split, that is very much ideal for any organisation to realise success.
Comment by lai thekhe on 17 January 2013:
Ba selehe ha kakang?
Comment by Japi on 17 January 2013:
hae cona
Comment by Bobete on 17 January 2013:
Litjobo says he withdrew coz “he is not ready”, why did he express interest in the first place, stupid answer, in fact all of those who withdrew have been brain washed and are now comin up with these pathetic excuses. Ha e fete e le joale interim committee, ba tla le ngoama ho fihlela le tloaela.
Comment by Moithuti on 17 January 2013:
DPM Metsing le ena u ne a sa utloe hore na hobaneg hona le batho ba controllang li nominations. They have maintained their agenda that this is not a democratic party but rather a party of gluttons (mainly opportunist) and the least informed. U tsebe qeto tsena lintse li etsoa Maseru mono batho ba mabatooeng (Maqheku a maluting ha ba khetha hore hobe joalo).
One word: Stomach Politics
Comment by mosotho on 17 January 2013:
Most pple thought they had already reach a promising land gana but not DC members didnot even say they are not happy with their current interim committee but pple who are not members of DC are compaining… DC makes its own choice n it needs 2 be respected
Comment by lengopa on 18 January 2013:
You will be nominated haeba ke congress ha sechaba sehloka tshebeletso ea hao phetha thomo le congress hao nkhetheng. Hakesa utloa hore na esale congress ntho e
Comment by Le DC on 18 January 2013:
Ho bona Tau-ea-thaba u no cho oare u tla re busa hofihlela re tloaela. Re buse re le bang @ party level ha hona taba re tla namoleloa ke lefu la hao feela
Comment by Sekake sk sekake on 18 January 2013:
Ho bona Mahaltere hle, eta ho lla sa hao Ralimillionare hle. Ntate Sekhamane o ts’aba litaba.
Comment by Ntate Mokhatholane on 18 January 2013:
Le lakatsa hore ebe Mohl. Lineo Molise-Mabusela le Mohl. Refiloe Litjobo ba kene kahara komiti e kgolo ea Lekgotla la Pakalitha?Bongiwe Zihlangu haa qetele litlhaloso tseo a neng a re’fa tsona mabapi le Mabatowa ao Bahlomphehi ba neng baa emetse. Ana ba qetelletse ba hapile Mabatowa ao? Mme le lakatsa hore Bahlomphehi bao ba kene kahara komiti e kgolo ea Lekgotla la Ntate Pakalitha empa ebile ba hlolisitswe ho hapa Mabatowa ke lona? Ithuteng tsamaiso ea Lekgotla. Sechaba ke Poho,tlohellang boferekanyi.
Comment by lepza on 18 January 2013:
ho bona halty. ke ne ke lejoetsoe.
ya ba lea nroaka, ke botsa na ke democracy ejoang ena ea DC.
Comment by ts'obi on 18 January 2013:
hona, hona leha ke se le DC ke ho koenya mathe le mali.empa he hoa khothatsa ho bona hore bana ba Basotho ba ntse ba ena le tlhompho ea ho ikokobetsa ebe ba suthela ba baholo litulo probably hore ba tle seke ba qhala mabele a tlaleng. big up litjobo!!!!!!
Comment by molomo mosehlanyana on 18 January 2013:
leha kecha kesa tsole sechaba ke poho ejoang e etsetsoang liqeto tsa hoba pholo kapa sethole? Lephoqa hakakang hale hlotsoe hobusa lebile lehloa leho i pusa hape lele bang?hana tsamaiso holona ke chelete kapa horenaa ea ngoathileng haholo kemang joale ese ele e o tlamehang hoba khosi ea lona? Hana lebatho baho itsetleha ka motho haa sekama le ea oela joalo kaha le oele? Lese le fela le pepesa boemo ba lona leha lelebang fela? Lona secha hale satsoe sehlopheng seikentse nkhokho tsa lona ebe le hula’ngoa joalo ka li’methe letsosoa ka boetapele bachelete lona letla ruoa neng lebe baetapele kapa le thetsoa ka ho hireloa makoloi hoea libokeng ke baikhabi bao letsebang hantle hore naa batsoa ngoatha kae leikotla sefuba ka boemo boo? Hantle letla tseroloha neng haeka le chesetsoa boea ba phiri lentse leshebile lere banang lechelete batseba tsamaiso? Basotho tsohang hahona motlotsuoa lipolotiking le lona le bona itsepeng lipolotiki ke lefereho sechabeng le hokhethoa eseng fafi ena e bapaloang kalona,kajeno lenonyana hosane lepotoana ka moso ebe halena hoba lipere tsetla lula lipalangoe ka chelete? Bosele bosiu tsohang
Comment by Le congress on 19 January 2013:
mona ntho e teng e balehuoang, ha ke utloe hore na hobaneng batho ba setereke sa Leribe ba ne ba lla ka mongoli e moholo bare ke eena eaba hlolisitseng ka likhetho kajeno ba boela ba tiisa lihlooho bare ba ea mobusetsa. Moetapele ene eka ke lekhetlo la hae la hoqetela a ema ele moetapele ho joang kajeno?
Ho bona Pakalitha ba lumetse.
Comment by semenekane on 22 January 2013:
Democratic Congress party, batho ba hula boiketo ba bona molemong oa hore Mahaletere e lule e ntse e le moetapele. Ke e joang ena democracy? Mantloane a joalo. Khiliki!