We were ordered to bite each others’ buttocks, say villagers
BEREA — They were made to passionately French kiss each other, bite each other’s buttocks and roll in the mud.
They were kicked and slapped on their faces.
Their crime?
They were all suspected of having had a hand in the brutal murder of an elderly woman and her grandchild in Ha Makebe, about 30 kilometres south of the capital Maseru, sometime last year.
It is suspected the two were beaten to death before their house was set on fire.
The deceased’s charred remains were found by the police the morning after.
But on January 9 this year, all hell broke loose after the police stormed Ha Makebe and the neighbouring village of Liphiring in the wee hours of the morning in a military-style raid to catch the suspects.
Villagers who this week spoke to the Lesotho Times were, more than a month later, still so traumatised that they refused to speak on record to this newspaper.
They say they went through unspeakable acts of torture during the interrogation on that ill-fated morning.
One villager from Ha Makebe, Teboho, (not his real name), says he woke up early on the morning of January 9 and prepared to go and attend to his field.
At around 4am he says he was already working in his field when a neighbour in a passing taxi asked him if he knew of a meeting that was taking place in the village.
“I thought maybe the meeting had been called to discuss issues regarding our livestock and the issuance of letters of certification,” Teboho says.
He says he quickly rushed back home to be part of the meeting.
But the mood was far from what he had anticipated, he says.
Armed police officers were moving from house-to-house collecting all the men of the village for the meeting.
“We gathered on an open space near the chief’s home.
“It was only then that we learned that the police were looking for suspects of last year’s murder,” he says.
When no one volunteered information, the police moved the men out of the village, he says.
“They said we had to move out of the village to carry on with our discussions.
“Even then we did not suspect that things could turn that bad.
“We were even singing (Basotho) men’s songs,” he continues.
As soon as we moved out of the village, the mood swiftly changed, he says.
We were ordered to lie down, he says.
“A police officer shouted “fatše banna” (go down). When no one moved they shouted again fatše lisatane (down Satan), and there was a gunshot. We all went down on our stomachs,” he says.
“We were told to roll down in a field full of thorns. They kicked us with boots as we rolled.
“They said they would not stop until we had told them who had killed the two,” he says.
Another man who also requested anonymity says they were forced to roll down a small cliff.
The pain was excruciating, he says.
“When we reached the end of the field with so much difficulty and pain we thought it was over.
“Some of us started asking for forgiveness; we also promised them that we would help the police to find the criminals.
“Others tried to convince them that they were not around the villages when the crimes occurred,” he says.
But the police officers would have none of that, he says.
He says they were then forced to go up again and roll down again.
“There was a gunshot every now and then to scarce us.
“Our bodies were in pain and when we could not roll up the field they kicked us all over our bodies.
“The torture only stopped briefly when some of us started having complications. Some fainted while others began vomiting,” he says.
He says he thought the torture had ended, but the police simply changed tactics.
He says the men were then told to “propose love” to the female officers.
“But when we did, these young women slapped us on the faces.
“It hurt badly when you realised that you were being tortured by a girl or a boy much younger than you,” one of the men said.
“We were then ordered to jump back and forth in the field. When our painful bodies could no longer respond we were kicked again and threatened with guns,” he says.
But what was more embarrassing was to see their chief, 59-year-old Neo Mocase, being slapped and bullied into joining the men.
“Ntate Mocase had come at the scene after he had been informed that we were being tortured by the police.
“When they (police officers) saw him coming from a distance they told him to hurry up.
“He was slapped on the face as soon as he arrived.
“He tried to ask what was happening but they harshly told him to take off a blanket he was wearing to join us.
“When he did, they laughed at him, telling him that he was wrinkled. We were all so embarrassed to see someone we respected being treated like that,” he said.
The men from Liphiring say they were lucky because unlike their counterparts in Ha Makebe they had not been made to kiss each other.
“Imagine a man kissing another man or biting their buttocks.
“Did the police have to treat us like that? We will never trust them. They have tainted the good relations we had with them.
“We will never inform them even when we have information on suspects because we are also still looking for these criminals,” one of the men said.
They also allege that two men were beaten badly because they were wearing Democratic Congress party regalia.
The chief’s wife, ‘Macobone Mocase, says the police had no right to torture the men like they did.
“They should have tried to build good relations with them so that they could work together to find the criminals. Beating and harassing people like that has ruined everything.
“Criminals are now going to take advantage of the ruined relations and commit more murders,” says Mocase.
Thuso Ramabolu, from the civic rights group Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) Lesotho, says they are currently investigating the police for violating people’s human rights.
“We have heard stories of how men were harassed in Ha Makebe and were forced to kiss one another.
“The investigation also touched on cases like an incident in Mafeteng where a man was tortured to death at one police station. There are many other cases,” Ramabolu says.
The report on the investigation is expected to be out soon, he says.
Police spokesperson Senior Inspector Masupha Masupha says the police do not encourage the use of torture against crime suspects.
“There are some police officers who may exceed the power that they are given in finding information that can help them arrest suspects. In such incidents legal action can be taken against such officers,” says Masupha.
He says that in the case of the Ha Makebe villagers only five men had opened cases against the police officers.
“Police officers were sent to investigate the Ha Makebe incident but only five men came forward. None of the men has ever opened a case against police for forcing them to kiss each other. Investigations are still going on in the five cases.”
Comment by lirua on 21 February 2013:
Banna ba ba bang habalo tlaleha mapolesa aaa keng ha hiya banna ba bahlano?mapolesa a tloetse ho hlekefetsa batho hona le emong a tsamayang ka sethuthuthu hara teropo ena ya maseru o hlotse a hlekefelitse baqhobi ba makoloi a baeti!eseka molao oka sebetsa mapolesa ano a mpa lokollwe mosebetsing hoba hase mapolesa ke litlokotsebe!
Comment by Sampo on 21 February 2013:
Do you seriously expect those men to trust the police again, and go to a police station and formally lay charges against their own? Hell no! Those villagers are going to revenge, mark my words.
Comment by kotompana on 21 February 2013:
I still maintain that the entry requirements into the police service must be escalated to the tertiary education level to curb this escalating problems we hear on day-to-day basis.
Hee! re tennoe ke ma-no-standard ana a mapolesa, che lea itlontlolla hle banna le basali ba ma-standard two.
Comment by Sdumo on 21 February 2013:
Ke bao hee, ba se ba iphetelitse bahai ba Ha Makebe. ba se ba bolaile litlokotsebe tse peli.
Balehang banna, keao mapolesa. this time around kea ipotsa na ba tlo le etsang?
Comment by S'bongile on 21 February 2013:
hahahahahahaha, maponesa a lesotho *sighing*
Comment by Tshepo on 21 February 2013:
Ekare motho wa boemo ba Senior Inspector a bua ntho tse joalo sechabeng le nahana hore this juniors ba tla etsang coz they are acting on orders.
Comment by tlotlisang on 21 February 2013:
PM le Soulo lipitsong tsa bona bare ba felisa bosholu hantle kapa hampe. Hantle ke ka molao, hampe ke ka thoko ho molao, e leng sona sena se etsahetseng mona.
Comment by Fatz on 21 February 2013:
Ke bohloko ke taba ena! Ke libaka tsa haeso mono! Ke karolo ea diciplinary forces naheng ena,ebile re bangata ka mono empa kannete mapolesa ana a entseng ketso ena are telletse ka bo ntata rona! Ke mapolesa a itebetseng ,eseng bali fehla ha kana ba tletse lichankaneng hose mang eaba hobosang! Joale ehlile ke nnete hore batlo thatafalloa keho fumana babelaelloa ka rubbish eno! Hantle batho ba mahaeng ke batho ba hlokang katamelo e ntle eo ba e rupeletsoeng ele mapolesa,ke ea tiisa kere batla ufa nnete ele monyenyetsi! Joale ketso ena e mpe ebile etlo baka karohano e mpe lipakeng tsa sepolesa le rona ka mono! Khale re theha mekhatlo eabo shapashapa re fumana masholu,a nt’sana bosholu bo theohile joale bana bona ba feitse! Ke koatile ke khoboso le khatello ea litokelo e entsoeng! Ntle le haeba ke taelo etsoe basali ba lifeme bane ba oeloe ke tora e tjena,ba thungoa basa loane ele taelo! Che rekese makale! Moshanyana oa lepolesa a pitikise ntatae? Nxa! Empa kere bo ntate ba heso,maphiri,thabaneng,sole,jubile,libuping kopanang ke nako re teng le ea tseba ka tataiso eatsa molao,hare qale ho itharollela mathata,hare qaleng fat’se,litlokotsebe re tseba hantle holi fumana! Kopano eo hape bontate,mapolesa re phela ntho ele ngoe le bona,ke batho baka fokolang empa he kere tsamaeang lona bohle ba hobositsoeng le tlale tlale motebong oa sepolesa ty le qose mapolesa ana atla nkeloa likhato maemong a nepahetseng! Le rona re koetlile teng ptc!
Comment by SOALAKAHLA on 22 February 2013:
It is now time! It is now time that as citizens we take the law into our hands and kill this policemen! Ke neng Basotho ba sotleha matsohong a maponesa. Likatana tsena hase maponesa ke likhukhuni maan! Terrorists! Let us kill them! Let us kill them on the streets; let us petrol bomb their houses in the villages; in towns and where ever they live! Let us kill them in the tarvens where they drink! The SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE WAS LIKE THIS morons; and the people there started retaliating; killing them everywhere they could get a chance! Let us do the same; a re bolaheng lintja tsena!
Comment by molele on 22 February 2013:
ke eo he phethoho ea puso ea kopanelo,sha lekhoakhoa shapaaaa.
Comment by molele on 22 February 2013:
ke puso ea manasi ,ke eo he phethoho eo leitseng le ea e batla matoala,lcd le bnp
Comment by Conquer on 22 February 2013:
Monkey see,Monkey do…It was our neighboring country having their Police force massacre mining protesters and now our own Police doing opposite of PROTECT AND SERVE in our own backyard…real bad, damaging relationships with the people they serve only devices the mutiny they deserve(to be hated and negleted by society)…Just last week; One(Police officer) had “proudly” boasted dislocating peoples behinds with a knobkirrie – wats that ?….WHERE IS THE FUTURE OF THIS LOVELY COUNTRY COMING TO ?
Comment by Mohau on 22 February 2013:
Those policemen are being a disgrace to the community. Just a while ago one of their bosses said he will continue torturing and the higher authoirty is quiet over the issue besides mumbling.
itsad state of affairs for such a poor country. They only thing they have which is dignity is being eroded by this barbarism.
Comment by Tautona on 22 February 2013:
Go on police officers, i congratulate you for the good job you have done. Go on and lose ur heads and be sure 2 get ur refund one day. Continue with this immoral behavior, ask your elders to do all these nasty things. Go! go go! and order even you own parents to do the same-ba lomane libono le bona in your presence! Sis!
Comment by LOBENGULA on 22 February 2013:
Litaba tsa SOALAKAHLA lia nt’sosa, empa ke bona eka haufinyane li tla etsahala! Banna ho neng mapolesa a sotla sechaba sa Motlotlehi? Ho neng? Ha e le batho ba tsoanang le bo MOLELE motho o bua eka o tsoa ka maqomong a sa tsebe se ntseng se etsahala! The police force has been terrorising Basotho from independence, with Mosisili’s administration being the climax of the toturing, maiming and killing of Basotho by the police. Sekekete Hotel massacre; toturing of villiagers of Ha Mpeli in Matsoku, all this happened under the watchful eye of Mosisili and his henchmen. Remember, Mosisili as home affairs minister under Ntsu Mokhehle was instrumental in the massacre of Highlaands Water employees in Butha Buthe, even pupbicly congratulating the murderers that they have done a good job. In Lesotho, the state is a law unto itself and it does not matter who is the pilot at State House; security personnel have been used to oppress Basotho by politicians and I DO NOT WANT TO SEE SOALAKAHLA’s call being carried out because there will be blood in our country; serious blood!
Comment by Mokopakopa on 22 February 2013:
take these policeDOGS on the leash or we will take law into our hands
Comment by motho on 22 February 2013:
ke la utloa le leng la ofisiri bekeng e felileng le ikotla sefuba le re le tla shapa batho, na lea hlokomela le shapa benng ka rona? le ka utloa ho le joang ha ntho tse tje li ka etsoa malapa ao le phelang ho ona maponesa?
ha qeta kapo le nahana la betere hoba le le maponesa. hao batho ba molimo. re kopa le re hlomphe e le hore le rona re tsebe ho le hlompha bo me le bo ntate ba maponesa. le rohakehile mahlong a molimo kea le hlapanyetsa bana beso.
Comment by Mots'oenyehi on 22 February 2013:
@ Molele, hahona moo taba ea maponesa a etsang botlokotsebe e kenang teng ho mmuso oa kopanelo. o li nketse hlohong lipolotiki tsena kae o bona. Maponesa a ne a ntse a hlola a hlekefetsa batho le pusong ea e no ea hao ea bobolu ea potoana. Nts’a lipolotiki bohlasoeng ba sepolesa.
Comment by Jobo on 23 February 2013:
polotiki eteng tabeng tsena, mapolesa a matoala le manasi a binaketse banna ba apereng seaparo sa potoana ho feta banna ba bang! Le mpa le batla ho sireletsa ‘muso ona oa lona oo odd oo hlooho li tharo le maoto a 27!
Comment by tollong on 23 February 2013:
Kotompana motho rutehile ha a kene sekolo ho fihlala ho kae,ho na le phapang pakeng tsa ho ruteha le bo bala,motho ha atsoa university u balile haholo empa ha ho bolele hore o rutehile.
Comment by Ts'olo on 23 February 2013:
Wow,I wonder how those forced kisses were like. This is what you get when you have a PM and his minister saying bad things like “Re tla felisa bosholu hantle kapa hampe”. The police have been given a go ahead by PM and his colleagues by such unfortunate statements and few people seem to be aware of that.No one is Questioning what Soulo meant by saying people should close their ears and eyes so they dont hear or see whats happening when he sends police to one village in Qacha to stop crime there!! “Che lerato le sefofu” as Basotho puts it.
Comment by TAUYATHABA on 23 February 2013:
“A police officer shouted “fatše banna” (go down). When no one moved they shouted again fatše lisatane (down Satan), and there was a gunshot. We all went down on our stomachs,”
EBE KE MANG LEPOLESA LEO…CHEHE ATLA SENYA SERITI SA RONA MAPOLESA
Comment by Maletsatsi on 25 February 2013:
Mapolesa ana ekare aka ea Ha Foso hona le ‘me oa mohlolohali eo banna ba mo otlileng le sa t’seloeng ke nta(litichi tse 8-9) ka li 8 Feb ka tlung ha hae bosiu, mapolesa ha so ee empa osa na le babelaelloa oba reportile.Ke nahana hore ana ke ona a nepahetseng hore a ee ka Ha Foso mona.
Comment by Orangu tang on 26 February 2013:
Aowele bo ntate ba mapolesa ao