Knives out for BNP youth leader
MASERU — Knives are out for Basotho National Party (BNP) youth league president, Tšeliso Lesenya, after he allegedly handpicked his friends to work as private secretaries for the party’s four cabinet ministers.
Sources in the BNP which is part of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane said Lesenya faces the boot after some of his lieutenants in the party accused him of incompetence and nepotism.
The Lesotho Times heard this week there were now manoeuvres by members of the BNP youth league executive committee, which is made up of 14 individuals, to kick out Lesenya.
A highly placed source on Tuesday told this paper that Lesenya is accused, primarily of failing to implement resolutions made by the conference that crowned him youth leader on November 26 last year.
This paper understands that Lesenya is also charged with failure as the BNP youth wing’s president to drive the junior branch’s policies and vision.
But the source said the breaking point came after Lesenya allegedly picked his cronies to work as private secretaries to the party’s representatives in government.
“He was given the mandate as a representative of the youth in the executive committee.
“Instead, Lesenya called his friends for the interviews and the youth league was angry,” the source said.
The ministers are BNP leader and Gender Minister Thesele ’Maseribane, deputy leader and Home Affairs Minister Joang Molapo, Health Deputy Minister Dr Nthabiseng Makoae and Home Affairs Deputy Minister ’Malebitso Ralebitso.
“The youths are fired up and are doing everything in their power to put together a water-tight plan.
“Chances of him being removed are quite high,” the source said.
If things go as planned, the source added, Lesenya will be toppled at the next BNP youth league conference whose dates are still to be announced.
When contacted for comment on Tuesday, BNP youth league spokesperson Manama Letsie confirmed that Lesenya’s prospects of remaining president were bleak because “there is that noise that he should be removed”.
“I am familiar with what you are asking me regarding the BNP youth league president. There’s that call that he should be removed and there are solid reasons to justify the youth’s stance,” Manama said.
Manama told this paper that since the election of the BNP national youth committee last year, there had been “no formal meetings convened”.
“It is his responsibility to call such meetings but to date nothing has happened,” Manama said.
According to Manama, under Lesenya’s leadership, the BNP youth league had also failed dismally to implement resolutions made by the elective conference “such as political induction”.
“Among other things we resolved to create programmes on political education and establish an institute drilling the youth about self-reliance,” Manama said.
“We haven’t even sat down formally to discuss these issues and we’re now planning to go ahead and implement some of the resolutions without him.”
Manama added that the BNP youth league had also to date failed to instill discipline in the party because of a lack of coordination between members.
“What we need now as the BNP youth league is to champion principles of self-sufficiency and discipline because right now we see growing hooliganism among our youths,” Manama said.
“Our youths have been reduced to hooligans only interested in engaging in acts of instability.”
Manama emphasised also, that the BNP youth committee members were pained by the fact that they were never afforded the opportunity “to take part in selecting private secretaries for ministers”.
Manama added that the youth committee, without Lesenya’s input, was in the process of preparing for a conference to adopt the wing’s constitution “in order to deal effectively with cases such as Lesenya’s”.
Currently, Manama said, the BNP youth league was using the party’s general constitution which “renders the junior committee ineffective in some instances”.
“The BNP youth league constitution is ready but awaits approval by a conference. It has in it all the mechanisms needed to deal with various situations,” Manama said.
Although the youth league’s elective conference was scheduled for November, it will be at this conference that a motion of no-confidence against Lesenya “will likely be proposed”.
“If the conference decides to remove him, we will there and then elect a new president instead of waiting for November. But if it fails, we will have to wait,” Manama said.
Manama also mentioned Lesenya’s age as another issue of major concern saying “he’s well beyond the required age limit for one to be president of the youth league”.
Lesenya is 35.
The BNP constitution says however youth league members must be 35 years or below.
Comment by mju on 26 July 2012:
Each and every week, these coalition members never cease to amaze the public. Now who is corrupt now?
Comment by oa ha Matala on 26 July 2012:
This is only de beggining of good things to come. Ha li jane ntja tsa setsomi.
Comment by Sentebale on 26 July 2012:
Lea pota lona
Comment by die hard on 26 July 2012:
dis is just the begining………..likholo li satla…………
Comment by Silky on 26 July 2012:
Oh God, batho ba se nang tsebo ka mokhoa oo ba khopisang!! matona kaofela a ikhethela li private secretaries, li Drivers joalo joalo!! ke tokelo ea bona eno ea ho khetha batho bao ba ba tsepang!!
Comment by lenasi on 26 July 2012:
Mju le thaka tsa hao, le tatetse ntho tse senang thuso. empa hee hoa tsebahala hore ntho tse bobolu le lithabela hampe….
Ako tholeng le tlohele ho peketlisa melomo mona re le buse….
Comment by david on 26 July 2012:
helele luuune manasi. Le tla tsoela ho ipona bobetere ka Macongress
Comment by Limo on 26 July 2012:
Ele hore basotho ha lena qeta,hale tlamea ho tsóela nthoe mpe ka mathe,le bonahala le thaba,why? ke likholo tsang tse tlang,lea hlanya there is gona be peace and stability Lesotho mona anti-present-coalition -overnment ting, kapa le ba lakaletsi?
Comment by Limo on 26 July 2012:
Ake le hlopheng litaba liphoso haho na le ka mohla li satlo etsahala the only best thing is to always be willing to solve. whn you elected this guy as a president ne le bona potential so sele motsoa tlase,ske la re ferekanya,lulang mollong le bana ba motho(BNP) le lokise litaba le sale banyane for these unnecessary quarrels
Comment by lefefooane on 26 July 2012:
LEMPA LE SA TSEBE KE TSOAFA HO HLAHISA MABITSO A BATHO NTHO TSE ETSHALANG LEKE LA LUMELA KHIRONG EA MUSO ONA KE BATHO BA BANG SENTSE BANKA BA HA BO BONA I WONDER WHO IS CORRUPT?
KAMEHLA KE TLA SALA KERE ONT JUDGE!!!!!!!
Comment by lefefooane on 26 July 2012:
@mju Each and every week, these coalition members never cease to amaze the public. Now who is corrupt now? I LIKE YOUR COMMENT
Comment by Julia on 26 July 2012:
Silky if they are to appoitn their own private secretaries it is not the responsibility of the youth leader as he has the youth mandate to persue
Comment by Julia on 26 July 2012:
Nepotism wil be history I can assure you
Comment by Lefefooane on 26 July 2012:
Good people, there is one Potoana clown who calls himself lefefooane. That is not me. I am Lefefooane, my name starts with capital L and not small l as he starts his. In any case, just ignore him. That clown is |Potoana when I am a Kobotata man. That is the difference.
Comment by Blue Collar on 26 July 2012:
One tourist I once met told me that he never thought that Lesotho was such a beautiful country with amazing landscapes. He claims that all he ever heard of Lesotho was horse riding people and frequent Coup d’état. I just took him as ingorant then, but now I’m starting to think perhaps, I and all basotho need some introspection. We suck at politics…period!
Comment by Lefefooane on 26 July 2012:
Lesotho times should stop behaving like a tabloid. This article is nothing other than what a tubloid would publish. It is merely allegations and in any case the minister’ private secretaries are employed by those ministers hence why they leave when the minister gets fired. So, it is the said ministers’ own prerogative whom they employ as private secretaries and no one shoyu;ld cry foul. Such secretaries are normally handpicked unless one can tell me he or she has bumped on advert seeking to recruit private secretaries to the ministers.
Lesotho times should focus on serious corruption issues not issues pertaining to ministers hand picking private secretaries. It is a norm that a minister picks a private secretary. One day Lesotho times will accuse prime minister Tom of having picked up own private chef, chauffeur, secretary etc. No ways. This is bull. We can not accept this substandard and sensenalisation of issues. Ministers are allowed to pick owbn drivers. |For obvious reasons you never see adverts calling for code 10 drivers to be appointed into ministerial driver ships. Such people normall and always leave when such a minister leaves. Hao re tla teneha keng na!!!
Comment by Blue Collar on 26 July 2012:
@Lefefooane…Ha o re oena o oa capital L, oa nkhopotsa ntate Keketso Mathula ha ane a re “Kasete eaka ke tala. Ha ese tala o tsebe ha se eona” :-)
Comment by mojota on 26 July 2012:
Utloang meleko! ea bo bolu kore! le khoeli tse tharo ha li so fele.
Comment by Mju on 26 July 2012:
Lefefooane,
You guys are just beginning to have a taste of your own medicine. It is bitter but you should drink it. You spent the rest of your life in the opposition enjoying these kind of criticisms leveled against the former govt. You thought you were justified to focus on petty politicking as opposed to developmental issues. Sorry guys you will learn the hard way to become a constructive opposition in 2017.
Comment by Tebang on 26 July 2012:
Hao Lefefooane motho oa molimo,ho ea ka uena lestimes e tla phatlalatsa tse u thabisang fela hore e tle e be e nepile
Comment by Thulas on 27 July 2012:
Kajeno ho bohloko ha Lesotho Times le bua litaba tse amang matona empa e le khale ho ngoloa ntho li hana ho fela ka matona a mmuso o fetileng hona pampiring eona ee, ho tsoana le sealemoea se seng se nkhakang ka lebitso ke se tseba, seo ha motho a bua ka coalition gov. ba mo koalang haeba a bua se sa thabiseng, khuuoe!!
Comment by Tebo on 27 July 2012:
@Mju hei, u ntlhatsuitse pelonyana ena,maoba mona radiong e ngoe ha ho ntse ho botsoa letona lipotso ka taba tsa metolong momameli e mong a hlaha a le bohloko bona bo haesale a re o utloa batho ba sa fane ka tharollo ba bua lipolotiki, ka re ao, batho baa ba lebala kapele ha kaakang ha maoba moo ba ne bua ntho eo ba eratang lialemoeng mme mmuso o itholetse o sa khathatsane le bona, kajeno ho so le bohloko ha ho buuoa polotiki radiong, guys ia worried na 2017 e tla fihla bolokolohi ba puo ntse bo le teng?
Comment by voicetruth on 27 July 2012:
If this guy was elected in Nov last yr, then certainly issues of age should not arise. I can’t imagine that when they elected him they expected him to serve for just a few months only to vacate the post on reaching 35. These guys need to be serious and consistent if the public is to take them seriously.
They elected this guy knowing his age very well – so this should never be an issue at all; they should tell us other issues. Unless they start by telling the nation that the guy has fraudulent ID documents, which he used to cheat his way into that position. In that case why don’t they bring in the police to do what they are trained to do. Police could be much more effective in that case than propose vote(s) of ‘confidence or no-confidence’, whichever they prefer. I’m sure forgery of ID document is a crime in this country.
Comment by Kokota on 28 July 2012:
What Lesotho Times failed to do is to get from BNP Leadership what process should be followed to appoint Private Secretaries. Whose prerogative is it to appoint Private Secretaries? The same youth members who are crying foul do not tell us what process should have been followed. Les Times your interviewing and reporting should be more probing. This is poor reporting.
Manashenale a heso lets not allow ourselves to be derailed from our duty to serve the nation. Tlholo! Sechaba pele.
Comment by Oa maliba on 28 July 2012:
Kokota o ko mphe email ea hao hle neshenale le khabane reke re lifokotse hanyane fela.
Comment by Lobengula on 31 July 2012:
Once again I fail to understand what constitutes LESTIMES editorial standards. Firstly, you are running two identical stories with different headlines. You then fail to inform us how these appointments clash with existing governance guidelines or if any law has been broken when these appointments were effected. We are then left with a verbal boxing match of uninformed commentators whose sole purpose is to defend their respective territories/favourite parties or personalities without analysing the issues at hand and giving a balanced input. Your paper has turned into a tubloid with “tarven” agenda issues making headlines without a deep analysis and informative approach which can help laymen like me understand government and party procedures. Please get out of your air conditioned offices; go to the field and mostly thoroughly research your stories before putting them to print. As for fellow commentators on this forum, let us focus on building our country through positive debates and leave “name calling” and insults to dundder heads.
Comment by Lefefooane on 31 July 2012:
@Mju, there is the difference between a tabloid and a newspaper. Lesotho Times readership is that of a newspaper and not a tabloid. So it would be improper for a newspaper of its size to operate in the spectrum ‘reserved’ for tabloids. Lesoth Times for the past year or so was known for breaking big scandalous news and not small like this topic. Lesotho times should know that it is the sole prerogative of the concerned minister to appoint persons as private secretaries and drivers so for losotho time to publish this story as though it is some corrupt practice leaves a lot to be desired of it. Taba ea bangoli ba matona is the sole prerogative of such ministers. That is why I am saying there is no news here. If this was the issue in which a minister employed an Accountant, Artisan, clerk, Magistrate etc, etc in corrupt ways then I would be hard on that minister. Wait for my comments when one minister sidesteps. Because sure enough atleast one minister will misbahave in the next five years. Ha ho motse o se nang mahlanya. Let us not rush.
Comment by Selopo-emere aka Sloppy on 31 July 2012:
I thought PA’s are appointed by the consent officers. How is this boy capable of appointing personal secretaries, yet he does not have one? He is growing older by the day. Moshanyana shut up!
Comment by Lobengula on 1 August 2012:
Thank you Lefefooane; ke lumellana le oena ho menahane. Lestimes must up its game and give us NEWS not HEARSAY or BAR-TALK. Hape ha ba ngola litaba; ba re fe mahlakore oohle a taba ele hore re khone ho rua tsebo. Hona joale ha ba refe lehlakore la Morena Joang kapa ba public service e le hore le rona bo santata re tsebe ho utloisisa se etsahetseng. In a democracy newspapers play a pivotal role in exposing corruption and being informative and LESTIMES must strive to do just that; reporting truth without fear or favour.
Comment by Lefefooane on 1 August 2012:
@Lobengula, I appreciate. In South Africa the newspapers are Mail & Gurdian, Sunday Times among others. While Tabloids are Daily Sun, The Voice etc. The target market and the spectrums for Mail & Guradian and Daily Sun are totally different. So I advice Lesotho Times to occupy its proper spectrum lest it gets reduced to the level of a tabloid. Even Radio Stations differ in the type of content. For instance Moafrika FM will be more interested in news relating to witchcraft, village squables etc while Harvest Fm will be interested in news relating to corruption scandals. So as a listener you know where to tune in in order to listen to a specific type of news. Kea tsepa ba utluile banna bano ba Zimbabwe ba ranang Lesotho Times.