Lesotho hit by crisis over bid to kill general

JOHANNESBURG, Sunday

The attempted assassination of a top military commander plunged Lesotho into further turmoil on Sunday, following an apparent coup that forced the prime minister to flee to neighbouring South Africa.

Gunmen attacked the Maseru home of Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao, district police commissioner Mofokeng Kolo confirmed, deepening a seeming battle for control of the military.

The pre-dawn attack on Saturday was reportedly unsuccessful, killing only a dog, but Lt-Gen Mahao’s whereabouts is now unknown.

Mahao had been appointed head of the Lesotho Defence Force by prime minister Tom Thabane shortly before he was forced to flee to South Africa in the early hours of Saturday.

Previous commander Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli was accused of leading a coup attempt against him, a charge the military denies.

Low-ranking soldiers contacted by AFP said it was unclear who was now giving their orders. They remain confined to barracks.

As some life returned to Lesotho’s streets today, it was not clear who was in charge of this beautiful but poor mountainous kingdom of two million people. Mr Thabane is across the South African border in Ladybrand, unable or unwilling to return.

“I have been removed from control not by the people but by the armed forces, and that is illegal,” he said.

Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Mothejoa Metsing told AFP he left Lesotho for talks in Pretoria.

“It is through the invitation of the South African president,” who currently heads regional bloc the Southern African Development Community’s security committee, MrMetsing said.

“There is no coup in Lesotho,” he insisted. In the absence of the premier and his deputy, constitutionally the Minister of Public Service Motloheloa Phooko is in charge of the kingdom, he added.

UNEASY COALITION

Mr Phooko is a member of Mr Metsing’s Lesotho Congress for Democracy party, which was in an uneasy coalition government with Thabane. The party has also denied allegations of involvement in the coup.

Meanwhile, the police were struggling to regroup after a deadly attack by the military on key installations early on Saturday, which resulted in an arsenal of weapons being seized.

District police commissioner Mofokeng Kolo confirmed that one officer died in the attack. Twenty-four hours later the police headquarters was still abandoned and most officers remained in hiding.

Amid the political turmoil, Maseru’s residents stocked up on food and basic necessities.

“People are worried what will happen, because ‘no work, no pay’,” said fruit and vegetable vendor Kamele Pakisi. “There is no stability.”

Worshippers filled the city’s cathedral as normal, but many feared for what lies ahead, convinced this spasm of political violence was not yet over.

There is concern that a mass anti-government demonstration that was planned for Monday could bring a new chapter of violence.

“We are not afraid of today, we are just afraid of tomorrow,” said Mphasa Chonela.

Meanwhile, the President of South Africa Jacob Zuma is scheduled to hold a meeting with Mr Metsing, a Lesotho government official revealed.

Apparently, this is in a bid to amicably resolve the current political tension in Lesotho. This morning, Mr Metsing travelled from Lesotho to South Africa to meet with President Zuma. Mr Metsing is among the Lesotho ministers who are being investigated for alleged corruption.