Lesotho PM lashes out at Zuma

Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, whose government lacks the clear two-thirds majority to pass consitutional reforms. AP Photo/ Manish Swarup

Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, whose government lacks the clear two-thirds majority to pass consitutional reforms. AP Photo/ Manish Swarup

Published Jan 21, 2016

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Maseru – Lesotho’s defiant Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has launched an unprecedented attack on President Jacob Zuma, accusing the later of practising double standards by trying to shield South Africa from international pressure from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Omar Al Bashir affair while attacking Lesotho for trying to do the same with the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Mosisili’s broadside came after the Lesotho Prime Minister was forced into a major climbdown at a SADC double troika summit in Gaborone earlier this week when the regional bloc forced him to accept a report of a SADC commission of inquiry into instability in Lesotho. Mosisili had earlier refused to accept the report citing the need to have a court case seeking to nullify the whole Phumaphi Commission of Inquiry finalized first.

SADC established the commission, headed by a Botswana High Court judge Mphaphi Phumaphi, to investigate the cold blooded killing of former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander MaaparankoeMahao by Mosisili’s supporters in the military and the general instability in Lesotho, among other things.

The commission concluded its work in October but its report had not been published after Lesotho refused to accept it pending the finalization of the court case seeking to nullify the whole SADC commission despite spirited efforts by facilitator Cyril Ramaphosa to persuade Mosisili to accept and implement its findings.

Mosisili initially refused to accept the report at the double troika summit on Monday before making a major climbdown and receiving it after SADC threated to suspend his country from the regional body.

Before Mosisili made his U-turn, President Zuma had appeared on the SABC’s morning live programme Tuesday morning and announced that SADC had decided to unilaterally publish the report if Mosisili persisted with his refusal to accept it. Zuma said the double troika would further proceed to recommend Lesotho’s suspension from the regional bloc.

After Mosisili’s U-turn in accepting the report, SADC issued an unusually robust communique giving Mosisili 14 days to publish the report and imploring him to implement all its recommendations. This was a marked departure from the regional body’s usually timid and supine treatment of errant members.

But SADC’s position and MrZuma’s remarks have offended a defiant Mosisili who declared upon his return from Gaborone that he had decided to accept the report only out of courtesy but would not be forced to implement all its recommendations.

Mosisili also said he reserved the right to edit out or expunge parts of the report that his government would deem a threat to national security before making it public.

Addressing journalists upon his return to his country late on Wednesday , Mosisili singled out Zuma for particular criticism accusing the South African president of employing double standards in seeking to shield South Africa from pressure from an international body, the ICC, while Mr Zuma himself exerts force on Lesotho to accept pressure from another international organization (SADC).

Mosisili alleged at his press conference that Zuma had written to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to dissuade it from holding South Africa accountable for its failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir while he was in Johannesburg as ordered by a South African Court. Yet Zuma was quick to reprimand Lesotho when its government was merely seeking to respect its court processes vis a vis the demands of an international forum.

Mosisili claimed that one reason why Zuma had written to the ICC asking it to refrain from putting pressure on his government over the Bashir matter was because the Bashir case was still in the courts after the SA government appealed against a judgment ordering Bashir’s arrest.

“What is the difference in these two scenarios. You (Zuma) are saying it’s correct when you say an international organization (ICC) should hold its horses and give SA courts the chance to wrap up the case, and yet you say it’s wrong for us to ask SADC, an international (regional) organization to hold its horses and give the High Court of Lesotho a chance to wrap up the case….Now this is what is called double standards. The principles are the same Mr President, what is good for the gander is good for the goose….,”said Mosisili.

 

“It is also surprising that a bloc that believes in democracy and rule of law (SADC) can say that courts’ decisions are not binding to the extent of writing it down in black and white. This is astonishing! I said to them, if the courts of Lesotho do not mean anything to you, they mean everything to us, “ said Mosisili in response to SADC’s communique declaration that “any court decision taken against the Commission of Inquiry is of no legal effect and will not bind SADC and its institutions”.

Mosisili’s threat to edit the report and delete parts that he deems a threat to national security and his insistence on cherry picking recommendations to implement from the report is galling for most Basotho. They see this as a clear indication by their leader that he is not prepared to comprise with his opponents and foster stability.

“Only decisions of courts are binding. Recommendations of a commission are not…,” declared a defiant Mosisili saying his government will only implement resolutions it agrees with.

Justice Phumaphi was very critical of Mosisili’s coalition government during public hearings declaring the Prime Minister’s regime as “lawless”

Critics accuse Mosisili of contriving the court case by one of the LDF commanders Tefo Hashatsi to nullify the commission’s findings because implementing the commission’s recommendations would loosen his grip on power.

Hashatsi is the head of the LDF’s special forces responsible for Mahao’s killing. Hashatsi was roasted by Phumaphi during its proceedings before he went to court to try and seek an order nullifying the commission. He cited Mosisili as one of the respondents but the Prime Minister did not even bother to file responding court backers, a development seen as trying to help Hashatsi win the court case by default.

Lesotho has been in turmoil after Mosisili's ally, LDF commander Tlali Kamoli, launched a coup attempt against former premier Thomas Thabane on 30 August 2014. A series of developments then led to elections which returned Mosisili to power and also saw Kamoli re-instated.

Mosisili has since used the army to stage a reign of terror that has seen the killings of many opponents and the fleeing of all opposition leaders into exile.

Despite his country being hopelessly poor and after having recently declared a state of emergency due to a crippling drought, Mosisili has been on the rampage attacking backers of his government mainly the Americans, whom he effectively told to go to hell, and now Zuma.

The Americans have since suspended the renewal of an aid programme to Lesotho called the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA) and are understood to be ready to kick the tiny Kingdom out of Agoa. The first leg of the MCA saw almost $400 million being poured into Lesotho to improve healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Foreign Service

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