Lockdown caught govt flat-footed: EFF Lesotho

RETHABILE MOHONO

MASERU – Youthful political outfit, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Lesotho, has accused the government of being caught flat-footed under the current lockdown, without a clear plan in place.

Lesotho is currently on total lock down due to escalating numbers of infections with many dying due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lockdown which resumed on 14, January is expected to end on the 27, January, 2021.

South African’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has spread its wings to Lesotho as part of its broader programme to push a pan-Africanist agenda. Lesotho EFF (LEFF) has been emboldened by the achievements of its sister party, the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF), which won two parliamentary seats.

Lesotho is the 12th African country in which EFF is represented.

According to the EFF President Tefo Makhakhe the government did not do any prior arrangements on how people would survive during the lockdown.

He also complained that, there was no proper dissemination of information between the government, chiefs and the councillors.

“Chiefs and councillors at grassroots are crying ceaselessly because there is no viable communication between them and the government regarding the issue of COVID-19,” he said.

While South Africa and other countries are making arrangements to procure Covid-19 vaccines for their citizens as early as next month, Lesotho will only lay its hands on the vaccine through the COVAX facility (a fully subsidised initiative by the World Health Organisation) only around April.

“Before the vaccine is distributed to the public, we need it to be tested by Basotho because there is a huge debate among the public regarding the vaccine,” he said.

Meanwhile he said National Covid-19 Secretariat NACOSEC is being linked to misuse of COVID-19 funds, of which they demand a clear explanation of how funds were used.

He further stated that people are still in the dark as when the school will re-open.

Speaking at the same event, EFF secretary Mohau Mabetha said NACOSEC is not needed because Disaster Management Authority (DMA) is there to do all that NACOSEC is doing.

“When Command Centre was formed, EFF told the government that it was not necessary to have such body but the government paid no attention to that. However, we still believe that NACOSEC is not needed because we have DMA to do all that is needed,” he said adding that EFF is ready to check whether all monies used by NACOSEC were fairly spent on issues regarding COVID-19.