ABC stalwarts lined up for cabinet posts
TEBOHO KHATEBE MOLEFI
MASERU – All Basotho Convention (ABC) legislators Lekhetho Mosito and Selemo Desmond Mangobe have been named to fill up the two cabinet posts left by Wednesday’s firing of Keketso Rantšo and Prince Maliehe, Public Eye has heard from reliable sources in government.
Mosito is Member of Parliament for the Likhetlane constituency, in Leribe, and the National Assembly’s chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Law and Public Safety in the 10th Parliament of Lesotho.
While Mangobe represents the Taung constituency in Mohale’s hoek, where he polled 1 978 votes, 34.4 percent of all votes cast; defeating Rantšo who bagged a dismal 259 votes – translating into 4.5 percent of all votes cast in the constituency.
Apart from these new deployments, movement could be seen in the ministries of health, forestry, communications and public service where incumbents are expected to be reshuffled, according to sources.
Rantšo and Maliehe, ministers of labour and defence respectively, were relieved of their duties with immediate effect by Prime Minister Dr Moeketsi Majoro according to reports on Wednesday.
In letters circulating in social media platforms, Majoro says he has advised King Letsie III, as appointing authority, to release the ministers from their offices as minister of the government of Lesotho pursuant to Section 87 (7) (d) of the country’s constitution. He thanked the duo for the service rendered as ministers of the government.
Asked to confirm these developments this evening, the prime Minister’s press attaché, Buta Moseme, told Public Eye that “my office isn’t aware of it, but I will find out the truth behind it.”
Rantšo was appointed minister on June 23, 2017, following the 2017 snap elections. She is also a Member of Parliament representing the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) political party, of which she is the leader – the RCL is part of the current coalition government.
Maliehe was sworn in as defence minister in May, 2020, as part of Prime Minister Majoro’s new cabinet after being elected former Prime Minister Motsoahae Thabane replacement after Thabane was forced out of government. Maliehe had been a Thabane loyalist who quit the camp amid allegations that the former premier had conspired to murder his wife – and faced prosecution.
He was public works minister in Thabane’s government, joining the new team together with three other ministers from the collapsed cabinet. He is an All Basotho Convention stalwart that is senior partner in the current coalition.
