Amid threats, councillors soldier on
’MATHATO SEBOKA
MASERU – A group of ward councillors says they have received threats when they want to express their grievances to government over their paltry salaries. This they said happened ahead of their press conference last Friday. The councillors allege that ahead of their press conference where they aimed to air their plight, they were threatened that if they went ahead with the presser they could be booted out of employment.
Motebang Matona, disgruntled councillors’ coordinator said they were threatened at the district meetings ahead of the presser they were organising. “The Chief of Ha Motemekoane, who is the deputy chairperson, who is also part of the district council said that councillors present in the meeting should withdraw from the press conference they were intending to make or it could cause them to lose their jobs or attract bitter consequences,” Matona said.
That was a direct threat for them to, Matona noted saying the nonetheless went ahead with the plan to voice their concerns publicly. “Those words came as a threat to us but because we know that a job is not an inheritance. But we went on with our press conference. We felt that we are fighting for what is right.”
The councillors further said government does not take them any serious.
“They (government) take us as nobodies and won’t listen to our grievances,” he said.
The disgruntled councillors also complain that they are being by passed by parliamentarians in the constituencies when they have to perform their duties.
“We want our power back. All the responsibilities that a councillor has to perform in his community should be like that.
“Some Members of Parliament have taken councillors’ responsibilities and obligations that they perform in their communities. It is not right,” Matona charged.
In a bizarre twist, Matona said they had secured the use of a St Joseph High School hall which they had hired and paid for to host their conference but on the morning of the press conference, they received a call saying the hall would not be availed to them after the school principal was also threatened over the permission.
“On the morning of the conference our treasure, received a call from the school’s principal. She (principal) said that she cannot let us use the hall anymore because her conscience does not allow her anymore.
She alleged that she received a call from someone in government asking her if she wanted to see the school’s hall burnt down by allowing politicians to hire and use the school hall,” Matona bared.
Matona said the principal then told them to collect their money and look for a different venue since she could not allow such a conference to continue after such a call.
The councillors found a new venue later in the day.
Another councillor, ‘Maletlotlo Koetle, said that they need councils to be independent so that it can be easier for them to work.
“We want councillors to be independent so that we are able to distribute the funds that the government provides to us” Koetle said.
“We plead that we be given the lunch allowance in hand every time we have a meeting because some of the councillors have not received it at all this year,” Koetle said.
The councillors said they called the media to highlight some of the challenges they face in their general day to day work. Mahlomola Phalatsi, one of the councillors, said that they do not have offices or tools to make their work easier.
“Councillors do not have offices, they work from their homes, community members come to our homes because that is where we work from and it does not make our work very efficient,” Phalatsi complained.
Phalatsi said that he believes that the councillors are belittled in this country.
“We are treated as nobodies because even the allowances that we are given are not sufficient to fulfil the duties that we are entrusted with. So, if the government cannot use us, they should terminate councillors’ employment by law,” he fumed.
Phalatsi said that there is not even one politician who approached them regarding their struggle in order to assist them but if the country was heading to the elections, they would be approached by politicians and try to assist them.
“We are asking for support from related offices; we are going to do the march to the prime minister’s office to hand over a petition signed by all Lesotho’s councillors,” Phalatsi explained.
They councillors, who have since notified government that their pay should be adjusted to M20 000 per month, alleged that what their take home is too low compared to the duties they perform.
They have already penned a letter to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Principal Secretary, ‘Mamphaka Mabesa, tabulating their grievances and envisaged salary review.
When they received no reply form Mabesa, the councillors followed the letter up with another directed to the Minister of Local Government Lebona Lephema.
The authorities at the ministry similarly ignored the second letter. The ministry’s Public Relation Officer, Lucy Borotho, could only confirm Minister Lephema had received the letter addressed to him but indicated he was yet to peruse its contents.
