2014 Lesotho political crisis
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On 30 August 2014,
Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
's Prime Minister
Tom Thabane Thomas Motsoahae Thabane (born 28 May 1939) is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth prime minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022. Thabane s ...
alleged that a coup d'état had been launched against him. This followed a previous allegation which caused him to suspend parliament over possible extra-constitutional manoeuvres. It also followed pressure from
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to maintain the democratic process. The next day, Deputy Prime Minister
Mothetjoa Metsing Mothetjoa Metsing (born 2 February 1967) is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Lesotho. He is a member and current leader of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). He served in the government of Prime Minister Tom Thabane between 2012 and 2015 ...
assumed responsibility for running the government. An early election was held in February 2015 as a result of South African-led
Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...
(SADC) mediation, giving power to the opposition.


Background

Following the general election of 2012, the
All Basotho Convention The All Basotho Convention (ABC; ) is a political party in Lesotho. The party was formed in October 2006 and founded by Tom Thabane, a former minister in the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) led by the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha ...
's
Tom Thabane Thomas Motsoahae Thabane (born 28 May 1939) is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth prime minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022. Thabane s ...
was elected as
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
as head of a three party coalition after ousting long serving Prime Minister
Pakalitha Mosisili Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili (born 14 March 1945) is a former Mosotho politician who was the fourth prime minister of Lesotho from May 1998 to June 2012 and again from March 2015 to June 2017.vote of confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
; this was sanctioned by King
Letsie III Letsie III (born Seeiso Bereng; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king ag ...
. In reaction, the South African government issued a statement that read it "notes with concern the unfolding political and security situation in the Kingdom of Lesotho which has resulted in the prorogation of the country's parliament. The South African government has further noted with grave concern the unusual movements of the
Lesotho Defence Force The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesoth ...
Units in the capital, Maseru. South Africa will not tolerate any unconstitutional change of government in the region and continent." Deputy Prime Minister
Mothetjoa Metsing Mothetjoa Metsing (born 2 February 1967) is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Lesotho. He is a member and current leader of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). He served in the government of Prime Minister Tom Thabane between 2012 and 2015 ...
also suggested he would form a new government upon Thabane's removal. Meanwhile, in addition to South Africa, the
Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...
also warned the political rivals of unconstitutional changes of government which would not be tolerated.


Coup d'état

On 30 August, at about 3:00 gunshots were heard in
Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...
. Though the city was calm later in the day, people were said to be staying at home. Though there were no reports of deaths, the '' Lesotho Times'' termed it a "bloodless coup attempt." The army was said to have acted after Thabane tried to remove its chief, Lieutenant General
Kennedy Tlali Kamoli Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with ...
, but the army said he was still in charge and that the military "supports the democratically elected government of the day." Army spokesman Major Ntlele Ntoi denied staging a coup saying: "There is nothing like that, the situation has returned to normalcy...the military has returned to their barracks." This followed a military presence on the streets of the capital and radio stations, including private ones and Radio Lesotho, being taken off air and phone lines cut, but they were working later in the day. Sports Minister Thesele Maseribane said that soldiers had surrounded State House, including government and police headquarters. He added that an unnamed military commander was looking for him, Thabane and Mothetjoa Metsing to take to the king and that "in our country, that means a coup" yet he insisted Thabane's government was still in control of the country. A reinforced military contingent was reportedly guarding Thabane's official residence and that soldiers were patrolling the streets of Maseru. The military had also disarmed police. Thabane said he fled to South Africa amid fear for his life and that he would return "as soon as I know I am not going to get killed." He added that the alleged coup had rendered the government "dysfunctional" and that "I have been removed from control not by the people but by the armed forces, and that is illegal." He left with his family after getting reports he was targeted for assassination. He later said the action resulted from "total indiscipline" in the army with soldiers "running around the streets, threatening people" and "quite openly stating that they want my neck." He further accused an unnamed military commander of leading the unrest and that it was a reaction to his government's attempt to stem corruption; while he also called for SADC to help restore order. Conversely, officials who denied the coup plot said that they had moved against police elements suspected of trying to arm a political faction and that soldiers had returned to their barracks. One policeman was killed in the incident.


Aftermath

The next day, Metsing assumed responsibility for running the government. Following calls by Thabane for South African peacekeepers, by 3 September, South African police had escorted Thabane back to Maseru, according to Assistant Police Commissioner Lehloka Maphatsoe. Police Commissioner Khothatso Tsooana said that the South African police were present for extra security and that he had ordered the Lesotho police to return to work after being told to stop work and not wear uniforms to prevent attacks on police. Metsing also said the leader of the third party in the coalition also returned to Lesotho. The SADC added that it was sending an envoy and an observer team to help restore stability and security; while Lesotho's leaders agreed on a roadmap with a "clear timeline" towards removing the parliamentary suspension and agreed to release a joint statement "appealing for calm and exercise restraint with a view to rapidly bring law and order back in the kingdom." A 12 September deadline to reach a consensus was passed without agreement. South Africa Deputy President
Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
then took responsibility from Jacob Zuma's mediation efforts to get an agreement amongst the governing coalition. Chief among the discussion was the re-calling of the legislature. As a result of the failure, South Africa called for an emergency meeting of the SADC. One of those who fled the country, Thesele Maseribane, then asked: "How can you open your own parliament when you still have foreign troops here, protecting you? Everyone’s interested in parliament, but what about what recently happened here? This is not a movie. This is reality. This was an attempted coup." Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing's Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) was blamed, along with General Kamoli, for the putsch. Kamoli raided government armouries in preparation for a possible showdown, while his allies warned of a "bloodbath" if he is forcibly removed. The SADC has also rebuffed calls by some domestic leaders for a military intervention, instead opting for a political resolution. On 30 September, under the SADC mandate to help creating dialogue, Ramaphosa arrived in the country. In ongoing developments at the time, Senate Chief Whip Khoabane Theko said that the prime minister's office had too much constitutional power and there was no provision for coalition dispute resolution, yet he also rejected calls to empower the king in order to help resolve political disagreements. "In our constitution, there is nowhere, where the prime minister is obliged maybe to consult when he does anything with his partner in the coalition. So we still have that problem on the ground. etI don’t want to put the monarchy in danger. I don’t want my king to be beheaded like Charles I in England in the old times." He further noted: "It is very unsettling because nobody is sure what is going to happen. There was an attempted coup... ndthat has made the people very unsettled on our political spectrum. There is so much uncertainty and of course business is not doing well because...Every time it’s 6 "O’clock in the evening everybody wants to get to his household to make sure that he does not meet a bullet or something like that." He suggested that the tensions could be reduced if the root cause involving Kamoli, who refused to step down when Thabane replaced him with Lieutenant General
Maaparankoe Mahao Maaparankoe Mahao (27 January 1968 in Thaba-Tseka – 25 June 2015 near Mokema, Maseru District) was a Mosotho lieutenant general. His appointment as commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in 2014 and the resultant refusal of his predecesso ...
as head of Lesotho Defense Force, leads to "Kamoli himself really relinquishes power and maybe make way for...Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao." It could, however, also worsen if the other side gets its way. "There are a lot of people who are in a hurry so that they can call for a motion of no confidence against the incumbent prime minister, which I think is a very quick fix consolation that cannot help Basotho at all." Thabane and unnamed allies were then receiving round-the-clock protection from Namibian and South African police in the country. In a resolution to the conflict, the Maseru Facilitation Declaration was signed. The scheduled
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
was brought forward by two years and would occur in February 2015. The announcement was made by Ramaphosa, who added that the exact date would be determined by King Letsie III. Thabane said that the time had come to "go back to the electorate and get a fresh mandate. I still have it in me to go to the hustings and campaign." Russia also welcomed the deal. On 17 October, parliament reconvened in a bid to avert the political crisis with Thabane's advisor Tumisang Mosotho saying: "It’s a milestone. We want to hope this is the first step in the right direction, in liberating our country from the danger that has surrounded us these past few months." Senate Chief Whip Khoabane Theko said: "This is what we can call maybe the beginning of the process that takes us to the elections, because we are going to have a budget and maybe deliberate other laws … ahead of our elections from here on." Parliament was officially re-convened in October by Letsie III and was celebrated by opposition MPs.


Investigation

Lesotho police opened an investigation into two of its employees over treason and murder for being allegedly complicit in working with the military. Deputy Police Commissioner Masupha Masupha said that "even I've been implicated. But investigating and charging are different things. If I find something, I won't shy away from confronting anyone with their unlawful acts." Lehloka Maphatsoe – an assistant police commissioner who leads the Interpol national central bureau – said that the two police officers under investigation were having their cellphones sent to South Africa where Bloemfontein police were checking for "suspicious communications" and if there were attempts to delete the evidence. Masupha hosted a meeting of all officers to hear grievances. Some said they do not trust management and made accusations of complicity because "some of you have been involved in this mess." He look to assure the officers and they could approach him anonymously with information.


Reactions

Domestic Minister Thesele Maseribane, a possible target in the putsch, said he was not surprised by the accusation and that he suspected Kamoli and Metsing to have attempted the coup in order to halt corruption investigations against them. Police officers present on 30 August reported that soldiers demanded to see police files on the two of them. Maseribane added that "If you plan a coup, it must succeed. Because once it fails, people start talking. Many are now nervous, as others put the puzzle together and point fingers." International South Africa's International Relations Department's spokesperson Clayson Monyela said: "The department will either convene a media briefing or issue a statement later today regarding the situation in Lesotho." He also added that though no one claimed, the action had the markings of a putsch. Following the return of Thabane, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa welcomed the calmness in the country with Bishop Zipho Siwa saying prayers were offered for a "blood-less" resolution. "May the parties unite through peaceful dialogue and work towards a solution that will re-establish harmony, the rule of law and good governance in the country." He called for the people of Lesotho to support Thabane other officials' quest for a solution. He further lauded South African President
Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
for co-ordinating the dialogue that resulted in dispatching a SADC observer team to Lesotho.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2014 Lesotho political crisis Lesotho political crisis, 2014
Political crisis Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
Lesotho political crisis