FORMER Minister of Public Works and Transport, Tšele Chakela was given a state funeral in Maseru on Friday.
news
Oct. 3, 2020
STAFF REPORTER
3 min read
Former minister Chakela laid to rest
His Majesty King Letsie III
Mr Chakela, 69, died on September 25 following a long battle with low sugar levels.
He was also still convalescing from injuries he sustained after being run over by a hit a run motorist while jogging in January.
The former minister was described by speaker after speaker at his funeral service as a man who was dedicated to serving his country with utmost loyalty.
His Majesty King Letsie III urged Basotho to thank God for giving them a man of Mr Chakela’s calibre and disposition.
Prior to joining politics and after his political days ended, the late minister was an engineer of note who enjoyed great success in his career both locally and internationally.
“Ntate Chakela was amongst a few who understood the importance of unity and collaboration in order to bring change and developments for Basotho.
“He should be an example which a lot of ministers should look up to in orders to offer proper and quality service that will benefit Lesotho in a positive way,” the King also said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Prime Minister Dr Moeketsi Majoro applauded Mr Chakela for all the visible projects he was involved in during his lifetime.
Some of the projects included the Mpilo Boulevette road, the Maseru -Mafeteng road, the Roma-Semonkong road, the Sebapala road, the Qhoali road along with the Hloahloeng, Senqu and Senqunyane bridges.
Dr Majoro said the late minister’s life should be celebrated as he used his knowledge and skills to contribute massively towards the development of Lesotho’s infrastructure.
“He was a man of integrity who dedicated his time and was fully committed to his job as a minister,” he also said.
Mr Chakela was born in Ha Nyenye, Hloeheng in the Leribe district on May 25, 1951.
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He graduated as a civil engineer in 1982 at the University of Manitoba in Canada after completing his BSc in Applied Maths/Physics at the same university in 1977.
After completing his studies, he worked in Canada at the UMA Engineering (Ltd) as a Project Engineer from 1986 to 1990.
Between 1990 and 1997 he worked for another Canadian engineering company, Poetker Maclaren Engineering (Ltd) as a Project Manager.
He returned to Lesotho in 1997 and worked in worked in different capacities.
Among others, he worked for the Maputsoe Developers (Pty) Ltd as a Project Director.
Between 2000 and 2007, he worked as a City Engineer for the Maseru City Council (MCC).
He joined politics later in 2007 and was appointed as the Minister of Public Works and Transport, a position he held until 2011 when he retired from politics to run a private engineering firm, the Chakela Consulting.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters and a niece.
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