The ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC)’s newly elect deputy leader, Professor Nqosa Leuta Mahao, has revealed for the first time that his late brother Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao’s assassination on 25 June 2015, has become an impediment to his political ambitions. Mahao told a party rally at Lithabaneng last Sunday that some of his comrades in the ABC party are not feeling comfortable to work with him and had tried to stop him from contesting fearing he would seek to avenge his younger brother’s murder. The law professor said, instead, as long as courts of law are dealing with his brother murder case, he has no problem with anyone therefore he encouraged some of his comrades to freely endorse the new NEC since he believes the law will take its course and he would not take matters into his own hands.

Mahao is a member of the newly elected ABC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) which remains locked out of office pending an application in the High Court challenging election results and calling for fresh elections. The new NEC was interdicted from performing any ABC party administrative work before their case in the High Court of Lesotho has been finalised. Mahao said he was advised to avoid taking part in or delivering a speech at the Lithabaneng constituency rally for “security reasons”.  But he noted that he didn’t understand why he should be denied the right to exercise his freedom of speech in a democratic dispensation, further pointing out that he had made a significant contribution in the formation of Lesotho’s Constitutional Law which gives him the right to freedom of speech.

Although contesting ABC members had competed at the recent elective conference, at the end of the day they had to unite and become one under the leadership of Dr Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, Mohao said. “ABC is a big political party which has been given a huge responsibility by Basotho to lead government in partnership with its 4X4 coalition partners hence why it should deepen the rules of democracy. In addition to that, ABC should be exemplary of how to handle its internal issues and in particular, it has to be a political party that respects the democratic choice of electors,” Mahao told party faithfuls. Mahao also spoke on a viral audio clip implicating President of Court of Appeal Professor Kananelo Mosito who is accused of overlooking ABC’s clause 5e which states that anyone who drags the party to court would have automatically dismissed her/himself from the party. Turning to this audio clip, Mahao, who is a constitutional law expert, advised his comrades to refrain from mixing appeal court rulings with party conflicts.

The Court of Appeal declared clause 5e unconstitutional and that it should therefore be declared null and void.  “The law is not an ass, if the Court of Appeal interprets our party constitution, we should respect the court’s decision . . . ,” Mohao said, further advising his comrades that mature leadership demands that they tell Basotho the truth, and not feed them with misleading information. The deputy ABC leader indicated that both the party and its leader Dr Thabane are brands which should be respected, and he also urged all members of ABC to stop insulting Thabane. Lebohang Hlaele, Secretary General for the new ABC NEC, said ABC is a party that unites all Basotho from different parties and the issue of one being a long serving party member does not mean anything as long as an individual has satisfied all the requirements.