WITH 34-year-experience as a formidable Advocate of the Courts of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa, King’s Counsel Salemane Phafane KC has become a force to be reckoned with in legal circles.

He is the incumbent President of the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA).

He began his career in football administration as a member of the Disciplinary Committee of Bantu Football Club and later became the club’s Secretary General in 1987 until 1994 when he joined LeFA as the Secretary General.

He served in that position until 2002 when he was appointed LeFA Vice President for a year before he became President in 2005 to date.

In 1993, he was appointed as LeFA Legal Advisor, a position he is still holding today. He became a member of the Finance Committee of the COSAFA in 1996 until 2000. He was elected as COSAFA Vice President in 2008 and held the position for two terms. He was later appointed as the COSAFA Honorary Vice President, which is a permanent position.

Phafane served as a member of the CAF Women and Futsal Committee in 2008 until 2011 before he became a member of CAF Legal Affairs Committee from 2012 to date. In 2013, he was appointed as a member of the CAF Inter-club competitions committee and still serves in that position today.

He also served as the COSAFA Head of Legal Division in the 1990s and served in CAF Youth and Women Committee. He served in CAF Statutes and Legal Committee and is currently serving in the CAF Club Competitions Committee. 

At global level, he served in the FIFA Associations Committee from 2008 to 2012 and also served as a member of the FIFA U20 World Cup Organising Committee before he was unanimously elected to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in May. 

He has not only met excellence in football circles, but he has gone on to shine in both the legal fraternity and business.

KC Phafane has over the years handled high profile cases in various spheres of the law including, but not limited to criminal law cases, commercial criminal cases, constitutional cases, administrative cases and civil litigation.

In 2008, he was appreciated with a Conferment of the honour and dignity of King’s Counsel (KC) by His Majesty. King Counsel is known in some countries as a Senior Counsel (SC).

This is equivalent to SC in South Africa and Queen’s Counsel (QC) in England in recognition of his achievement and contribution in the practice and development of the law.

He was in 1987 admitted and enrolled to practice law as an advocate of the Court of Appeal, the High Court and all the courts of Lesotho.

He is the senior barrister at his own law firm, Phafane Chambers. His practice areas include Criminal and Real State Law.

In 1996, he was admitted and enrolled to practice law as an Advocate of the Courts of the Republic of South Africa.

He is a director in many businesses ranging from Real Estate-Property Development, services provision to retail outlets.

He has also served in several parastatal organisations and companies as a board member and legal advisor. He has extensive knowledge in business administration and company operations and directorship.