Zimpapers Logo

Johannesburg — Lesotho’s leaders have agreed that the country is in need of constitutional and security sector reforms as proposed by the Southern African Development Community, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has said. “In his inauguration speech, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili asserted the Lesotho government’s commitment to pursuing such reforms,” Ramaphosa said in a Parliamentary response to questions about the kingdom.

“The former Prime Minister, Dr Tom Thabane, has also supported the proposal for constitutional and security reforms.”

Ramaphosa is the Sadc facilitator in Lesotho. He visited Lesotho at the end of July to brief the country’s leaders on the establishment of a Sadc-led Commission of Inquiry into the recent developments in the country, including the killing of former army general Maaparankoe Mahao.

During a Double Troika Summit of Heads of State held in Pretoria last month, it was decided that an independent commission needed to be held into the circumstances surrounding the death of the former Lesotho army commander.

According to reports, soldiers with AK-47 assault rifles stopped Mahao’s car while he was driving with two nephews, shot him, and dragged his bleeding body across the road before driving off with him on June 25.

The commission would be chaired by Botswana Judge Mpaphi Phumaphi and was expected to look into other related factors that may have contributed to incidents of instability in Lesotho.

Ramaphosa said the proposed reforms were also supported by the churches, traditional leaders, business as well as NGOs.

However, there was a call for the commission to be “fine-tuned”, he said.

“There have been proposals from government and opposition parties that the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry be fine-tuned.

“This will be considered by the Sadc Double Troika Summit scheduled for August 16,” he said. — AFP