THE High Court has ordered the government to pay a M10.5 million debt to a fleet management company. The order granted by Justice ’Maseforo Mahase last week instructs the government to pay Fleet Services Lesotho, part-owned by Tehobo Tlokotsi, within 30 days. Fleet Services Lesotho had been fighting for payments from the government for several months.
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The company, which manages the government’s fleet, claimed that its operations have ground to a halt due to delayed payments, some of which have been outstanding for several months.
Justice Mahase also ordered that Fleet Services Lesotho should continue occupying the Plant and Vehicle Pool Services (PVPS) building at the Maseru West Industrial Area. The premises are owned by the government.
The judge ordered that the government should pay a further M410 802 for improvements and refurbishments that were done at the building.
Fleet Services Lesotho was allowed to hold on to 61 vehicles that the government wanted to take from it when their relationship soured.
Justice Mahase also ordered that Fleet Services Lesotho is not bound by a contract to go to their agreed arbitrator to solve their disputes, in light of their degenerated relationship.
Fleet Services Lesotho had sued Finance Ministry principal secretary Nthoateng Lebona, Accountant General ’Malehlohonolo Mahase, and the government for refusing to pay its invoices.
Fleet Services Lesotho has been providing the government with vehicle hiring and services since 2018.
Fleet Services Lesotho and its partner Silverstone Fleet Solutions, with which they have jointly sued the government, won a M100 million tender to manage both the government fleet and leased fleet, to be procured from Basotho.
The winner was to implement government policy on the procurement of transport services from Basotho.
The second objective was to assist the government in implementing a policy of setting up support services like dealerships, supply of spare parts and panel beating to empower locals.
The relationship between Fleet Services Lesotho and the government however went south, leading to the government refusing to pay the company and seeking to take a fleet of 61 vehicles from it as well as kicking it out of the PVPS building.
Tlokotsi tried asking for intervention from parliament in November last year when he was invited to be interviewed in-camera.
He however was arrested and detained by the army on the same day, and he alleged that he was tortured, for accusing Lebona of refusing to pay him.
Tlokotsi has since sued the army for M2.5 million.
Tlokotsi told thepost later that in the committee, he was asked questions on why the company closed its operations but never paid its employees.
This was after the company’s former employees petitioned the Economic Cluster Committee complaining of not being paid since they cut ties with the company.
“I told the committee that the office that is holding the funds is the Finance Department,” Tlokotsi said.
“The committee instructed me to go back and negotiate with the ministry to facilitate the payments,” he said.
He said the Finance Ministry owes the company over M45 million for services rendered.
“We need that money to settle our debts and pay those former workers their benefits,” he said.
He complained that they have had conflicts as shareholders in the company because of the unpaid debts.
“But, instead of being neutral, the PS is now interfering and taking sides,” he said.
Tlokotsi owns 35 percent of the company while South Africa’s Fleet Africa holds 65 percent.
Majara Molupe