Brig Ntoi defends Kamoli

He told the court on Tuesday that the army’s raid on the police stations on August 29, 2014, was an operation to disarm the police that did not amount to treason,
Brig Ntoi said the army had informed the then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane about the operation.

He said Lt Gen Kamoli “had ordered us to ensure that there would be no bloodshed during the operation”.

Lt Gen Kamoli, he said, had intelligence that a ‘terrorist’ organisation aligned to Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) called Under the Tree was to be armed by the police with guns to kill people who were planning a protest against the parliament’s prorogation.

At the same time, the ABC had planned its own march in support of the prorogation, a situation that would have led to violent clashes in the streets.

Brig Ntoi said the situation was so frustrating that Lt Gen Kamoli even thought of “letting these politicians kill each other” but he was conscious of the repercussions.

He also said Lt Gen Kamoli wanted soldiers who were ministers’ bodyguards to be safe.

He told the court that Lt Gen Kamoli decided to disarm the police so that they could not give Under the Tree guns to commit crimes against political parties that were to march against parliament prorogation.

To do this effectively without any bloodshed, he said, Mochoboroane who was then Communications Minister was told to instruct engineers to cut off all radio stations so that the public could not know what was happening.

People who were not part of the operation were not supposed to know about it to minimise the risk of fatalities, he said.

He said this decision was reached after they had several meetings with Metsing and Mochoboroane.

He said on August 29, 2014, he was at Ha-Ratjomose Barracks when he received a call from Lt Gen Kamoli ordering him to immediately report to his office.

He said while at the commander’s office, his deputy Major General Khoantle Motšomotšo, asked him why he had dressed in plain clothes yet there was a general standby.

A general standby is a military term for readiness to take orders.

He said he then went home to change his uniform.

Brig Ntoi said at around 7pm when he went to military intelligence in Ha-Ratjomose.

“While still there Major Bulane Sechele and Colonel Thato Phaila arrived and the director of military intelligence informed us that we needed to go to the command block where we indeed went,” he said.

He said once there Lt Gen Kamoli ordered them to go and meet Prime Minister Thabane to inform him why the army had decided to stop the rally from happening.

“He ordered us to explain to the prime minister that this issue had bothered him for so long that he had even thought of leaving the politicians to kill each other,” he said.

“However, he said he made a vow to protect the soldiers who would be protecting the ministers in that rally.”

Brig Ntoi said Lt Gen Kamoli then told them that they should inform the prime minister that “he found it wise to go and disarm those police” who were to give Under the Tree guns.

He said Lt Gen Kamoli said they should inform the prime minister “not be surprised because on the same night, the Lesotho Defence Force would be in an operation to disarm the police”.

“We then went to the State House using the back gate, not the normal gate, to meet Metsing, Mochoboroane and Tšeliso Mokhosi,” he said, adding that “they were so scared because we were serious and it showed in our faces”.

He said one of them, although he could not recall who among them, requested Mochoboroane that for the operation to have an element of secrecy to avoid public interference, he should order the engineers to cut off the communication towers so that all radio stations could not be active.

“We went back to the command block to give back our report that we managed to meet the ministers.”

’Malimpho Majoro