THE Basotho National Party (BNP) stalwart, Advocate Bereng Makotoko, who has been at loggerheads with party leader ever since his election in June 2021, has been suspended. The suspension came just days after Makotoko responded to a show cause letter written by leader Machesetsa Mofomobe accusing him of acting outside the mandate of the party by writing a letter of apology to the king.
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The letter was written on Monday.
“I am going to court to stop them,” Advocate Makotoko told thepost.
Advocate Makotoko and nine others invited trouble for themselves after they wrote to King Letsie III in May saying they were apologising on behalf of the BNP for Mofomobe’s misconduct.
They told the King that Mofomobe was “uttering shameless words that cannot be repeated anywhere because of the way they are embarrassing”.
It is that letter that the BNP now wants them charged for tarnishing the image of the leader.
The conflict is a continuation of the infighting that has been rocking the party since its national executive committee elections held in Mazenod late last year.
Makotoko, who was a principal secretary when former party leader Thesele ’Maseribane was a minister in a coalition government with the All Basotho Convention (ABC), has always been at loggerheads with the party’s new leadership.
He wrote the letter of apology to the King together with other dissenters ’Malitšitso Monaheng, Nthabeleng Moorosi, ’Mabasia Lehloka, Rethabile Takalimane, Sankatana Matsie, Relebohile Thaele, ’Malineo Motšepe, ’Mamontši Nkesi, and Palesa Mohapeloa.
Their second letter was written to Prime Minister Sam Matekane with the same message of apology.
Makotoko told thepost that Mofomobe “is motivated by hate and lack of knowledge on how to run the BNP”.
“Among 10 people who signed that letter, why am I the only one who received a show cause letter?” he said.
He said their letter was “not apologising on behalf of the party, but on behalf of us as embarrassed individual party members”.
He said Mofomobe should not have written him because “that is the duty of the secretary general, not the leader”.
He said by writing to him directly, Mofomobe will no longer preside on his case as he is now conflicted.
“He is now a complainant. How will he preside over this issue without taking sides?”
“It is not true that we are unfairly tarnishing the leader’s image by apologising for his embarrassing behaviour. He insulted some honourables and people heard him. They can testify to that effect.”
Mofomobe told thepost that “the letters were written by attention-seekers”.
“They do not even hold any party positions,” Mofomobe said.
He argued that the people who wrote the letters “were just fighting their political battles using the King”.
“No one has ever heard me insulting the King, I never did that anywhere,” he said.
He said he respects the King more than anyone.
“I can confront some politically affiliated principal chiefs if need be but I can’t say anything disrespectful against the King,” he said.
After the letters were sent to the King andthe prime minister, Mofomobe told a party rally that the letter “was full of unfounded and untruthful allegations”.
He said he was aware of the moves to destabilise the party.
“They insult me every day, they insult me with my mother. I do not know their problem.”
Nkheli Liphoto
