TANKISO Phapano, the Energy Ministry Principal Secretary who has been at loggerheads with his boss both at government and party level, will be dragged before a disciplinary committee this Saturday. The Basotho Action Party (BAP) secretary general, Lepolesa Makutoane, wrote Phapano on Tuesday inviting him to the hearing that will be held at the party’s headquarters in Matsoatlareng, Maseru West.
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Makutoane told Phapano in an earlier letter informing him of his charges that if he does not go there in person, the case would continue in his absence.
“You can bring your witnesses, if any,” the letter reads.
“You are free to choose any member of the party in good standing to be your representative or to defend you,” it reads.
Phapano is facing four charges.
The first one is that he is sowing confusion, conflicts and distrust between the BAP and its ally, the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) “by peddling untruthful and baseless allegations to the leadership of the RFP saying the BAP leader and Energy Minister has surrendered the ministry’s administration to Mohato Seleke and Thato Ponya, both of whom are not the ministry’s employees”.
“You deliberately and intentionally shattered the trust between the BAP and the RFP as parties in the coalition government by peddling untruths that the BAP leader and Energy Minister selected ’Makabelo Matsoso, whom you described as having love affairs with Mohato Seleke, to be the Managing Director of the LEC,” the letter reads.
“Your action was solely meant to ruin relations and partnership between the BAP and RFP and to smash the status of the BAP as part of the government.”
Phapano has also been charged with taking part in rallies that the BAP leadership did not sanction in Hlotse and Mosalemane constituencies on May 12 and 19 this year.
The two rallies, the charges say, “were used as a platform to further fuel divisions in the BAP”.
The rallies were also held without having been directed by a circular for such meetings.
Relations between BAP leader, Professor Nqosa Mahao, and Phapano soured in March this year after the party’s executive committee resolved to ask Prime Minister Sam Matekane to remove the latter from the ministry.
In his letter to Matekane, Makutoane said the party’s central executive committee had resolved to remove Phapano as the PS for the Ministry of Energy.
“The resolution comes as one of the most efficacious remedies the committee considered to bring a peaceful solution to the longstanding challenges that concerns (sic) the Minister (Professor Mahao) and the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Energy,” Makutoane said.
“I trust that you shall heed the advice of the Committee and grant the request of Basotho Action Party (sic).”
Matekane did not remove Phapano.
Staff Reporter
