MASERU – THE Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD)’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has summoned four senior officials to a disciplinary hearing for allegedly bringing the party’s name into disrepute.
The four are said to be aligned to embattled secretary general, Teboho Sekata, who is locked in a leadership tussle with party leader Mothetjoa Metsing.
The decision to summon the four to a hearing marks an escalation in the fight for the control of the LCD. This could be Metsing’s way of fighting back against critics who have been angling for his ouster.
The Sekata faction blames Metsing for the party’s disastrous performance in last October’s general election where the party did not win a single contested seat. It only won three Proportional Representation seats.
The LCD’s NEC on Tuesday issued a circular stating its intention to haul the four to a disciplinary hearing.
The members are ’Maleshoboro Moshoeshoe from Mashai constituency, Motlatsi Makenete from the Stadium Area, Jase Makafane from Machache, and Molefe Mpole from Maliba-Matšo.
The decision to take the four to a disciplinary hearing has enraged party supporters who are aligned to Sekata who see this as unnecessary victimisation.
The circular said the four were being hauled to a disciplinary hearing for tarnishing the image of the party.
The disciplinary committee is made up of Dr Clifford Molefe, the party’s candidate who stood and lost in the Likotsi constituency on October 7, Mokete Moshanyana from Mokhethoaneng, and Lineo Tlali from Sempe.
Molefe and Moshanyana are former police officers.
According to an inside source, the disciplinary hearing is likely to be held in two weeks’ time.
The source told thepost that the party is tired with “the antics” of the four as they have been destabilising the party after the election.
“The party’s secretary-general will never win this war he is waging against the party,” the source said.
He added that the four will likely lose their membership if they are found guilty.
“They are disrespectful. They should rather leave our party alone,” he said.
The fight between Metsing and Sekata escalated after the general election as the party prepares for an elective conference scheduled for March 30.
The squabbles led to the party’s administrative secretary being expelled unceremoniously from office by a faction led by Metsing last month.
This led to the Sekata faction taking to the media insulting their leadership and blaming it for the 2022 general election loss.
Leading the shouting match on social media was Makafane Jase, an LCD stalwart commonly known as Jase oa Machache.
Jase has been particularly critical of the party’s deputy leader, Tšeliso Mokhosi, who he has said is too old and out of touch with reality.
Nkheli Liphoto