DC constituency wants Litjobo reinstated

Staff Reporter

MAZENOD

THE Democratic Congress (DC)’s Koro-koro constituency leadership says it wants youth league president Thuso Litjobo reinstated as aide to Police Minister Monyane Moleleki.

The constituency says contrary to stories that he was transferred Litjobo was fired by Moleleki on instructions from party leader Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.

Last week thepost reported that Litjobo had been transferred from Moleleki’s office as part of a compromise between Mosisili and Moleleki to douse the raging factional fights threatening to tear the party apart.

But at a press conference on Tuesday the Koro-koro constituency said Litjobo was actually fired. It said Mosisili pushed Moleleki to fire Litjobo because he wanted to appease the faction  allegedly led by women’s league leader and Local Government Minister Pontšo Sekatle. If Litjobo is not reinstated then Sekatle should be fired, they said.

They said if Litjobo is not reinstated to Moleleki’s office “we are ready to lobby other constituencies to launch a protest against this decision”.

Constituency chairman Jerry Khoatsana accused Mosisili of instructing Moleleki to fire Litjobo last week.

Khoatsana’s deputy, Ntarapane Marame, said “it is very unfair that this member of our constituency is expelled from his job because of exposing those who speak ill of the leadership of this party”.

His gripe was that Sekatle allegedly told a rally in Mohale’s Hoek that Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing would succeed Mosisili as Prime Minister and not Moleleki who is the DC deputy leader.

He said Litjobo was fired because he showed that Sekatle told the rally that they should be ready to wear Metsing’s Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party regalia and that they may burn the DC one.

The LCD is the second biggest partner in the seven-party coalition government after Mosisili’s DC party.

A constituency committee member, Nkuebe Marole, was more direct in his attack: “Ntate Litjobo has been fired because he exposed ’Mé Pontšo Sekatle who spoke ill of the party and some members at a rally in Mohale’s Hoek.”

Litjobo is on record saying Sekatle told the rally that DC members who were listening to her speech should be ready to burn the DC party regalia and wear the LCD’s.

The constituency said all those who spoke ill of other party members and against the party should also be fired if Litjobo is not reinstated.

Khoatsana scoffed at the insinuation that Litjobo was transferred from Moleleki’s ministry to be an aide to Small Businesses Minister Thabiso Litšiba as part of the plan to deal with internal squabbles.

Litjobo himself complained to thepost after last week’s publication that said he had been transferred, saying “there is a difference between a dismissal and a transfer”.

Litjobo said Moleleki dismissed him and Litšiba offered him a job when he heard that he had been fired.

So, his Koro-koro constituency is adamant that it was at the instruction of Mosisili that Moleleki fired Litjobo “because our leader has been ill-advised by the opposing youth from the other faction”.

“It is common knowledge that there are two camps in the DC and this other camp that does not want Ntate Litjobo has ill-advised the party leader,” Marole said.

Marame said their only concern was that there was no evidence that Litjobo underperformed in his job but “our leader caused him to be expelled”.

“We dispute his expulsion especially because we know that his relationship with Ntate Moleleki was smooth,” Marame said.

Marole said he could not understand why the Prime Minister could involve himself “in the hiring and expulsion of mere drivers like Ntate Litjobo”.

The office of the Prime Minister has refuted the allegations as unfounded.

Mosisili’s spokesman, Motumi Ralejoe, said he was not aware of the Koro-koro constituency press conference but “this has nothing to do with the Prime Minister”.

Moleleki promised to comment today.

Several attempts to talk to Sekatle throughout yesterday were not successful.