LAA boss booted out

MASERU – THE Land Administration Authority (LAA)’s embattled boss, ’Mataeli Sekhantšo, was last week finally booted out after a long battle to hold on to office.

However, Sekhantšo is not giving up without a fight.

There is still a pending case in the High Court where she is challenging the government’s decision to fire her.

The LAA’s board of directors, chaired by the principal secretary for the Ministry of Local Government, Pokello Mahlomola, has appointed spokesman Tankiso Sephoso as the acting chief executive committee.

Sekhantšo however told thepost yesterday that she was going nowhere.

She insisted that the LAA board which had been appointed by the previous government had extended her contract by a further three years.

She said Mahlomola does not know what he is talking about.

“Where was he last year when my contract was extended for three years?” Sekhantšo said.

“I initially had a three-year contract and when it ended it was extended for a further three-year term,” she said.

“I will not talk much about this issue because it is sub judice lest I influence the decision of the court.”

Mahlomola was however adamant insisting that Sekhantšo’s contract of five years had ended.

He said Sekhantšo was “not suspended as it was stated but her contract had come to an end”.

“It was a three-year contract then after that stipulated time she asked for an extension, this is where the board made a decision to add two more years to make it a full five years,” Mahlomola said.

“Sekhantšo’s contract was terminated in August last year so she decided not to leave the office,” he said.

“She continued to work as the CEO of LAA even though she had no right (to do so).”

He said she legally did not have to be in that office but he does not know what her mission was as she continued to work there as the CEO despite the expiry of her contract.

He added that Sekhantšo had requested that her contract be renewed claiming that her work was satisfactory and that the board was happy with her work, failing to understand that the Local

Government Minister did not approve contract extensions.

“This is when Sekhantšo went to court because her request was not approved,” Mahlomola said.

“From that moment she worked unlawfully in the office because she was not getting paid,” he said.

He said Sephoso was appointed as the acting CEO by the board after its meeting “to address the issue that related to the office of the Director General and Chief Executive Officer”.

He said Minister Lebona Lephema approved the board’s recommendation that Sephoso be appointed as the acting CEO.

Sekhantšo told this paper that she has been ill for a few days and she knew nothing about her removal from the office.

She insisted that she is still the CEO until her extended three years term expires.

She said Mahlomola is new in office and could not claim to know what the board resolved in the past.

“Where was he when the board made a resolution to extend my contract for another three years of which I have a copy?” she said.

“He knows nothing, he is committing himself.”

Sephoso declined to comment saying the matter is still in the hands of the court.

Sekhantšo caused some drama in December last year when she blocked the main entrance of the LAA’s premises with her Ford Everest car for the whole morning hours after she found that she had been locked out of her office.

This brought services to a halt temporarily.

This was two weeks after Sekhantšo won a High Court case on legal technicalities against the then principal secretary Lefu Manyokole who wanted to kick her out of the office.

The whole fight stemmed from the former Local Government Minister Lehlohonolo Moramotse’s refusal to approve the board’s extension of Sekhantšo’s contract of employment.

Her contract had expired on August 30 last year and the board decided to extend it for a further three years.

When the minister, who in terms of the law has powers to approve or disapprove the appointment, refused to approve the board’s decision Sekhantšo sued.

The case is still pending in the High Court.

But the court refused to grant her rights to be in the office pending finalisation of the case.

Meanwhile, she refused to vacate the office, which prompted Manyokole to ask the court to kick her out.

Manyokole lost the case on November 29 on grounds that he did not have locus standi.

Alice Samuel & Tholoana Lesenya