MASERU – ARMY Commander Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela has told his subordinates to tread carefully this year in an effort to prevent lawsuits that have been piling in his office.
Lt Gen Letsoela was speaking at a parade at the army headquarters on New Year’s Eve after soldiers marched for peace from the Makoanyane Barracks to Ratjomose.
He said a number of families sued him seeking compensation last year, a trend he says must now be reversed.
Most of the lawsuits came after Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) soldiers either killed or maimed their family members both in official operations and when drunken rogue soldiers quarreled with civilians at pubs.
In some of these cases the army authorities did not cooperate with police investigators for many years until families approached the courts for help.
Lt Gen Letsoela said 2022 was not easy on him because of the lawsuits.
“This year was hectic and not easy at all,” he said.
The army boss appealed to the soldiers to try and avoid being on the court roll.
“I could see it happening several times even now,” he said.
Lt Gen Letsoela said the court cases bring reproach on the army and causes problems for the soldiers too.
But where crimes have been committed, he said his soldiers must take action.
Lt Gen Letsoela said they had to deal with such issues such as stock-theft and human trafficking.
He said such crimes are committed by people who place lawyers as their protective shield.
“It is a gang of thugs. After we stopped them from committing crimes, they go to the courts,” he said.
Lt Gen Letsoela advised the soldiers not to join criminal syndicates. He also urged the soldiers to be confident whilst doing their job so that they can discharge their duties professionally.
Lt Gen Letsoela’s comments come two weeks after the commander denied that his soldiers killed Mohajane Mohajane in Matelile, Mafeteng, during an operation to crack down on crime in April last year.
Mohajane’s family has sued the army for M1 million.
It has also demanded that the army reveal who shot their son.
The family of a police constable, Relebohile Mokone, who was murdered by the army, has also demanded a staggering M12 million from the LDF.
Constable Mokone was killed when soldiers caught him and some Asians trying to smuggle wool out of the country through an illegal border gate at Liphiring in Mohale’s Hoek.
The families of five Asians who were with Constable Mokone have also each demanded M2.5 million each from the army, claiming they were tortured.
This brought the total claim against the LDF Commander to a staggering M24.5 million.
Lt Gen Letsoela was also slapped with three other fresh lawsuits for a combined total of M10.9 million damages.
The claims are by three soldiers who were allegedly subjected to unlawful arrest and torture in 2015.
The three were Thoriso Mareka, Seabata Chaka, and Motlatsi Mokhobo.
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