Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane has made a number of changes to his cabinet involving four ministers and six principal secretaries. He’s asked King Letsie III to approve changes to his cabinet.
The move is seen as a counter strategy following an unfavourable candidate Professor Nqosa Mahao being elected deputy leader.
Sweeping changes are on the horizon which the Lesotho government says are to enhance efficiency.
Lesotho Government Secretary Moahloli Mphaka says no minister has been expelled.
“The changes that have taken place is that one minister has been moved from one ministry to another, in a quest to try and improve on efficiency and effectiveness. There is no minister that has been expelled in the government position, but the changes are just a shift of one minister to another ministry.”
While no one has been fired, it is the appointment of the Police Principal Secretary that has raised many eyebrows. The Thabane surname has sparked speculation of nepotism.
However, Mphaka says that he does not see anything wrong with Thabane’s appointment.
“I don’t see anything wrong with this Thabane, who is not even a son to the prime minister. Of course, he is related to him, but then, what we looked into was his competencies. The mix of the competencies that we looked into. You talked about the struggling economy, and if you could happen to meet him and just get his background, you would see that this is one of the people that you would need.”
The changes to cabinet include moving Home Affairs Minister Tsukutlane Au to Energy and Meteorology. He’ll exchange places with Minister Mokoto Hloaele.
Other shifts involve the recently appointed Tourism minister Semano Sekatle who defected from the opposition to government. He’ll be exchanging posts with the current Public Services minister Chief Joang Molapo.
The changes come after heavily armed police forcibly removed the All Basotho Congress election delegates from the election centre. They said the permit allowing the election process had lapsed.
