MASERU — Lesotho Tribune has been reliably informed that the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) Board of Directors has increased the salaries of four acting senior officers, effectively granting them permanent-level pay without due process. The decision, taken while substantive executives remain suspended under an ongoing forensic audit, has sparked concern among staff and governance observers.
The four officers are acting in key positions left vacant after senior managers were suspended to allow the forensic investigation to proceed. Instead of limiting their allowances to the 10 percent cap introduced by LEC’s 2021 acting allowance policy, the board is said to have reverted to an older framework that allows acting officers to earn the full difference between their substantive salaries and those of the positions they are covering. This effectively places them on permanent footing without following competitive recruitment or transparent board approval.
Unionised workers within LEC have quietly voiced frustration, questioning why four individuals should receive extraordinary benefits when the company is already under financial strain and staff at large only recently received a marginal 3 percent salary increase. Employees argue that the principle of fairness in a unionised environment has been undermined, and the selective treatment of acting officers risks dividing the workforce at a time when morale is already low.
The timing of the decision has further raised suspicions. LEC is in the middle of a forensic audit that has dragged on for months, with suspensions repeatedly extended as auditors fail to conclude their work. Some employees have accused management of exploiting the audit period to entrench acting officers, who now enjoy the salaries and perks of suspended executives without going through proper channels.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has previously grilled LEC’s acting Managing Director, Nathaniel Maphathe, over irregular acting allowances and the board’s use of outdated policies. At the time, MPs accused LEC of bypassing governance safeguards and enabling runaway executive benefits despite the company’s financial losses. With this latest revelation, pressure is expected to mount for the PAC to summon both the board and the acting executives to account for the decision.
LEC is already reeling from heavy financial blows, including a reported M290 million loss for the 2024/25 year and debts of over M800 million. Critics say the quiet adjustment of executive pay in the middle of such a crisis shows contempt for workers and disregard for good governance. Without transparency and proper procedure, they argue, the company risks not only financial collapse but also the erosion of public trust.
