Maseru — The Roads Directorate is under fire for what industry players describe as a pattern of discrimination and selective enforcement of its so-called policies governing structures within the road reserve.
Outdoor advertising companies have accused the Directorate of unfair treatment, alleging that while billboards belonging to local businesses were removed along Moshoeshoe Road this week, a billboard owned by Primedia, a South African company, was left untouched.
Lesotho Tribune can confirm that at the time of publication, the Primedia billboard remained standing, even as local operators counted their losses.
A group of advertising stakeholders who spoke to this publication described the Directorate’s actions as “a clear case of bias and institutional prejudice against local enterprises.” They say the agency has failed to explain why local billboards were demolished when no road construction or development is planned along the affected stretch of Moshoeshoe Road.
One advertiser said, “It is discrimination in broad daylight. The Directorate hides behind policies that no one has seen, yet chooses who to punish and who to protect.”
The publication put a series of direct questions to the Roads Directorate, all of which went unanswered. Among them:
• Why has the Directorate not removed the Primedia billboard located along Moshoeshoe Road after the intersection leading to LEC?
• What exactly is the policy governing the removal of billboards and structures in the road reserve?
• Does the Directorate differentiate between billboards and other permanent properties built within the same reserve area?
• Why has there been no action against numerous properties and billboards on the Main South 1 Road from Borokhoaneng, which are visibly encroaching on the road reserve?
• Which company was awarded the contract to take down the billboards and structures, and how was that contract awarded?
Industry representatives allege that the Directorate frequently changes its policy “willy-nilly,” depending on who owns the structure in question. They accuse the Director-General of personally interfering in operational decisions and using discretion to protect certain companies while punishing others.
“The entire process lacks transparency and consistency,” said another stakeholder. “There is no published framework. What we are witnessing is the misuse of authority at the expense of local businesses that are already struggling.”
Analysts argue that this controversy underscores a broader governance problem within state institutions, where rules are often applied selectively. They warn that unless the Roads Directorate clarifies and standardises its enforcement policy, it risks eroding public confidence and discouraging investment in the local advertising industry.
As of this report, the Directorate had declined to respond to Lesotho Tribune’s questions.
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Editor’s Note
What is unfolding at the Roads Directorate is more than a dispute over billboards. It is a reflection of a deeper rot in public administration where power is exercised without accountability and policies are applied at whim. When institutions treat citizens and businesses unequally, they betray the very purpose for which they exist.
Lesotho cannot build a credible investment climate if state agencies operate on personal discretion instead of transparent rules. Selective enforcement is corruption by another name, and it chips away at public trust one billboard at a time.
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