Basotho National Party (BNP) leader and Member of Parliament Machesetsa Gabriel Mofomobe has called on Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane to urgently intervene and suspend a Transport Board directive that bars seven-seater vehicles from ferrying school learners, warning that the decision threatens to wipe out the livelihoods of some of the country’s most vulnerable households.
In a strongly worded letter dated 26 January 2026 and addressed directly to the Prime Minister, Mofomobe describes the decision as “economically reckless, socially insensitive, and politically indefensible,” arguing that it amounts to economic punishment of ordinary Basotho rather than genuine regulation.
The directive, which has been officially communicated to learner transport operators, prohibits the use of seven-seater vehicles commonly known as Noah and Alphard models for school transport. Operators have reportedly been given six months to replace these vehicles with 15-seater minibuses in order to continue operating.
Mofomobe says the decision disproportionately affects pensioners, widows, and low-income households who invested their pensions, retirement packages, or bank loans into learner transport ventures after years of being encouraged to pursue self-reliance and entrepreneurship.
“For years, Basotho have been encouraged directly and indirectly to be self-reliant and entrepreneurial. Many responded to this call by investing their pensions, retirement packages, and bank loans into learner transport,” Mofomobe writes.
He argues that the same state which has failed to generate sufficient employment opportunities is now dismantling one of the few survival strategies available to ordinary citizens.
According to the MP, the policy ignores economic realities on the ground. He notes that many affected operators lack access to capital to purchase 15-seater vehicles, while banks are unlikely to extend further credit to already indebted households. He further warns that once seven-seater vehicles are declared unsuitable for learner transport, their resale value will collapse, effectively erasing people’s investments overnight.
“This is not regulation; it is economic punishment of the poor,” Mofomobe states.
He also highlights the broader economic role played by the learner transport sector, saying it absorbs unemployed drivers, mechanics, and small service providers, contributes to local economies, and ensures that thousands of children are able to reach school daily.
Mofomobe criticises the Transport Board for implementing a decision of such magnitude without adequate consultation, compensation, or transitional support, arguing that it reflects a government disconnected from the lived realities of its people.
“Political leadership demands more than administrative compliance. It demands judgment, empathy, and accountability,” he writes, adding that decisions with far-reaching socio-economic consequences should not be left solely to technocrats without political oversight, particularly when they risk deepening poverty and inequality.
The BNP leader has called on the Prime Minister, as Head of Government, to immediately suspend the directive and order a comprehensive review of the policy. He argues that if government is genuinely concerned about safety and standards in learner transport, a phased, consultative, and supportive approach should be adopted, rather than one that sacrifices livelihoods in the name of bureaucracy.
Mofomobe concludes by warning that Basotho will judge the government not by policy documents, but by whether it stands with ordinary people during moments of hardship.
“This decision, if allowed to stand, will be remembered as a deliberate act of economic exclusion,” he writes.
