Mohale’s Hoek
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Hon. Richard Ramoeletsi, has been accused of using inmates incarcerated at Mohale’s Hoek Correctional Facility as unpaid labourers to perform agricultural work, including weeding fields allegedly linked to him, raising fresh questions about abuse of state power and the exploitation of prisoners.
Two independent sources from Mekaling, the minister’s constituency in the Mohale’s Hoek district, told Lesotho Tribune that inmates from the correctional facility are routinely taken out to work in nearby fields. The sources allege that this labour benefits the minister directly and substitutes employment opportunities that could otherwise have gone to local villagers.
According to the sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, the use of inmates amounts to free labour and reflects a broader pattern of political privilege, where access to state institutions is leveraged for personal benefit.
“This is not community service. These are inmates being used instead of employing people from the village who are desperate for work,” one source said.
The allegations, if proven, would raise serious legal and ethical concerns. While Lesotho Correctional Services permits inmate labour under specific conditions, such work is typically restricted to prison-managed agricultural projects, rehabilitation programmes, or court-sanctioned activities. Using inmates to work private fields would potentially violate both correctional regulations and constitutional safeguards against forced labour.
At the time of initial publication, Lesotho Tribune had not received a response from Minister Ramoeletsi.
Subsequently, the minister contacted this publication and rejected the allegations in their entirety, describing them as false and defamatory. He insisted that he does not own agricultural fields and denied using inmates for private labour.
“It is defamation. I don’t have fields. Those are LCS fields,” Minister Ramoeletsi said.
Lesotho Correctional Services Public Relations Officer also denied the claims, insisting that inmates are only engaged in agricultural work linked to prison-owned land.
“Not true,” the LCS PRO said. “Bats’oaruoa ba ntse ba sebetsa masimong ao toronko e lemmeng seahlolo le beng ba ona Maphutseng Mhoek. At least to my knowledge.”
The PRO added that, to their understanding, inmates were not involved in any privately owned fields linked to the minister.
“Empa ha ke tsebe haeba masimo a letona le ona a kenelletse in that block farming, such that ho hlaha eka ho hlaoloa a hae fela,” the PRO said.
Crucially, the LCS spokesperson acknowledged that such conduct would be unacceptable if it were taking place.
“It is not acceptable hore inmates baka hlaola masimo a letona. And entse sa etsahale joalo,” the PRO said.
The statements introduce ambiguity rather than full closure. While both the minister and Lesotho Correctional Services deny that inmates are being used for private benefit, questions remain around the demarcation of block farming activities and how prison-operated agricultural land is perceived by surrounding communities.
Editor’s Note:
This story has been updated to include a response from Minister Richard Ramoeletsi, received after initial publication.
