Basotho Development Front leader Bothata Mahlala has opened his political campaign with a pointed call for privately funded prosecutions against those accused of looting public funds. He says Lesotho will never rebuild itself unless corruption is confronted without fear or favour.
At his first press briefing at the Transformation Resource Centre, Mahlala said the country needs comprehensive and independent forensic audits into every major allegation that has surfaced over the years. He argued that prosecutions should not be left to politically aligned actors. He said they should be handled by independent experts, preferably foreign professionals, since local institutions are too compromised and too entangled in the very networks they are expected to investigate.
Mahlala said the Revolution for Prosperity administration rose to power on promises of reform, discipline, merit, and a new economic direction. He said Basotho instead found themselves watching a wave of scandals that show a government overwhelmed by corruption and mismanagement.
He called on the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences, the police, and the judiciary to act with urgency. If these institutions lack capacity or the political courage to act, he said Basotho must organise and take the fight forward themselves.
According to him, there is no other path. Citizens must be ready to fund private prosecutions if the state refuses to prosecute those who have looted public resources. In his words, Lesotho cannot rebuild without facing corruption directly. He repeated that government must commission independent audits across all ministries and state entities where allegations exist.
Mahlala outlined the BDF plan to work with civic groups to rebuild accountability and restore clean governance. He said the public service has collapsed because it is filled with people appointed through political favours rather than competence. He argued that government needs to redeploy staff properly, strengthen internal control systems, and confront corruption within law enforcement agencies. He said the DCEO must either be disbanded or rebuilt into an institution that can actually do its job. He added that the Office of the Accountant General and the Auditor General need proper support and a stronger mandate.
He summarised the BDF pillars. Constitutional democracy where every citizen is equal before the law. Unity and social justice where political and economic divisions are rejected. A productive economy where the country produces what it consumes. Clean governance and anti corruption policies that guide administration and employment. Skills based deployment that ensures public institutions are run by professionals and not by political patrons.
Turning back to the RFP government, Mahlala said the administration that took office in 2022 has allowed corruption and criminal behaviour to grow at the heart of the state. He urged voters to reject corruption with the same unity they once used to elevate the RFP into office. He said corruption has become ordinary under the current administration. What was once scandalous is now routine. What used to shock the public is now treated as normal.
Mahlala said the BDF is speaking from a place of concern for the country and for the ordinary Mosotho who works hard and hopes for honest leadership. He said Lesotho has just marked fifty nine years of independence, yet the nation remains stuck because of misrule, corruption, and a political class that has failed its people for generations. He said the country can no longer blame colonial history. The stagnation is the result of decades of patronage, weak law enforcement, and leaders who protect their networks instead of the public interest.
He listed corruption cases that have undermined public trust. The controversial one hundred and eighty six million maloti airport refurbishment contract allegedly linked to Public Works Minister Matjato Moteane through his former company. The two hundred and fifty million maloti LNDC loan extension scandal. The Ministry of Education incident where PT Reliance Construction won an evaluation but was overruled by a ministerial panel that installed another contractor.
He highlighted the Ramarothole Solar Project where costs dropped from three hundred and fifty million dollars to one hundred and fifty million dollars after inflated pricing and bribery allegations were exposed. The government refunded twenty two million maloti to the World Bank because it failed to account for funds intended for a Ha Belo electricity substation.
Mahlala cited more ongoing scandals. The five hundred and sixty eight million maloti irregularities at LEC. The six million maloti incompatible meters. The three hundred and ten thousand maloti used to wash the Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara’s curtains. The five hundred and twenty eight million maloti drawn from the contingency fund this financial year. And now more than one million maloti for Majara’s trip to Brazil. He reminded the public that the contingency fund is meant for genuine emergencies. He said the government has also spent fifty four million maloti on foreign trips since the start of the year.
Mahlala said these numbers tell the real story of governance today. The state is bleeding resources while citizens struggle. He said Lesotho can only turn the tide if corruption is fought with the same intensity that corruption itself has shown in capturing public institutions.
