Lesotho Times
Lesotho's widely read newspaper, published every Thursday and distributed throughout the country and in some parts of South Africa. Contact us today: News: editor@lestimes.co.ls Advertising: marketing@lestimes.co.ls Telephone: +266 2231 5356
’Marafaele Mohloboli
ALL Basotho Convention (ABC) leader, Nkaku Kabi, says it’s high time his party reclaimed its glory days.
Mr Kabi said it was time for Kobotata, as the ABC is affectionately known, to prove its salt and get back into the government to serve Basotho. He said this while addressing his party’s supporters at Pitso House in Butha-Buthe on Sunday.
The ABC performed dismally in the 7 October 2022 general elections failing to win a single constituency seat for the first ever time since its formation in 2007. It only has eight seats in the current 11th Parliament, courtesy of proportional representation seat allocations. The party went from 51 constituency seats in 2017 to zero in 2022. But Mr Kabi believes his party can re-emerge and reclaim its glory days. This because the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) was proving to be a hoax. It had made empty promises which it was not fulfilling, he said.
“ABC is not lost but we just happen to be in a whirlwind that is shaking us all,” said Mr Kabi.
“Those who decided to throw away their votes (by voting for the RFP) now realise that they were misled.
“To date, Basotho are still waiting on this government’s promises. The country is in a mess. At least they (RFP) should shed some light of how we are going to get out of this mess. As we speak, the youth who went out to vote (for the RFP) in large numbers hoping for the better are now folding their arms in bewilderment. They still do not know what is happening around them. They don’t have all the freebies they were promised,” said Mr Kabi.
The RFP government had promised it would not practice nepotism yet it was proving to the most nepotistic administration ever, he said. There was absolutely nothing to show for why the ABC coalition had been changed at the October 2022 elections as the current RFP led coalition was doing nothing to change the lives of Basotho, the ABC leader ranted.
He said when the ABC lost government, it had already finished working on a policy for all disabled persons to be given monthly government grants. Sadly, that had been discarded by the RFP coalition.
He also claimed that the ABC led coalition had built many factories which ought to have been opened by now but that had not happened as well. He did not cite these factories. The RFP government had also failed to help farmers access markets.
“People remain jobless. People in the farming industry should not be struggling to penetrate the markets as that will encourage more people to join farming. We have lots of fertile land. However, even those who are trying, their produce rots in the fields due to lack of markets and they get discouraged and abandon farming,” Mr Kabi said without citing any evidence.
He claimed the ABC had successfully advocated for the free movement of people between Lesotho and South Africa and an agreement had been reached to enable that. However, everything seemed to have collapsed with the coming of the RFP government.
“Maybe it is because those people (in the RFP) do not know the pain of having to cross the river (into South Africa) because of the lack of passports,” he chuckled.
Mr Kabi also lamented the high crime rate in Lesotho saying Basotho were being murdered in their hundreds with no appropriate state response to counter criminals. Others were dying in hospitals because these institutions were ill equipped and were enduring staff shortages. Others died because of negligent staffers.
“It is so worrisome to see how people are dying by the gun and the only deaths being reported about are those of prominent people….,” said Mr Kabi.
“We turn a blind eye on the fact that every weekend we stand at graves of people who died at hospitals though they could have been saved had the health professionals not been negligent.
“This government is not doing what it promised to do. It has failed. This is a call to Basotho to open up their eyes as we go for the local government elections. These elections should be the beginning of returning the ABC to power,” he said.
While lambasting the RFP, Mr Kabi also acknowledged that his ABC had wronged Basotho while it was in power. After its return to power, the ABC was torn apart by severe factionalism which saw multiple camps emerging in the party and other top party hacks splintering to form new parties.
“We admit that we wronged Basotho and we would be cowards if we do not ask for your (Basotho) forgiveness. We shall realise the ABC vision only if we stop pulling at each other and vote for the ABC as a party and not individuals.
“And I promise that one day we will not be bowing our heads in shame because there will be life for all of us and our families. I hope that one day God will help us know exactly what we want.”