Moroke Sekoboto
THE assessment of Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s first two years in office is a mixed bag and a case of stark contrasts.
While analysts and and human rights defenders who spoke to the Lesotho Times this week praised Premier Matekane’s government in some areas, they also argued that his performance had fallen short in others.
Mr Matekane was inaugurated Lesotho’s prime minister on 28 October, 2022, following his then six-month old Revolution for Prosperity (RFP)’s crushing victory at the October 7, 2022 polls.
He leads a seven-party coalition administration with other smaller parties.
While admitting that Mr Matekane’s government had made strides, particularly in the roads rehabilitation sector, outpacing previous administrations, they also asserted that little progress had been achieved in the agricultural sector, despite his government’s touted strategy to commercialize it.
Additionally, the critics contended that Mr Matekane’s government was struggling to combat crime and instead operated with impunity, committing acts of violence against innocent citizens under the guise of fighting crime.
According to Professor Motlamelle Kapa of the National University of Lesotho (NUL), Mr Matekane had not fully achieved his goals but was moving in the right direction.
Prof Kapa noted that the current administration had undertaken significant activities in road rehabilitation and construction.
“It is the first time we see roads being rehabilitated at this rate. The rapid pace of road rehabilitation is unprecedented. There are numerous road construction projects in progress, and their completion is underway. Even the average person can observe the changes occurring in the construction industry and the jobs being created. Improving infrastructure and generating employment are crucial, as they contribute significantly to economic growth,” Prof Kapa said.
However, Prof Kapa noted that while progress was limited in many sectors, agriculture was a key area of interest, as it forms the foundation of the economy.
Another NUL expert, Dr Tlohang Letsie, echoed similar stating that unlike previous administrations, Mr Matekane’s government had clearly defined its priorities.
He noted that Premier Matekane’s focus on the construction sector was proving beneficial, as it was a key driver of economic growth.
“When it comes to construction, I give him a very good mark because we see a lot of activity and it has good economic growth because many jobs have been created. We may not see the economic effects as yet but construction is key in economic growth,” Dr Letsie said.
“We may have traditionally had manufacturing (textile industry) as a key driver of economic growth which has now declined, but we now see many jobs being created in the construction sector. Many people who depended on factory jobs are now unemployed due to many factories closing shop, and we cannot say he had total control over the matter.”
According to Dr Letsie, the agriculture sector had not seen much progress under Mr Matekane’s leadership.
He had faced similar challenges as past governments, such as the limited availability of farming inputs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition manned by Minister Thabo Mofosi, recently suspended the distribution of subsidised fertilizers due to low stocks.
Out of desperation, the ministry even advised Basotho to resort to cow dung in place of commercial fertilizers.
Dr Letsie admitted that Mr Matekane was struggling to resolve these issues, as farming inputs remained scarce, adding the government seemingly lacked a clear plan to address the matter.
Despite Mr Matekane’s stated approach of commercializing agriculture and empowering the people, Dr Letsie said his performance in this sector had mirrored that of previous administrations.
Also wading into the discussion was human rights organization, Section 2, which has closely observed Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s governance over the past two years. Section 2’s focus has particularly been on critical issues such as human rights, access to basic services, and the rule of law.
According to Section 2, Mr Matekane’s leadership had been marked by a series of failures that have put the most vulnerable citizens at even greater risk.
Section 2 stated that the situation of hunger and poverty in Lesotho had reached alarming levels during Prime Minister Matekane’s tenure.
According to Section 2, Lesotho was now listed as a “hunger hotspot” in the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
This, Section 2 said, was a direct consequence of failed economic policies, inadequate responses to the impacts of climate change, and the government’s inability to effectively address the underlying causes of food insecurity.
Section 2 found it unconscionable that, despite the growing crisis, the government had shown a lack of urgency and failed to allocate sufficient resources to alleviate the suffering of Lesotho’s most vulnerable populations.
“This is a direct consequence of failed economic policies, inadequate responses to the impacts of climate change, and the government’s inability to effectively address the underlying causes of food insecurity. It is unconscionable that, despite the growing crisis, the government has shown a lack of urgency and a failure to allocate sufficient resources to alleviate the suffering of Lesotho’s most vulnerable populations,” Section 2 said.
According to the Hunger Hotspots report, without immediate intervention, hundreds of thousands of people will face starvation.
“This is a crisis that should have prompted urgent action from the government, yet instead, we see a continued pattern of neglect. The Prime Minister has failed to create meaningful programs to provide social security for those most in need, leaving families to face the unbearable choice of feeding their children or sending them to school. This failure to act represents a gross violation of human rights and an abdication of the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens,” Section 2 said.
Section 2 added that while completion of the Maseru District Hospital, a long-awaited project inaugurated during Mr Matekane’s tenure, was a welcome development, it alone could not address the dire healthcare situation in Lesotho.
It asserted that reports from other hospitals across the country continued to highlight severe shortages of basic medical supplies and life-saving equipment like x-ray machines, indicating the government’s failure to provide adequate resources and management for the healthcare system.
The government’s lack of comprehensive planning and investment in public health had also left thousands of people without proper care.
Similarly, Section 2 noted, the education sector was in crisis, with families forced to choose between sending their children to school and buying food – a heartbreaking decision that exposed the true extent of economic hardships faced by ordinary Basotho under the current administration.
While the government claimed to value education, it had failed to ensure universal access to free and quality education, leaving parents to sacrifice their children’s futures to survive the present.
Thus, Section 2 condemned the Matekane coalition’s “clear failure of leadership”, stating it was directly complicit in perpetuating the ongoing crisis. Furthermore, Section 2 reiterated its call for free education at all levels, asserting this is not only a moral imperative, but a fundamental human right.
Section 2 was also adamant that while the recent “beautification” efforts in Maseru were a welcome change, they only addressed the surface-level issues facing Lesotho, ignoring the country’s deep-seated challenges that were systemic. These required more than simply repairing roads and adding decorative elements like illuminated circle and crosses on hillsides.
To truly address the needs of ordinary Basotho, Section 2, said the government must prioritize tackling the pervasive problems of poverty, food insecurity, limited access to education and healthcare, and lack of justice because “these are the real, urgent concerns that demand the administration’s focused attention”.
Also throwing his hat into the ring was local analyst, Nkopane Mathibeli.
He insisted the government had failed to deliver on its promises.
Mr Mathibeli criticized the government’s road infrastructure efforts, stating that while they were rehabilitating existing roads, their promise was to construct more new roads.
He accused Mr Matekane of failing to fulfil his promise to introduce performance contracts for himself and senior officials, and said the 1,780 km of repaired tarred roads was simply “the government patching potholes rather than building new roads as promised”.
Mr Mathibeli expressed concerns about the country’s food insecurity, noting that Basotho still relied heavily on imports from South Africa.
He said the government had failed to enhance domestic food production.
While the government was trying to address this by buying enhanced sheep breeds to empower herd-boys and upcoming wool and mohair farmers, Mr Mathibeli argued that for long-term sustainability, they should focus more on improving pastures, which were currently overpopulated.
He also cited lack of adequate veterinary facilities to properly care for the sheep.
Mr Mathibeli said Mr Matekane was struggling to effectively fight corruption, which was hindering his overall ability to achieve his objectives of improving people’s welfare.
Additionally, Mr Mathibeli noted, scores of Basotho had lost their jobs due to factory closures, but to date, the government did not have adequate policies in place to help reduce unemployment.
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