The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), ‘Machabane Lemphane-Letsie, has vowed that Parliament’s watchdog will not retreat from its constitutional duty to demand accountability from government officials implicated in the Auditor-General’s reports.
Speaking at the High Court this week, Lemphane-Letsie expressed shock that individuals who have not yet appeared before the Committee are among those seeking to interdict its work.
“There are people we have not even interrogated, yet they are part of the application to stop the Committee,” she said, making it clear that the PAC will continue to ask hard questions and will not be intimidated.
Her remarks came after the High Court, sitting as the Constitutional Court, issued an order suspending the PAC’s sittings, which were probing senior officials at Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) over financial and administrative irregularities flagged in the 2022 Auditor-General’s report.
The Committee’s oversight unearthed what it described as a serious conflict of interest involving the wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, ‘Maitumeleng Mpotjoane. PAC established that she allegedly sat on both the evaluation and procurement committees for a controversial tender linked to the private wing at QMMH.
QMMH officials, through their legal team, argued that the PAC was harassing witnesses and overstepping its mandate. In an interview with this publication, Lemphane-Letsie rejected these claims outright, insisting that the Committee does not harass anyone but simply asks tough questions in line with its oversight role.
“This Committee will not relent,” she said.
The dispute escalated after senior QMMH officials appeared before the PAC for only two days and then stopped attending sittings altogether. Their absence forced the Committee to instruct the Clerk of the National Assembly to issue warrants of arrest to compel their attendance.
Instead of complying, the officials approached the courts seeking to block the PAC from continuing its work.
The warrants were issued against QMMH Managing Director Dr Makhoase Ranyali and Human Resources Manager Thenjiew Dlangamadla, both of whom are the applicants in the case.
They have cited the Clerk of the National Assembly, the PAC, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), the Ministry of Health, the Auditor-General, and the Attorney-General as first to sixth respondents respectively.
In their application, the officials are seeking, among other reliefs, an order staying the execution of the warrants of arrest pending final determination of the matter. They are also asking the court to compel the respondents to submit a detailed report on the financial affairs of the Ministry of Health.
Additionally, the applicants want the Clerk of the National Assembly ordered to forward the Hansard records of PAC proceedings held on December 9 and 10 to the Registrar of the court.
PAC sittings remain suspended following the court order and the matter has been stood down to February 17, 2026, when both sides are expected to present oral arguments.
This is not the first time public servants have turned to the courts in an apparent attempt to avoid appearing before a parliamentary committee.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport previously sought court intervention when they were questioned over alleged irregularities in the awarding of tenders for the rehabilitation of Moshoeshoe I International Airport.
More recently, the board and staff of the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) also approached the courts, seeking an interdict to halt proceedings before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). LEC sought to stop the Committee from questioning its operations, a move that some observers viewed as an attempt to delay or derail the inquiry.
The application was lodged at a time when the PAC had intensified scrutiny into alleged mismanagement and fraud at the power utility. LEC had come under sustained criticism following a series of controversial and irregular transactions, raising serious concerns about its governance and future direction.
In its court papers, LEC argued that the PAC had acted ultra vires, beyond its legal powers, in the manner in which it conducted its oversight.
However, the PAC Chairperson has drawn a firm line, making it clear that the Committee will not retreat from its mandate to ensure accountability in the use of public funds.
At the time the court order was issued, the PAC was in the midst of questioning officials from the Ministry of Health and QMMH. The hearings had begun the previous week and were scheduled to continue this week, but were suspended following the court’s intervention.
During oral arguments, the applicants’ lawyer, Advocate Christopher Lephuthing, submitted that his clients were being “harassed” by the PAC. He further argued that the Committee was overreaching by asking questions outside the scope of the Auditor-General’s report.
Lephuthing told the court that his clients did not abscond from the proceedings but had instead requested that questions be submitted in writing, claiming the Committee was not well coordinated. He added that the questioning extended to procurement-related issues.
Representing the respondents, Advocate ‘Maletsatsi Kao rejected the claims, arguing that the applicants had failed to demonstrate the urgency required for the matter to be heard on an urgent basis. She maintained that the applicants were themselves at fault for failing to honour invitations to appear before the Committee.
On the allegation that the PAC had overreached its mandate, Advocate Kao pointed out that this complaint had not been placed on record before the court.
The matter is before a full bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane, Judge Fumane Khabo and Judge Moneuoa Kopo.
Summary
- “There are people we have not even interrogated, yet they are part of the application to stop the Committee,” she said, making it clear that the PAC will continue to ask hard questions and will not be intimidated.
- They have cited the Clerk of the National Assembly, the PAC, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), the Ministry of Health, the Auditor-General, and the Attorney-General as first to sixth respondents respectively.
- Additionally, the applicants want the Clerk of the National Assembly ordered to forward the Hansard records of PAC proceedings held on December 9 and 10 to the Registrar of the court.
Thoboloko Ntšonyane is a dedicated journalist who has contributed to various publications. He focuses on parliament, climate change, human rights, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), health, business and court reports. His work inspires change, triggers dialogue and also promote transparency in a society.
