The Principal Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development has taken 18 international trips since her appointment on June1, 2024, costing the government more than 1.6 million maloti, according to figures disclosed in Parliament on Thursday.
But whether those journeys, which spanned three continents and included eight visits to neighbouring South Africa, have yielded any tangible economic benefit for the country remains an open question.
The government has not provided any assessment of returns on investment from the travel.
The PS, Palesa Matobako, assumed her post on June 1, 2024. The travel details were released in a written parliamentary response on May 21, 2026, by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nthomeng Majara, who answered on behalf of the trade minister.
The question had been submitted by Machesetsa Mofomobe, an opposition lawmaker from the Basotho National Party (BNP), who requested a full accounting of Matobako’s trips, including destinations, dates, airfares and per diems.
According to the government’s response, Matobako traveled to South Africa eight times, with single trips to Botswana, Namibia, Morocco, Cameroon, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, India, and two trips to Japan.
The total cost was M1,651,833.80. Airfares accounted for M936,086, while per diems, daily allowances for food and incidentals, totaled M715,747.80.
During the parliamentary session, Energy Minister Lejone Mpotjoane raised a point of order, questioning the premise of Mofomobe’s inquiry. He argued that the question had failed to address whether the trips had generated any return on investment for the country.
The deputy speaker, Tšepang Tšita-Mosena, ruled the question procedurally valid, stating that Parliament’s role was to ensure compliance with its rules, not to judge the substantive merits of a legislator’s inquiry.
The episode reflects a broader pattern of legislative frustration over executive branch travel. During the 2025-26 financial year, Remaketse Sehlabaka, leader of the Mpulule Political Summit, pressed the government during question time to disclose the total cost of overseas trips in the 2024-25 fiscal year, to compare that sum with funds allocated for youth job creation, and to explain how much additional money had been drawn from the contingency fund.
The leader of the house, Majara, disclosed that M145 million had been budgeted for international travel in 2024-25, with an additional M13 million allocated, of which M9 million had already been spent.
On the question of tangible benefits, such as investment deals signed, trade agreements concluded, or jobs created, the government provided no answer then, and has provided none now.
For a country grappling with chronic unemployment and a strained public budget, the absence of any return-on-investment accounting for nearly 20 official trips by a senior trade official is likely to fuel further scrutiny.
Summary
- The travel details were released in a written parliamentary response on May 21, 2026, by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nthomeng Majara, who answered on behalf of the trade minister.
- During the 2025-26 financial year, Remaketse Sehlabaka, leader of the Mpulule Political Summit, pressed the government during question time to disclose the total cost of overseas trips in the 2024-25 fiscal year, to compare that sum with funds allocated for youth job creation, and to explain how much additional money had been drawn from the contingency fund.
- For a country grappling with chronic unemployment and a strained public budget, the absence of any return-on-investment accounting for nearly 20 official trips by a senior trade official is likely to fuel further scrutiny.
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.
