The Acting Commissioner of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS), Matingoe Phamotse, has thrown down the gauntlet, urging human rights organisations, INTERPOL, and journalists to investigate the treatment of Member of Parliament (MP) Tšepo Lipholo, who is currently awaiting trial in custody.
Phamotse said the LCS was prepared to demonstrate transparency and accountability in the face of what he called “baseless accusations” about Lipholo’s alleged ill-treatment.
“It is unfortunate that there have been misleading reports by the media, whether print, electronic, or social media, including those who have concealed their identity,” Phamotse said. He dismissed as false claims that corrections officers beat or tried to kill the outspoken legislator.
This follows reports that Lipholo was assaulted by officers and that attempts were made on his life by releasing lethal gas in his cell. Phamotse said he personally visited the inmate after the reports emerged.
“I asked him if he had been beaten, and he denied it,” he said.
He added that the allegations triggered a flurry of visits, including from opposition and government MPs, as well as the Minister of Law and Justice, Richard Ramoeletsi, who held an audience with Lipholo.
Lipholo was arrested on July 2, 2025, and has remained in custody since. His bail application was rejected by the High Court, which described him as a flight risk given the seriousness of his charges.
Initially charged with sedition and insulting the Royal Family, the state has since added treason charges against him under sections 76 (2)(b), 5(a) and (b), and 109 of the Penal Code Act, No. 6 of 2010.
Judge Fumane Khabo, in refusing bail, ruled: “On the evidence tendered the court finds the Petitioner to be charged with such a serious offence that if he is released pending trial, he might flee, rendering him a flight risk. A conspectus of considerations such as flight riskiness, absence of extradition arrangements, and the seriousness of the charge leaves this court no alternative but to refuse bail.”
Despite the mounting charges, Phamotse said Lipholo was receiving medical attention. “Even today [Thursday], he complained of a toothache,” he told reporters, noting that the MP had been treated at the LCS health facility and on several occasions taken to external medical facilities.
He confirmed that Lipholo’s family had also brought in their own doctor to examine him.
The acting Commissioner further revealed that, at Lipholo’s request through his lawyers, he has been transferred to a “top of the range” facility, which the LCS approved.
In March this year, Newsday reported that Lipholo had ignited controversy with a petition claiming that every Lesotho government since independence in 1966 has been a puppet regime controlled by Pretoria, South Africa.
A full copy of the petition, obtained by Newsday, accused successive administrations, including the current one led by Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, of bowing to South African influence, thwarting efforts to reclaim what Lipholo calls the “Conquered Territory” of Basotho.
This territory, lost to colonial and Boer encroachments decades ago, includes the entire Free State province and parts of other South African provinces.
Lipholo alleged that this puppetry explains why Lesotho has never fought to restore these lands, as allegedly mandated by the United Nations (UN) resolutions.
His campaign hinges on a historical grievance dating back to the 1800s, when Basotho lands were reduced through wars with Boer settlers and British colonial agreements.
The 1869 Convention of Aliwal North formalised these losses and ceded vast territories to what is now South Africa. When Lesotho gained independence from Britain in 1966, it inherited these diminished borders, a decision reinforced by the Organisation of African Unity’s (OAU) 1963 pledge to respect colonial boundaries.
Lipholo’s petition, reportedly submitted to the UN General Assembly and Security Council earlier this year, invokes UN Resolutions which he says urged Britain to address Basotho land claims before independence, a call he says was ignored, leaving the issue unresolved.
His claims echo long-standing nationalist sentiments among some Basotho groups who believe that Lesotho should reclaim its pre-colonial boundaries, a stance that underpins the sedition and treason charges he now faces.
Summary
- He added that the allegations triggered a flurry of visits, including from opposition and government MPs, as well as the Minister of Law and Justice, Richard Ramoeletsi, who held an audience with Lipholo.
- “On the evidence tendered the court finds the Petitioner to be charged with such a serious offence that if he is released pending trial, he might flee, rendering him a flight risk.
- “Even today [Thursday], he complained of a toothache,” he told reporters, noting that the MP had been treated at the LCS health facility and on several occasions taken to external medical facilities.
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.
