-as PM prepares to mark two years in office
PRIME Minister Sam Matekane is poised to celebrate two years in office on 28 October 2024.
His has been a journey mostly marred by challenges, although of late his government seems to have found its rhythm.
While Mr Matekane and his cabinet appeared to have struggled to navigate the political terrain, they are gradually hauling themselves out, with indications on the ground showing that they are firmly in charge.
This is according to Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Limpho Tau, who spoke to the Lesotho Times in an exclusive interview yesterday.
Mr Matekane was inaugurated as Lesotho's Prime Minister on 28 October 2022. While he won more parliamentary seats than any other political party (57 seats), he was compelled to form a coalition administration with other smaller parties to meet the 61-seat threshold required to form government.
Mr Matekane, a billionaire businessman, formed his ruling Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) in March 2022 together with his business associates and others.
They said even though they had succeeded in business, they felt the need to rescue Lesotho because the country had been run into the ground by previous administrations.
With almost 90 percent of Mr Matekane's cabinet comprising political novices when they assumed office, it had taken them time to acclimatise to their new environment and "actually make it work".
"So, it has been quite difficult. We had thought and believed that by now, approaching almost two years in power, we would have done so much and achieved a lot. But the bureaucracy in government is so challenging," Mr Tau said.
"For instance, you pass the budget in March and start using it in April. But major development projects take time, from the tendering processes to the documents. By the time you start to decide who to appoint to roll out your big projects, it's already year end and you must start working on the next year's budget. I think there's a lot that needs to be done to ensure that governments can deliver services as quickly as possible."
However, Mr Tau added that despite the challenges, they had decided to roll with the punches, when they could have been running their own businesses "or succeeding in our careers in some corporates somewhere".
Exacerbating their situation, Mr Tau said, was the type of government they had inherited, which was worsened by its bureaucratic systems.
"Running a government is a different ballgame altogether. Very, very different. The government is a system on its own, that has its way of being managed. It's even worse when you inherit a government in this country considering the types of governments we've had. Governments have come and gone in Lesotho, but we have had the same civil service staying," he said.
"You come here with your own aspirations, believing that things would be easily done. In government there are processes and procedures to be followed, and you can't afford to flout any of those because you will have breached the law."
Mr Tau also shared how Mr Matekane was recently praised by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni while on an official visit to that country.
Mr Museveni had patted Mr Matekane's back for restoring Lesotho's dignity and making the country recognisable on the African continent, after years in oblivion.
"I think the Prime Minister has achieved a lot in the two years he has been in office. One of his greatest achievements, has been to restore Basotho's confidence, which is very important, and creates a sense of unity. Recently we were on an official visit to Uganda where we had an encounter with President Museveni," Mr Tau shared.
"He (President Museveni) was telling his cabinet, that they should not underestimate the country called Lesotho. And he expressed how glad he was that their old friends had finally returned to visit them. He said that was because the Lesotho they used to know as Pan- Africanists, it was a country they were very proud of, especially because of the pivotal role it played during the colonial and apartheid eras.
"President Museveni also reminisced about the Lesotho of old, even asking about individuals that he knows from here, enquiring if they were still around. That says Lesotho is reclaiming the recognition and respect it enjoyed from the international community."
Testimony to the respect and recognition Lesotho was reclaiming from its friends, Mr Tau said, was the calibre of visitors who had come into the country last week Friday, for the recent bicentennial and 58th independence celebrations.
"We had former presidents, deputy-presidents, the UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, among others. But what people did not notice, I think, was the number of ambassadors from different countries, including those from Thailand, UK and Japan, who had attended the celebrations."
As such, Lesotho was once again gaining recognition as a country and "no longer perceived as some little country within another, there in the southern tip of Africa".
Mr Matekane had also awakened Basotho's desire to want to contribute meaningfully to their country including reviving aggressive agriculture, he said.
"I am in agriculture myself, planting a lot of maize and beans while keeping lots of livestock. I mean, when I drive around the country, I see that people are eager to go to the fields. Because that's what the PM has been motivating people to do," he noted.
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Mr Matekane had also "pushed a lot to ensure that there's visible change especially when it comes to infrastructure".
"I know that the people in Maseru can see that roads are being repaired and built. But they should just go out there to the rural areas, to witness how access roads to villages, that were either not usable or non-existent, are now accessible. Bridges that had been washed away by rains or were neglected, are now being constructed while others have been completed," he said.
"There is a lot that the PM has done. He is one person who has led by example and Basotho are proud of him."
Asked if Mr Matekane's government was conscious of Basotho's needs, Mr Tau said they had specific programs intended to "respond directly to people's needs, to ease people's socio-economic pressures, eradicate poverty and address the basic needs of especially the poor rural populace".
Through the Sebabatso youth project, Mr Tau noted, the PM had "pushed" to ensure that Basotho youth became part of the international arena.
Sebabatso is Premier Matekane's initiative for youth empowerment. It is described as a visionary approach designed to overcome the economic challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, incorporating a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy, through collaboration with key government ministries, private sector stakeholders, civil society, and potential investors.
