An Ethiopian man who paid M40 000 to a woman who had accused him of rape has been blocked from leaving Lesotho on Sunday. The police intercepted Langano Meleselambedo just as he was about to board the plane at Moshoeshoe I International Airport. Meleselambedo’s troubles started two weeks ago when a woman who works as a cleaner at a camp in Polihali accused him of rape. Meleselambedo, who is a senior expatriate at a company working on the Polihali project, was arrested but didn’t appear in court. Instead, he offered to pay his victim M40 000 to drop the case. Negotiations were before the area c ..read more

Customers should brace themselves for more pain next week. Lesotho Flour Mills has announced a 15 percent price hike on all maize products with effect from Monday. The hike comes less than a month after the country’s biggest milling company announced a seven percent price increase on mealie-meal and Samp, which are all basic commodities. Chief executive Fourie Du Plessis told customers in his latest statement that the adjustment is due to a further surge in the price of raw white maize. Du Plessis said there had been a 39 percent increase in the price of raw white maize between January 31 and ..read more

Eight teams will battle it out for M350,000 in total prize money when the Nedbank 8 roars into life this weekend at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. The money is an M100,000 increase on last year’s sponsorship and the benefactors are the top eight teams from the just concluded A-Division league campaign – Mzamane, Kick4Life, Lilemela and Maroala from the north stream and Majantja, Swallows, Members and Qoaling Highlanders from the South. The Nedbank 8 will start at the quarterfinal stage on Saturday and Sunday where teams from the same stream have been kept apart in the draw, and the knockout comp ..read more

FIVE people were shot dead at a home in Fobane last Saturday night in what is suspected to have been a revenge attack linked to famo gangs involved in illegal gold mining in South Africa. Two of the victims are relatives while the other three worked for the family. The family’s four vehicles were also torched. The police say the assailants were looking for the family head, a 38-year-old man who was not at home during the attack. The head chief of Fobane, Motsarapane Molapo, told thepost that the family head is an illegal miner in South Africa. thepost has been told that the attack in Fobane co ..read more

THE commission of inquiry into the breakout at the Maseru Correctional facility last December will cost a staggering M2 million. The budget allocation was revealed by Law Minister Richard Ramoeletsi in parliament on Monday. High Court judge Justice Realeboha Mathaba, former Deputy Prime Minister Kelebone Maope, and ex-Commissioner of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) Mojalefa Thulo, have been sworn in as commissioners. Justice Mathaba is the chairman. The gazette establishing the commission says it will investigate, appraise and evaluate the circumstances that led to the escape of the inm ..read more

THE Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Thabo Moleko, says cohesion among key stakeholders is critical to the revival of the textile sector. Moleko was speaking at two consultative meetings held this week as part of the Expanding Enterprises Participation in Textile and Clothing Global Value Chain project. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the technical partners in the project, coordinated meetings. The consultations are a critical step towards addressing the concerns and priorities of employers an ..read more

It’s crunch time in the Vodacom Premier League this weekend as the top teams collide and by Sunday evening there could be serious implications on the title race. The game of the weekend is on Sunday when second placed Matlama will face third-placed Bantu at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. Earlier in the day, league leaders Lioli battle it out with Linare who are fourth. Linare’s chances of winning the league are now over, but they would love nothing more than to dash their neighbours’ title hopes just as they dented Matlama’s plans with a goalless draw on Sunday in Maputsoe. It is a draw that Mat ..read more

THE people of Fobane are mourning five people brutally murdered last Saturday. The suspects are still at large but the gory incident bears the hallmarks of a famo gang-related attack. Precisely, the police suspect the killings are linked to famo gangs involved in illegal gold mining in South Africa. That these murders could be linked to famo gangs is not a discovery. The gangs have left a trail of carnage in villages across the country. The tit-for-tat murders have escalated over the years. Yet, curiously, the number of suspects arrested and convicted has not increased at the same pace. Hundre ..read more

BUSINESSES at Maseru Mall are still counting their losses after Monday’s hailstorm damaged their equipment and stock. The storm damaged the mall’s roof and flooded several shops. Some parts of the ceiling collapsed. Although some shops reopened on Tuesday, some businesses say it might be days before they resume operations. Some fear it could take months to recover from the damage to their stock and several days without business. Most businesses are still waiting for assessment reports from their insurance companies but say they believe the damage is substantial. Game, Jet, Mr Price, Ackerman’s ..read more

TWO trade unions representing workers at Polihali Dam construction site have turned on each other. Instead of fighting for better pay and conditions for members, the Construction, Mining, Quarrying and Allied Workers (CMQ) and the Lesotho Workers Association (LEWA) are locked in a nasty battle that could be linked to a fight over membership. CMQ alleges that LEWA officials intimidated its members who wanted to vote for a proposed strike against companies working at Polihali Dam. CMQ also accuses LEWA’s secretary general, Hlalefang Seoaholimo, of conflict of interest which it says renders him u ..read more