—After he penned letter to US Secretary of State Rubio
Mohloai Mpesi
THE government is angry with Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, after he wrote to the United States government claiming Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s coalition was lying that it was making it easy for American companies to do business in Lesotho.
In a letter dated 22 April 2025, addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr Mofomobe questioned Lesotho’s transparency and credibility.
The BNP leader accused Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Lejone Mpotjoane, of misrepresenting facts in his own 4 April 2025 correspondence to the US government.
The letter, which Mr Mpotjoane never made public but whose ‘draft’ Mr Mofomobe claims to have, is part of ongoing efforts by Lesotho to engage the US in discussions aimed at reducing the 50 percent tariffs that have been imposed on its exports, a move that could significantly impact the country’s economy, particularly its textile and apparel sector.
Mr Mofomobe’s letter comes as the government is poised to meet with US representatives today (24 April 2025) in South Africa to discuss these tariffs.
According to Mr Mofomobe, Mr Mpotjoane sought to portray a Lesotho’s cooperative stance with American businesses, particularly in sectors such as renewable energy. However, Mr Mofomobe claims that this narrative is misleading and fails to reflect the challenges faced by American companies attempting to do business in Lesotho.
“The Minister’s letter is interspersed with undertakings and attestations of facilitation of ease of doing business for American companies in Lesotho and/or witnessing of actualization of the same at the time of writing, which are simply contradicted by reality on the ground,” Mr Mofomobe said.
This opposition party leader said there were specific examples, including the frustrations experienced by American renewable energy firm, 1Power, and the unsuccessful efforts of construction giant, Marriott International, to build a hotel in Lesotho.
According to Mr Mofomobe, 1Power had faced continuous roadblocks despite meeting all procedural requirements to commence its operations in Lesotho. In stark contrast, he said, two Chinese firms had been granted entry into the market under “questionable circumstances”, which he argues undermines the integrity of the investment climate in the country.
“This is an egregious example of how the Lesotho government is prioritizing foreign investment from countries that disregard proper procedures over those from the United States,” Mr Mofomobe said.
Furthermore, Mr Mofomobe challenged Mr Mpotjoane’s claims regarding the Marriott hotel deal. Mr Mofomobe contends that the Public Officers’ Defined Contribution Pension Fund (PODCPF) Board of Trustees had voted to cancel the hotel investment coined Maseru Hotel, contradicting Mr Mpotjoane’s assertion of progress in that area.
“Only as late as December 2024, a resolution was passed by the government’s Defined Public Servants Contribution Pension Fund investment committee to block this investment,” Mr Mofomobe continued in his letter, underscoring what he sees as Lesotho’s lack of support for crucial foreign investments.
PODCPF Principal Officer (PO) ‘Mamotlohi Mochebelele, previously told the Lesotho Times that the decision to cancel the M300 million construction of the Maseru Hotel stemmed from the fund’s need to hold 100 percent ownership of the hotel without including external shareholders.
However, building the hotel on the Maseru Racecourse land owned by the royal family, which had been recommended by Mergence Investment Managers Lesotho, would have automatically made His Majesty King Letsie III a shareholder, which did not sit well with the PODCPF. The Lesotho Times also previously reported that the royal family was not keen on selling the land to the PODCPF but would rather join the hotel venture as a partner.
The King is already a shareholder in another PODCPF project, the Maseru Mall, a structure that was built on the same Maseru Racecourse land owned by the royal family.
Nonetheless, Mr Mofomobe declared his support for the government’s efforts to engage the US and avert the imposition of the tariffs, which he acknowledged could have catastrophic consequences for Lesotho’s textile sector, a vital source of employment for thousands of women.
Contacted for comment, Mr Mpotjoane argued that Mr Mofomobe should have approached the government or raised his concerns in Parliament if he was dissatisfied with the government’s approach to trying to reduce the 50 percent US tariffs imposed on Lesotho.
He dismissed Mofomobe as a “nobody” with no authority to interfere in matters of international relations.
“If he has issues, as one of the leaders in Lesotho, he has two platforms: he can approach the government directly or file a motion in Parliament,” Mr Mpotjoane said, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic decorum in international relations.
He further dismissed Mr Mofomobe’s claims regarding his letter to Mr Rubio, suggesting that the BNP leader had misrepresented the content and intent of the correspondence.
Mr Mpotjoane said that Mr Mofomobe, a former deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, should have written such letters during his time in office, “not now”.
“Now, like any other citizen, Mr Mofomobe has two options to address his concerns – approach the current government directly or raise the issues in Parliament as a member,” Mr Mpotjoane said.
Mr Mpotjoane also firmly denied that the letter Mr Mofomobe claimed was written by him was authentic.
“Mr Mofomobe cannot access the letter that I wrote to Mr Rubio. The letter he is claiming to be mine is not my letter. It is his letter, not mine,” Mr Mpotjoane sarcastically said.
Mr Mpotjoane said the actual letter he wrote is in possession of the US Secretary of State.
He accused Mr Mofomobe of trying to “cause instability in Lesotho” and playing politics, urging him to use the proper channels of government and Parliament instead. He also dismissed Mr Mofomobe’s actions as an attempt to engage in political games, stating that Mr Rubio would question “who is this guy” since “Rubio cannot exchange letters with every Mosotho citizen”.
