Monyane Moleleki

Monyane Moleleki (born 5 January 1951) is a Lesotho politician who held various ministerial portfolios beginning in the 1990s. As a leading figure in the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), Moleleki was Minister of Natural Resources from 1993 to 1994, Minister of Information from 1996 to 1998, Minister of Natural Resources from 1998 to 2004, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2007, and Minister of Natural Resources from 2007 to 2012. After breaking with the LCD, Moleleki has served as Deputy Leader of the Democratic Congress, and he has been Minister of Police since 2015.

Political career

Appointed to the government as Minister of National Resources in 1993, Moleleki was briefly kidnapped along with three other ministers by soldiers on April 14, 1994; another minister, Deputy Prime Minister Selometsi Baholo, was killed in this incident.[1] Police then went on strike in May 1994, and Moleleki resigned and left the country for Botswana, saying that he thought he was likely to be targeted for assassination next.[2] In March 1995 he returned to Lesotho and was detained by members of the National Security Service on March 29.[3] He was elected deputy secretary general of the governing Basutoland Congress Party at a party conference in March 1996.[4] In December 1996 he became Minister of Information and Broadcasting following the death of the previous minister, Pakane Khala, in November,[5] and in June 1998 he was again appointed Minister of Natural Resources.[6]

After serving for several years as Minister of Natural Resources, Moleleki became Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2004[7] and served in that position until March 2007, when he became Minister of Natural Resources again.[8]

He was said to have been shot and wounded in the arm in an attack at his home at night on January 29, 2006.[9][10] Some say "o thuntsoe ka thipa" meaning he was "shot with a knife". He has said that the attack was politically motivated.

Moleleki was viewed by some as a possible candidate to eventually take over from Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.

He is also known as Mahaletere because of his halter like beard and mustache.

References

  1. ↑ "Deputy Prime Minister Murdered by Army Faction", Summary of Events in Lesotho, 2nd quarter 1994, trc.org.ls.
  2. ↑ "Lesotho Police on Strike", Summary of Events in Lesotho, 2nd quarter 1994, trc.org.ls.
  3. ↑ "National Security Service ‘Ninjas’ Act with Impunity", Summary of Events in Lesotho, 2nd quarter 1995, trc.org.ls.
  4. ↑ "Annual Conference of the BCP", Summary of Events in Lesotho, 1st quarter 1996, trc.org.ls.
  5. ↑ "Deaths of Parliamentarians; New Senators Appointed", Summary of Events in Lesotho, 4th quarter 1996, trc.org.ls.
  6. ↑ "Appointment of New Cabinet", Summary of Events in Lesotho, Volume 5, Number 2, 2nd quarter 1998, trc.org.ls.
  7. ↑ "Major Cabinet Reshuffle Announced", Summary of Events in Lesotho - 4th quarter 2004, trc.org.ls.
  8. ↑ "Lesotho’s new cabinet comprises former ministers", African Press Agency, March 3, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Gunmen attack foreign minister's home", Reuters, January 30, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Moleleki Shooting Incident Repercussions Continue", Summary of Events in Lesotho - Second Quarter 2006, trc.org.ls.
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