(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 November 1998, the office of the weekly newspaper, “MoAfrika”, was broken into. A senior reporter at the paper, Rabuka Chalatse, arrived at the office to begin the day’s work and found the doors and desk drawers wide open. The administrative secretary arrived shortly thereafter and discovered that money which had been […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 November 1998, the office of the weekly newspaper,
“MoAfrika”, was broken into. A senior reporter at the paper, Rabuka
Chalatse, arrived at the office to begin the day’s work and found the doors
and desk drawers wide open. The administrative secretary arrived shortly
thereafter and discovered that money which had been due to be deposited at
the local bank was missing. “When I found the door open, I thought that
maybe the secretary had already arrived and had popped out to other offices.
But I became suspicious when I saw all the desk drawers open and decided not
to touch anything,” Chalatse told the Media Institute of Lesotho (MILES).
**Updates IFEX alerts of 3 November, 1 October, 9 July and 27 January 1998,
2 September and 11 March 1997**
Cash totaling R3,000 (US$510) and cheques from advertisers totaling R3,840
(US$650) were taken by the intruders. The matter has been reported to the
police and investigations are said to be underway.
Background Information
This is the latest in a series of attacks on “MoAfrika” and its editor,
Candi Ramainoane, spanning two years. In 1996, the offices of “MoAfrika”
were broken into by people known to be supporters of Lesotho’s former Prime
Minister, Ntsu Mokhehle. No action was taken by police despite the
perpetrators having been positively identified.
In 1997, Ramainoane’s home was attacked by five men, who also made an
attempt to steal his car. The attackers escaped before they could be
apprehended by the police. Police investigations into this incident have not
produced anything. All through this period, Ramainoane has also been the
recipient of several death threats warning him against the critical stance
adopted by his paper.
On 22 September this year, the “MoAfrika” offices were burnt to the ground
during an urban rebellion in the capital, Maseru, in reaction to the
invasion of Lesotho by the South African armed forces. The newspaper ‘s
offices and equipment were completely destroyed. Several other local
newspapers suffered the same fate. The looting and burning which
characterised the rebellion seriously affected the independent press. Many
local newspapers are on the verge of total collapse. “MoAfrika” is one of
them. This latest attack on the paper has compounded an already desperate
situation, especially considering the newspaper has yet to receive financial
assistance to enable it to pick up the pieces.
