Lesotho

(MISA/IFEX) – On 13 February 2007, MISA confirmed that several journalists in Lesotho are being inundated with anonymous threatening calls, and accusations that they are at the forefront of a campaign to cause confusion in the country and within the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). The targeted journalists, Thabo Thakalekoala and Adam Lekhoada of […]

(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about attempts to intimidate leading political journalist Thabo Thakalekoala, who was recently elected president of the regional press freedom organisation, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). Since he covered a split in the ruling party for several international media, he and his family have received daily […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) correspondent in Lesotho, Thabo Thakalekoala, who is also the regional chairperson of MISA, has been inundated with threatening anonymous calls that complain about his reporting, ever since the former minister of communications, Tom Thabane, defected from the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) to form the All […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The editor-in-chief of the fortnightly Lesotho Police Service tabloid “Leseli Ka Sepolesa”, Clifford Molefe, has been served with a court summons by Mohau Thakaso, the former Lesotho Football Association’s (LEFA) public relations officer, demanding a staggering M3,000,000 (approx. US$422,000) in damages for defamation. Thakaso claims Molefe defamed him in his column which appeared […]

(MISA/IFEX) – “Public Eye” Chief Reporter Khutliso Sekoati has been summoned to appear before the High Court on 4 September 2006 to show cause why his 14 July article in “Public Eye”, titled “Judges in line as targets of corruption”, or portions thereof that are considered to call into question the High Court judges’ integrity, […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On Monday November 7, 2005, Justice Kellelo Guni passed a judgment in the High Court of Lesotho against the English-language weekly newspaper “Public Eye”, the largest publication in Lesotho. The ruling, which awarded the plaintiff Lebohang Thotanyana 1.5 million maloti (approx. US$222,000) in damages for alleged defamation, was passed in the absence of […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Lesotho has acted decisively to ensure that public and private media have equal access to public information about the upcoming Commonwealth Speakers’ Conference in Lesotho starting on 2 November 2005. On 31 October, media houses in Maseru – which include the Lesotho Defence Force Public Relations […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 11 July 2005, the phone-in talk show programme “Lijo’a Ke Baeti”, broadcast on Catholic Radio (CR) FM, was interrupted by anonymous callers who threatened one of the guests on the programme, Matlama Football Club Public Relations Officer Thabo Thakalekoala, vowing to kill him for “talking too much”. Thakalekoala and Lesotho Defence Force […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On the morning of 30 June 2005, Masupha Jobo, presenter of the phone-in talk show “Lijo’a Ke Baeti”, broadcast on Catholic Radio (CR) FM, and the station’s manager, Sister Clementine Thatho, received threatening calls in connection with the programme that Jobo was hosting that day. The programme focused on the issue of the […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 21 March 2005, “Public Eye” editor-in-chief Bethuel Thai and journalist Khutliso Sekoati were summoned to appear before Lesotho’s chief magistrate, Molefi Makara, in connection with an article published in the newspaper’s 18 to 24 March edition, entitled, “R350,000 [approx. US$56,600] seized at airport”. Thai and Sekoati, who are former MISA-Lesotho national directors, […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 March 2005, representatives of the English-language weekly “The Mirror” appeared before the High Court on civil defamation charges relating to a July 2003 article published in the paper. The newspaper’s sub-editor, Handsome Tlali Caswell, is the second defendant in the case and author of the article over which the plaintiff, Moeketse […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 25 February 2005, the editor of the weekly tabloid “Moeletsi oa Basotho”, Francis Khoaripe, was threatened by two officials of the Lesotho Catholic Bishop’s Conference (LCBC) for allegedly defaming them in an article published in that day’s edition of the paper. “I will beat you severely if I see you at any […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The weekly Sesotho-language tabloid “Setsomi Sa Litaba”, a sister publication of the weekly English-language newspaper “The Mirror”, faces possible closure due to a judgment that was passed against it in a civil defamation suit. The judgment in favour of the plaintiff, Makhostso Tlali, was passed by Justice Nthomeng Majara in the High Court […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Since 6 October 2004, MISA’s Lesotho chapter has been denied access to state-owned radio and television to comment on media law reform and to advocate changes to national radio and television. MISA-Lesotho had requested a slot on “Seboping”, state-owned Radio Lesotho’s current affairs phone-in programme. The organisation had hoped to sensitise the public […]

(MISA/IFEX) – During the week of 13 to 17 September 2004, managers of the weekly Sesotho-language tabloid “Setsomi Sa Litaba” appeared in court four times to respond to a civil defamation charge for an article published in the14 April edition of the paper. “Setsomi Sa Litaba” is a sister publication of the English-language weekly “Mirror”. […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 September 2004, Justice Maqelepo, a local freelance journalist, was severely assaulted by members of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) and municipal constables of the Maseru City Council (MCC) in the central business district of the capital, Maseru. At approximately 10:30 a.m. (local time), Maqelepo was making his way to the […]