(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU -COMMISSIONER Holomo Molibeli has threatened to come down hard on the Lesotho Police Staff Association (Leposa)'s leadership for allegedly destabilising the police.
Commissioner Molibeli accuses the Leposa leaders of waging a political war against him and fanning discontent in the police service.
The Commissioner said he will not hesitate to discipline the officers behind the alleged plot to instigate mutiny against his leadership.
The threat comes barely a week after Leposa asked Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro to fire Commissioner Molibeli for allegedly ignoring court orders.
Leposa is the closest the police have to a union. Although it describes itself as an association for legal purposes, Leposa operates like a trade union in fighting for the rights of police officers.
Its aggressive nature has however routinely brought it on a collision course with the police management.
Leposa also wants Majoro to instruct Commissioner Molibeli to suspend Deputy Commissioner Paseka Mokete who faces a charge of sexual assault of one Inspector Mphetho.
Irked by the call for his removal, Commissioner Molibeli dispatched a memo threatening to 'take heavy legal measures to discipline and bring under control such members'.
'Those members of police are advised to refrain from those tendencies,' the Commissioner said in the memo on Monday.
He said Leposa members were hiding behind the association's name while 'they publish lies and drag the name of LMPS in the mud'.
The Commissioner management is embarrassed that the Leposa leadership is using names of prominent people in the country like the Prime Minister to fight its battles.
'They are now destabilising the country,' he said, adding that they 'have embarked on an open rebellion against police management'.
Several sources close to the matter told thepost on Tuesday that some senior Leposa officials might soon be arrested for mutiny.
The sources say the management is also thinking of arresting ordinary members of Leposa who are believed to be ringleaders.
'Watch the space because something is likely to happen soon. Some guys will be arrested here and charged with mutiny,' the source said.
The purge appears to have already started because Lance Sergeant Motseki, one of the Leposa leaders, received a letter from the management.
In the letter, written on Monday, the management accuses Lance Sergeant Motseki of making false accusations against her bosses.
The allegation wells from Lance Sergeant Motseki's remarks at a colleague's funeral in Mafeteng earlier this month.
The management alleges that Lance Sergeant Motseki told mourners that 'for one to be promoted in the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (one) has to commit a crime'.
That statement was intended to tarnish the police's reputation, the management said.
Lance Sergeant Motseki is also accused of saying one Senior Inspector 'Mabasotho Putsoane was transferred from Thamae Police Station to Sefikeng only because she opened a criminal case against the former first lady.
The management also alleges that she sensationalised DCP Mokete's sexual assault case.
'Your utterances were meant to assassinate a character of the police officer,' the letter said. 'You have shown in no uncertain terms that he sexually assaulted Inspector Mphetho.'
'You made this statement despite the fact that the case in question is yet to be determined before the courts of law whether the accused person indeed sexually assaulted the complainant.'
The management said Motseki implied that the police leadership is 'unethical and incompetent'.
'Your utterances at the said funeral taken holistically amount to only one conclusion that it was meant to subvert the good order, discipline and lawful authority and thereby bringing the police service into disrepute.'
Lance Sergeant Motseki has been given seven days to explain why disciplinary action cannot be taken against her, failing which she will 'have waived your right to make required representation'.
The Leposa spokesman, Constable Motlatsi Mofokeng, said they are 'surprised by the allegation that we destabilise the police institution'.
Constable Mofokeng said Commissioner Molibeli should not deal with them as individuals but as officials of Leposa 'because we represent the association'.
He said Leposa is a juristic person and can be sued in its own name.
He said whatever they said in their capacity as Leposa representatives should not be viewed as their personal opinions.
Constable Mofokeng said they want Prime Minister Majoro's intervention because the police management ignores court orders.
'Promotions must be done according to the law,' Police Constable Mofokeng said.
'All the court decisions must be implemented by the Commissioner of Police but they refuse to do so.'
He said Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has also criticised the police management for ignoring court orders.
Constable Mofokeng said they also met the new police minister to introduce themselves and tell her about their grievances against the management.
He said they hope to meet the minister again this week for further discussions.
This is not the first time LEPOSA has asked a prime minister to intervene in their battles with the management.
They did the same under former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.
The newly formed police's bargaining association also accused Commissioner Molibeli of ignoring their invitation to meet so that they can introduce their new leadership to him.
Commissioner Molibeli was once Leposa's secretary general.
Nkheli Liphoto
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