Lesotho- Majoro says shocked by crowd at funeral

(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU -PRIME Minister Moeketsi Majoro says he was surprised and shocked when he saw on TV a huge crowd at the funeral service of Major General Metsing Lekhanya and his wife last week.
The crowd, which included senior government officials, was in clear violation of COVID-19 regulations.

Majoro told the nation on Tuesday that he had directly instructed workers in his office to ensure that Covid-19 regulations are observed at the funeral.
'I was only taken aback when I saw the funeral on TV,' Majoro said.
He said he suggested that King Letsie III and he should give their eulogies virtually because he was aware of the importance of avoiding crowds, especially at funerals.

Majoro did not say what action he will take against the ministers and senior government officials.
The government has stipulated that only 20 people should attend funeral services. That number is inclusive of family members, the officiating cleric and 10 village men who are tasked with digging the grave.
There were an estimated 150 people at Major General Lekhanya's state funeral.

Those in attendance included Deputy Prime Minister Mathibeli Mokhothu, who was the most senior official, Communications Minister Thesele 'Maseribane, the army and police senior officers.
The Prime Minister's spokesman, Buddha Moseme, was not forthcoming as to what action Majoro was planning to take on the matter.

Meanwhile, a group of youths approached the police with the intention of opening a case against government officials who attended the funeral.
One of them, Kananelo Boloetse, told thepost that they were required to write statements and come two days later, which was yesterday, to get feedback.

'This morning we were called to the police and we were told that they could not open a case because, after consulting their own legal department, they were advised that there was no case,' Boloetse said.
'They told us that their legal department said this was a state funeral and therefore no law was broken, there is no case,' he said.

A local lawyer, Advocate Letuka Molati, said: 'This is the most stupid interpretation of the law I have ever heard since I became a lawyer.'
Advocate Molati said the law applies to everyone irrespective of their status in society.
Meanwhile, another group of youths wrote to Majoro giving him a seven-day ultimatum to charge his deputy Mokhothu and government officials who attended the funeral or else they will protest.

In their letter they likened Lesotho with a fictional Animal Farm society where the law said all animals were equal but some were more equal than others.
'Are the Public Health Regulations 2021 meant to be observed by some only while they do not apply to others?' they asked in their letter.
They asked if the regulations 'applied only to the ruled and not the rulers'.

The youths compared Major General Lekhanya's funeral with the Roman Catholic's prominent cleric, Reverend Gerald Tlaba OMI, whose funeral was a small event held in Mazenod.
'All those who knew him wanted to go to his funeral to pay homage and offer condolences but because of their observance of the laws set by the rulers to reduce the rate of Covid-19 infections, they did not,' the youths said.

Staff Reporter

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