(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – THE Basotho National Party (BNP) Women's League chairperson, Nokoli Hloloane, and two other senior members have defected to the Alliance of Democrats (AD) over the weekend.
The two senior officials are 'Matšoanelo Phailana who was the deputy secretary-general for Quthing district and Elijah Rampai from Kolo constituency in Mafeteng.
They left to join the AD last Friday and were welcomed by the AD leader Monyane Moleleki.
Moleleki told the new members to feel at home adding that he knows the strength the three new members will bring to the party.
“We used to be afraid of you but now we have strength because you are with us,” Moleleki said.
He urged the new members to adapt quickly to their party ways of doing things and hit the ground running.
He said the three will be part of the new incoming government“if you adapt and help us”.
Moleleki told the members to respect other political parties“because unlike others we are a party of the people”.
He assured Hloloane that he is accepted together with her position as a women's league chairman.
He said members should accept the new members and never call them names as they are new in the party.
The AD deputy leader, Professor Ntoi Rapapa, said the new members“are new but not new in politics therefore they should be welcomed and respected by others”.
Professor Rapapa said they have been successful in taking Jacob Vuyisile from Sebapala constituency and Joang Molapo, the former BNP deputy leader, from Maputsoe.
“We have big people who we are welcoming, they will help us with the numbers,” Professor Rapapa said.
He said their dream is to multiply and triple the numbers they already have now.
Hloloane said she is happy to join the AD.
“It was a long journey, it did not start now,” Hloloane said.
She said she will be humble and follow the party's constitution.
Hloloane promised to work hard and grow the party not only in her constituency but throughout Lesotho.
She said the AD members should ask themselves why she left the BNP yet she had a good position.
“We will work hard to get to 2022 so that the AD is not at the mercy of other parties to get into government,” Hloloane said.
The BNP leader Machesetsa Mofomobe said he is not happy that he is losing members to other parties but added that he too is poaching from others.
“It hurts to see some of our members defecting to other parties, especially the BNP women's league chairperson who was very instrumental in the party,” Mofomobe said.
“In politics, people defect to other parties, it is nothing unusual.”
“My job is to fetch the BNP members to rejoin the party and others to defect from their parties to join the BNP.”
Mofomobe said he is“very much hurt by Vuyisile's defection too”.
“I was in Roma and Machache where I received new members, this coming weekend I will be receiving others in Khubetsoana,” he said.
Meanwhile, 'Malichaba Lekhoaba's United For Change (UFC)'s Tsikoane constituency chairman, Monare Makharilele, has defected together with 300 members to the Basotho Action Party (BAP).
Accepting the new members at Tsikoane on Sunday, the BAP leader Professor Nqosa Mahao thanked his working committee for embarking on a door-to-door campaign to recruit members.
Professor Mahao said elections are fast approaching and urged members to recruit more supporters“because we seriously want to form government after the coming elections”.
He said the government is not doing enough to combat the killings in the country adding that they went to Maputsoe where an old woman was killed by a boy who later raped her corpse.
Professor Mahao said the government does not have any strategies in place to eradicate all the problems faced by Basotho all over the country.
“By joining the BAP you choose the future of this country,” he said.
“At least we should have 3 500 per constituency for us to win the coming elections.”
Nkheli Liphoto
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