Both of Tom Thabane’s terms as prime minister began with a great deal of hope, but both ended in negotiations with emissaries from South Africa and votes of no confidence led by former coalition allies.
The party he began, the All Basotho Convention , has reached a deal with most of the other parties in Parliament to remove Thabane and elevate his finance minister, Moeketsi Majoro, to the top office.
after elections, but also paved the way for legislative gridlock and too-frequent elections based on petty coalition squabbles rather than shifting popular opinion.Thabane started his career as a civil servant during the long one-party rule of Leabua Jonathan, who governed the country from independence in 1966 until 1986. In 1972 he became the principal secretary for justice, moving on to health, foreign affairs and interior.
In addition to his time in government, Thabane also started a consulting business that is active in Lesotho and South Africa. Thabane has also become something of an avatar for the state of democracy in Lesotho.
Thabane was an early innovator within Lesotho’s political system and his organisational ability was impressive. He was the driving force in the formation of the breakaway ABC in 2006, which was the first large-scale political party split in post-Mokhehle Lesotho. The most remarkable aspect of all of this was how many times Thabane appeared poised to head off into retirement, but then refused to relinquish the helm of the ABC, with his rivals unable to oust him.
Tom Thabane’s long years in government, and his wide range of experience on both sides of the border positioned him well to understand and take advantage of the spaces opened up by the bureaucratic expansion required by the international development industry. Whether or not a new generation of leaders will change the development outcomes for poor and otherwise vulnerable Basotho remains to be seen.
Child Grants are currently too small to provide true household support; they are paid quarterly and are capped at R3,000/family per year. The size of the grant should be expanded. Second, the fato-fato programme, a temporary employment scheme that focuses on small infrastructure projects, should be expanded.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Still no Covid-19 in Lesotho after 48 suspected cases test negativeHealth Minister Nkaku Kabi said 48 samples that were sent for testing at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in South Africa came back negative.
Read more »
Lesotho’s coalition government led by Thomas Thabane collapsesThabane must step down next week as new coalition forms
Read more »
Tom Thabane to ‘quit on Wednesday’ as Lesotho’s prime ministerLesotho's embattled prime minister has told AFP he intends to hand in his resignation on Wednesday, a move that could help resolve a long-running political crisis in the tiny kingdom.
Read more »
Lesotho embattled PM 'will quit on Wednesday'The prime minister said he expected to submit the letter on Wednesday but did not give a precise date.
Read more »
Light snow falls in Lesotho as cooler Thursday looms for GautengA slight taste of winter looms for the highveld this week after an unusually mild end to Autumn so far this year.
Read more »
Lesotho confirms first Covid-19 caseThe country is still waiting for 301 results.
Read more »