There is vernacular adage which goes “ho tšaba lehala, ho mathela moratheng” which loosely translates to failing to (because of fear) face one’s true adversaries and choosing instead a lesser and often undeserving self-made enemy to fight. The expression is used to describe a situation whence one dodges wearing the hat which fits and instead opts for a smaller one which they force in because they want things easy, and to stroke their ego.
The little yet big and quite concerning situation seen at play this week whence the police renewed their adversity and or reign of terror on the civilian relaunched this week, is epitome to the adage. It brought to remembrance one story told in satire street about how different police services from the different countries were being tested for operational prowess by finding a monkey from inside a forest.
It is said that the different police forces, dependent on their degree of intelligence had taken time commensurate with their acumen to investigate and find the monkey who had vanished into the dense forest. Then, eventually, it was the turn of our police to go an investigate and come out with the monkey and, like the other forces, win the prize. After disappearing into the forest for what looked like forever, the examiners decided to go and check what the matter was, and to their shock found that our police were beating the hell out of a rabbit asking him to confess to being a monkey!
The little illustrated analogy is almost like what has been happening in the past few days and probably in the next few where police have opted to drop like a ton of bricks onto the media because they have simply failed to do the job they are tax-payer remunerated to do. The police have chosen to run away from their issues and instill into the masses, starting with the media fear and an air of censorship, thus standing it the way of freedom of expression and of the media.
First they way-laid a worker from one of the local radio stations whom they round-up before dropping him at one of their bases where they proceeded to ask him preposterous questions whose answers should better be known by them before proceeding to torture him. Then they were at it again going for another local radio where they began interrogating a journalist and his boss.
Their sin? Talking to LEPOSA Publicity Officer Motlatsi Mofokeng whom apparently they are looking for. Now instead of utilizing their skills to investigate and find him.
Commissioner of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) Holomo Molibeli and the Public Relations Officer of the Lesotho Police Staff Association (LEPOSA) Motlatsi Mofokeng say that some 159 guns worth M1 431 000.00 have been reported missing from the police records.
Taking different turns at different instances, the duo says that the guns have gone missing and that no one has been held liable to account for their disappearance as well as the over M1.4 million in respect of their sale at the hands of LEPOSA.
However, each blames the other for being complicit in the scheme meant to import the firearms and sell them to police officers in the country particularly members of LEPOSA.
While Molibeli blames LEPOSA for illegally trading in firearms without due licensing, hence police calling-in its leadership (including the President and other executives) for questioning to shed more light on the missing weapons, Mofokeng sees the move as double-standards by the cops’ chief since the scheme was in fact orchestrated by Molibeli during his tenure as LEPOSA President.
Dear LMPS, Lesotho is not a police state so please do the right thing and leave media alone!!!
