…acting police commissioner replaces former boss, Molibeli who has been retired
Staff Writer
MASERU, Lesotho – Prime Minister Sam Matekane has appointed Mahlape Morai the acting Commissioner of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS).
Morai’s appointment follows the retirement of former incumbent, Holomo Molibeli.
A statement from the Matekane’s office last night said the appointment was “in recognition of the end of term of service of the Commissioner of Police (COMPOL) Holomo Molibeli on the 23rd of February 2024”.
Acting police commissioner will be in place for the next three months
Until Friday’s appointment, Morai was deputy police commissioner and will be acting commissioner for the next three months.
The appointment was made during a ceremony held at the State House in Maseru.
Matekane told guests during the ceremony that he was grateful to Molibeli “for steering the ship until his last day in office”.
The statement said Matekane “expressed appreciation that COMPOL has made himself available and collaborative to the current administration”.
Acting police commissioner and her charges should desist from partisan politics
He also appealed to the leadership of the police service to desist from partisan politics because that will only serve to divide the service and wished Molibeli “well in his future endeavours and reiterated that his skills and knowledge” would forever be cherished and needed.
“In response, COMPOL Molibeli thanked the opportunity to have served Basotho in this capacity, the statement said.
Molibeli lauded Matekane’s administration for bringing “harmony” within the police service.
“I have been in the Lesotho Mounted Police Service for 36 years, seven of which I have been in the leadership, and I have served under different administrations. I have not had the experience similar to the one I had with this current authority. We have not seen the administration attempting to bring undue political influence within the service, that indeed brought some degree of unity and harmony among ourselves, giving the police service a stability that is required to combat crime,” Molibeli said.
Matekane urges police command to support acting police commissioner
After announcing Morai’s appointment, Matekane urged police leadership to afford her support to enable her to curb the rampant crime in Lesotho.
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He said his government had responded to calls for resources by beefing up the police’s fleet. The move had resulted in a positive impact on crime reduction in the kingdom. He also promised to allocate more resources to the police force in the 2024/25 financial year starting on 1 April.
The newly minted Acting Commissioner, Morai, thanked Matekane for the opportunity and promised to unite the LMPS members to fight crime. Under her command, the LMPS would need to understand causes and of crime in Lesotho for an effective response, she said.
Lesotho has in the past witnessed tumultuous change in the police command but Matekane said for the first time, Basotho should publicly witness the smooth and peaceful transition in the LMPS. As a result, there would be a public handover of power on 29 February 2024 at the Police Training College (PTC) in Maseru, the statement said.
