…Ha Motloheloa female initiation owner, Likeleko Mokoena, tells hospital officials the mother is dead; father later threatens legal action against both women.

24 November 2025 by Pascalinah Kabi

A baby boy from Ha Motloheloa is fighting for his life at the Maseru Regional Hospital after his mother allegedly left him behind at just two weeks old to be initiated at a school owned by Likeleko Mokoena in Ha Motloheloa, Maseru. The mother, identified only as Malerato, is believed to be HIV positive. The baby’s HIV status remains unknown.

Mokoena told Uncensored News on November 24, 2025, that the child was admitted to hospital on Saturday, November 22, 2025. She, however, refused to share her full account of the incident, saying those who informed Uncensored News about the matter approached her in a manner that did not make her comfortable enough to respond.

Listen to the November 24, 2025 interview with Mokoena here.

According to audio recordings between Mokoena and the baby’s father, Mokoena admitted to lying to hospital officials because, “I felt that telling the truth — that the mother is at the initiation school — would get me into serious trouble.”

She confirmed to Uncensored News that she told hospital staff the mother had died because she wanted the baby to receive help.

In the audios, Mokoena further stated: “Another problem is that the mother was also sick where she is. I did not know how to handle this issue… I told the hospital people she is dead, and when they asked about your whereabouts (the father), I said I do not know you. I was trying to wangle my way out because I was under difficult questioning. We are admitted at the hospital.”

Meanwhile, a source close to the matter told Uncensored News that the 21-year-old mother left for initiation when the baby boy was just two weeks old, reportedly under sustained pressure from Mokoena.

“Mokoena promised the mother that she would look after the baby. When she later took the child to the clinic, nurses complained about the baby’s deteriorating health, insisting the mother present herself because the child was malnourished and anaemic,” the source said.

Realising the gravity of the situation, Mokoena allegedly took the baby boy to the father’s relatives in Teyateyaneng, Berea. The father works informally in South Africa. The father’s family reportedly refused to accept the baby and instructed her to return with the child.
“I suspect she took the baby there because she feared the baby might die,” the source, who requested anonymity, added.

According to Ha Motloheloa Chief Mahao Lebakeng, a newly nursing mother—who is related to Mokoena—is currently staying at Mokoena’s home because she is also attending the initiation school. “The newly nursing mother is at the initiation school. Thank you for alerting me; I will go and see what is happening there,” the chief said.