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25 August 2026 by Pascalinah Kabi

When 65-year-old ‘Mamotšelisi Makoetlane gave her grandchildren two exercise books labelled “NOT FOR SALE”, she never expected to be forced to pay M5,000 after being accused of stealing them.

Each exercise book has a market price of M5, meaning the two books would have cost M10 if purchased. Makoetlane therefore effectively paid M2,500 for each book—an amount that could have covered a month’s groceries for herself and her two grandchildren, aged five and seven.

A receipt issued to Makoetlane and seen by Uncensored News confirms the M5,000 payment and bears what is believed to be a signature of Senqu Primary School principal, Malitšoanelo Phooko.

Makoetlane alleges that Phooko reported her to Ketane Police in Mohale’s Hoek after accusing her of stealing the books and subsequently required her to pay M5,000.

Phooko declined to comment when contacted by Uncensored News and abruptly ended the call.

In a separate interview, police spokesperson Superintendent Thabo Mohai confirmed that Mohale’s Hoek police are investigating the matter after it was reported by the district education department.

“Every time I think of this issue, it gives me a lot of stress. Sometimes I feel like I am a mad person. When my heart gets heavy, I end up going to a doctor for medication so I can manage my pain. This has hit me really hard. I am telling the truth, I did not steal. I gave the money just like that,” Makoetlane told Uncensored News.

The exercise books

On 18 August 2026, Makoetlane told Uncensored News that the exercise books had been given to her grandchildren in 2024, when they were in Grade 1, by their former teacher, ‘Makamohelo Makoetlane, who has since left the school. The teacher and Makoetlane are not related.

“When Madam ‘Makamohelo Makoetlane gave them those exercise books, I kept them safe because they still had exercise books that they were using to write in,” Makoetlane said.

When the children progressed to Grade 2 in 2025, they were taught by ‘Malitšoanelo Phooko, who is also the principal of Senqu Primary School.

On the day Senqu Primary School reopened after the winter break in August 2025, Makoetlane decided to give the children the exercise books.

She alleges that Phooko immediately became suspicious after seeing the two children with the new exercise books and believed they had been stolen from the school.

“It became apparent that ‘m’e Malitšoanelo became suspicious of the two exercise books I had given to my children, but she did not report the matter to the chief, who stays very close to the school. She also did not inform the school board,” Makoetlane said.

Instead, Makoetlane claims Phooko reported the matter to the police, who later wrote to Chief Busa Pata requesting that she report herself to the police.

“The chief, Ntate Busa Pata, called me and read a letter from the police to me. I asked him what was really going on and he said he was not aware of what was happening.”

Makoetlane says Pata promised to make inquiries with the police. She later learnt that Phooko had reported suspected theft of the two exercise books.

“The next day I went to the police and they told me that ‘m’e Malitšoanelo went to them and reported suspected theft of the two exercise books which had not been used by my children, and that there had been theft at the school,” Makoetlane said.

She explained to the police how the children had received the exercise books the previous year.

Makoetlane claims Phooko was informed of her explanation but maintained that when learners are issued exercise books, they immediately start using them.

At the time, the Ketane community was preparing to bury its chief, Bokang Pata. Makoetlane says the police told her the matter would be dealt with after the burial.

Weeks later, in September 2025, Makoetlane was summoned to the police station. She claims that when she arrived, she was threatened with arrest and detention.

“When I arrived, police told me ‘m’e Makamohelo, ‘m’e ‘Malitšoanelo and a former school caterer, ‘m’e Matebello Pata attended a meeting called by the police, a meeting I never knew about. The police demanded why I was not present. I told them I was not aware of such a meeting and asked for a new date so ‘m’e Makamohelo could come and testify on my behalf. They said it was useless because she had already denied the story,” Makoetlane said.

She added: “I told them that I am telling the truth, I did not steal. I did not break in, as I was told there was damage to the school door and its frame. I said, looking at my age, where would I get the strength to break in? They said they did not know, but I had new exercise books.”

Makoetlane claims that during the conversation, one police officer threatened that she would eventually tell the truth because they were going to detain her.

“When I realised that they were going to lock me up and they were not listening to my side of the story, I committed myself to repay for the exercise books. I said to them, I did not steal, but I will pay for them.”

She was later asked to excuse herself and learnt that the police were in contact with Phooko.

Makoetlane says her two daughters-in-law, who had accompanied her to the police station, were told to leave her behind because she had been arrested. She claims the message was relayed by a police officer she identified as Kopeli.

Superintendent Mohai suspects that the officer may have been former police officer Thabo Kopeli, who was dismissed from the Lesotho Mounted Police Service in June 2026 following allegations of involvement in a M100,000 armed robbery.

The M5,000 payment

Makoetlane says that when a police officer returned, she offered to repay for the exercise books rather than risk being detained and leaving her two grandchildren, who are minors, alone.

“Instead of letting my two underage children sleep outside, alone, I vowed to repay these exercise books. They told me ‘m’e Malitšoanelo said the charge was M5,000. Whether someone had stolen a cow or a vegetable from the school, the standing repayment charge was M5,000. They told me that ‘m’e Malitšoanelo said it was a well-known fact in the village, and I told them it was my first time hearing about it.”

As a show of commitment to repaying the money, Makoetlane says she withdrew M1,000 from her mobile money account and handed it to Kopeli. She says the money had been intended to pay for her grandchildren’s school trip.

“I gave ntate Kopeli that M1,000 right there at the police station. I asked them what I should do with the remaining amount. They said ‘m’e Malitšoanelo would decide on the next steps. We left and went home.”

Attempts to obtain a comment from Kopeli were unsuccessful. Uncensored News stand ready to publish his side of the story.

Meanwhile, Makoetlane says she subsequently reported the matter to her chiefs, Telang Lerotholi and Busa Pata, who went to see Kopeli and questioned the payment.

She alleges that Kopeli said the matter should be taken back to the school and handled there. She says she was told that if reconciliation failed, she would return to Kopeli to recover her money.

Makoetlane later paid the remaining balance through her area chief.

A receipt seen by Uncensored News shows that Makoetlane paid M5,000 to Senqu Primary School over the alleged offence.

“We accepted M5,000 from ‘m’e ‘Mamotšelisi Makoetlane. She was paying for school equipment that she destroyed and took,” reads the receipt, which is signed by the Senqu Primary School principal.

The receipt bears the school stamp and is dated 31 October 2025. It was however issued in May 2026.

Despite the receipt indicating that the payment was made to the school, Makoetlane insists that she paid M1,000 to Kopeli and M4,000 to ‘Malitšoanelo, a Senqu Primary School teacher.

She says the receipt was only issued to her in May 2026, after months of asking for confirmation of payment.

Principal declines to comment

Attempts to obtain comment from ‘Malitšoanelo were unsuccessful after she dropped a call.

When Uncensored News later contacted Phooko, she confirmed that she was the principal of Senqu Primary School.

“Yes, you are speaking to the principal of Senqu Primary School. What is ‘m’e Mamotšelisi Makoetlane doing?” Phooko asked.

When the journalist explained Makoetlane’s account and Phooko’s right of reply, the principal responded:

“If she has talked about me, she has made a big mistake. I am not the school. The school has its management, which is the school board, and whoever wants news, I ask them to come and meet the school board, not me. Thank you ‘m’e, this is enough.”

Phooko then ended the call.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Mohai confirmed that police are investigating the matter following the report from the district education department.

For Makoetlane, however, the dispute over two exercise books has left a lasting emotional and financial burden.

“Every time I think of this issue, it gives me a lot of stress. I am telling the truth. I did not steal.”

Chief’s Letter

The matter was also raised by Chief Busa Pata in a letter addressed to the school.

“I am informing you about the report I received from ‘Mamotšelisi Makoetlane, who is bitterly complaining about being accused of taking exercise books without permission from teachers, as per the damage that was done at the school,” reads the letter.

According to Pata, Makoetlane denied causing any damage to the school and maintained that the exercise books had been given to her child by a teacher who previously worked at the school.

“She says she did not cause any damage to the school. I tried in every way possible to ask her and she maintains that the exercises were given to her by one teacher who used to teach there,” Pata wrote.

Pata said Makoetlane was taken to the police, but had already paid the M5,000 when she later appeared before the Mohale’s Hoek District Education Office.

“She said she paid the money because she was told that she was going to be locked up,” Pata wrote.

He identified the police officer allegedly involved as Kopeli, whom Makoetlane says received M1,000, while ‘Malitšoanelo allegedly received M4,000.

The allegations raise further questions about the circumstances surrounding the payment, including who authorised it, how the M5,000 amount was determined and why the school receipt records the full amount as having been received by the school.