7 May 2025 by Pascalinah Kabi 

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The Government of Lesotho has controversially paid M26 million in full to four companies contracted to supply park homes across 48 sites for the Ministry of Home Affairs—despite the companies failing to complete the work at 46 of those locations.

The project was intended to establish livestock marking offices in nine districts, with each site expected to receive a fully mounted park home, perimeter fencing, and connection to running water. However, only two sites—Maqhaka and Morija—were completed in accordance with the contract.

At the time of the full payment on March 22, 2019—despite the evident lack of progress—then-Principal Secretary ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie served as the chief accounting officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, overseeing the disbursement of project funds.

On May 5, 2025, Lemphane-Letsie told Uncensored News that Ministry officials collectively agreed to disburse funds for partially completed work to avoid returning unspent money at the end of the financial year. 

“They did that. I do not know if all the funds were paid at the time, but the information provided was that some funds were used to pay for completed work,” Lemphane-Letsie said.

Meanwhile, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) is currently investigating allegations that full payments were made despite incomplete work.

From the outset, the M26 million deal was clouded by controversy. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) accused Lemphane-Letsie of facilitating an unlawful arrangement between one of the contracted companies and a firm linked to businessman Yan Xie.

Under this arrangement, Legends Construction was awarded a M7 million tender and allegedly advised by Lemphane-Letsie to seek funding from Xie, popularly known as “John.” The partnership collapsed after Xie allegedly drained Legends Construction’s bank account. Lemphane-Letsie has denied any wrongdoing.

“It is not true that I told them to go to ntate John after they won the tender…I didn’t facilitate the partnership,” Lemphane-Letsie told the PAC in November 2019. 

In a twist of irony, she now chairs the very committee that once accused her of corruption. 

Lemphane-Letsie has acknowledged past missteps, saying: “I wouldn’t say there were no mistakes, but it seems there’s an expectation that because mistakes happened where I worked, I should be disqualified from fulfilling my parliamentary duties.”

DCEO investigates

Despite the full M26 million payment, 46 sites remain incomplete. The affected districts are Mokhotlong, Botha-Bothe, Berea, Thaba-Tseka, Quthing, Qacha’s Nek, Mohale’s Hoek, Maseru, and Mafeteng.

A report seen by Uncensored News and allegedly prepared by the Ministry of Public Works Principal Secretary, Tšepang Koele, indicates that the ministry was “requested” by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) on April 22, 2022 to compile a report. 

“The Ministry of Public Works under the Building Design Services department carried out this report under the request of DCEO for their investigations purposes (DCEOINV1 dated 22 April 2022),” the report states.

When contacted for comment on May 1, 2025, Koele said she did not understand the questions sent to her. After clarification was provided, she replied: “Did you ask [the] DCEO?”

She did not respond further when this reporter explained that journalistic ethics require every person mentioned in a story to be given the right of reply.

In a separate interview with Uncensored News on April 30, 2025, DCEO spokesperson ‘Matlhokomelo Senoko confirmed that the case remains under active investigation.

“The case exists and is being handled by our investigation unit,” Senoko said.

However, she noted that the DCEO is not in a position to confirm whether the agency has verified information from the Ministry of Public Works indicating that the government paid M26 million to four companies on March 22, 2019, despite incomplete work.

Senoko also stated that the DCEO could not provide a timeline for when the investigation would be concluded. Additionally, Senoko could not confirm whether any legal action has been recommended against the four companies or government officials involved in the allegedly irregular payments.

“When I requested the information you are asking for, I was informed that the matter is currently under investigation. Since your questions relate directly to an ongoing investigation, we are unable to respond at this time, as it is against our policy to disclose details of active investigations,” she explained.

Paid substandard jobs

However, according to a Ministry of Public Works report seen by this publication, “everything was in order” at only two of the 48 project sites. The park homes initiative was divided into five lots, each covering specific districts.

Lot 1: This lot covered Mokhotlong and Botha-Bothe. Payments were made for all ten sites despite the works being incomplete. None of the sites had running water, while some featured substandard fencing and leaking roofs, which the report attributed to “poor erection.”

Lot 2: Covering Berea, Thaba-Tseka, and Quthing, this lot comprised 18 sites. Only Maqhaka and Morija were fully completed. The rest suffered from similar irregularities: no water connections, fencing that did not meet tender specifications, missing solar panels, and incomplete VIP toilets without roofing.

Lot 3: This lot included Maseru and Mafeteng, with nine sites in total. At the Semonkong site, the report states: “All activities were done as per specifications from the tender document except plumbing; water is not connected to the water system toilets.”

The remaining eight sites lacked water facilities, had fencing that deviated from specifications, and were missing solar panels. Of particular concern was Bokong, where, according to a report submitted by Koele to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO), “nothing was found on site—that means nothing has been constructed at this site.”

Lot 4: This lot involved six sites in Mohale’s Hoek. None of them had water facilities as required by the contract.

Lot 5: In Qacha’s Nek, all five sites lacked water connections. At Matebeng, the VIP toilet walls were incomplete with no roofing and lack of a ramp for park home access. “Solar panels were not provided as well,” the report noted. 

At Ha Mosala, the park home suffered from water leakage due to improper assembly. Additionally, the solar system was faulty: “It appears there is a problem with the connection between the solar panels and the batteries that store energy. Electricity is only available when the sun shines.”

Meanwhile, Lemphane-Letsie insists that while the project had not been completed in full when payments were done in March 2019, some progress had been made, and payments were made only for work completed. 

“They did that. I do not know if all the funds were paid at the time, but the information provided was that some funds were used to pay for completed work,” Lemphane-Letsie said.

Asked what documents or verification processes were used by the Ministry of Home Affairs to confirm project completion before releasing payments, she responded: “They can be accessed at the ministry.”

On concerns about potential conflict of interest or compromised oversight in state works, she said: “When there is conflict, it shouldn’t be hidden. It must be addressed so we can get things right.”

She also revealed that internal confusion over a legal dispute may have contributed to stalled work on the project.

“‘M’e Pascalinah, there was a court case, and we were told that because of that case, the work had to stop. I have always maintained that there was no court order instructing the suspension of work. 

“When I left the Ministry, there was still no judgment—yet we were told the case had been concluded. That matter involved Basotho who worked with ntate John’s company, who were fighting over funds. Yet that dispute brought the work to a halt.”