President Zuma calls emergency meeting on Lesotho

Image courtesy of taesmileland / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

President Jacob Zuma, as the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics and Defence, will chair the meeting, which will also discuss the pressing security issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The one-day meeting comes after President Zuma visited Lesotho last week for consultation with King Letsie III on ways to end the political crisis in the mountain kingdom.

Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane did not meet last Friday's deadline to reopen Parliament after rival political dealers deadlocked over the implementation of the SADC peace deal.

Thabane suspended parliament in June in an attempt to avoid a vote of no confidence that was pushed by his coalition partners.

The suspension, along with the dismissal of army chief Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, was believed to be among the factors that triggered an attempted coup late last month.

Since then, Lesotho's political and security situation has remained on edge, prompting President Zuma to hold a meeting with the Coalition Leaders on 1 September in Pretoria.

President Zuma has been trying to end the political stalemate in the neighbouring kingdom since August 30, when a military "coup" sent Thabane fleeing to South Africa.

On that day, the Lesotho military seized the police headquarters and the Mabote police station in Maseru, claiming that police officers intended to pass arms and ammunition to Thabane's All Basotho Convention called "Under the Tree" (UTTA).

Police were reportedly loyal to Thabane, while the military supported his deputy Mothetjoa Metsing.

SADC intervened and brought leaders in the coalition government to an agreement, which allowed Thabane to return home to continue his duties, particularly to reopen parliament.

However, the prime minister, who returned to Lesotho last week, has delayed the reopening of parliament to ascertain who is in charge of the country's army.

Thabane is adamant that his decision to fire Kamoli still stands.

He also accused his coalition partner, Metsing, of masterminding the coup, but Metsing has denied it.