The Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) announced their report on the violation of human rights in Lesotho in Maseru yesterday, which they presented at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human Rights, held in Banjul the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Gambia on the 24th October 2018.

Speaking in Maseru yesterday, TRC Human Rights Officer Mr Moeketsi Lepeli, said the theme of this year’s AU Ordinary Session was based on issues of corruption, focusing more on how African countries can eradicate corruption.

He said basing themselves to the theme, they first checked the situation in Lesotho as to how issues of corruption are being handled.

Mr Lepeli said they stated before the commission, that institutions meant to combat corruption like the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences(DCEO) exist in Lesotho, even though they are faced with the challenges which include of lack of autonomy and shortage of equipment to perform their duties effectively.

“From there we indicated that the Parliament of Lesotho formulated laws meant to combat corruption in Lesotho”. Mr Lepeli said and contined by saying;

“Based on the Transparency International Report of Corruption Perception Index of 2017, Lesotho among one hundred and eighty countries appears number twenty-four on corruption issues, and in terms of percentages it appears number two”.   

He said they also talked about the sessions of the Public Accounts Committee(PAC), and the corruption issues it is exposing, and they made recommendations on how to eradicate corruption in Lesotho.

“Under corruption we recommended that the Government of Lesotho adopts the political leadership that is consistently committed to anti-corruption, revise legislations to grand anti-corruption institutions, independence and autonomy.” He said.

He also stated that it is not enough to have legal frameworks on anti-corruption, but the government must take extra steps to ensure full implementation.

In their recommemdations Mr Lepeli said the government must have the political will to pass legislations, to put right the structures and proper system in place that provide DCEO with necessary capacity to effectively fight corruption in Lesotho.