Pretoria – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) facilitator and Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, is expected to make a major announcement on the political and security impasse in Lesotho this afternoon, his office said.
“Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to make a major announcement on his facilitation efforts in Lesotho during a press conference on Thursday, 2 October 2014 in Maseru, Lesotho,” his spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said on Wednesday.
He is expected to be joined in the media briefing, which is scheduled for 2pm, by leaders of political parties in Lesotho as well as SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Themba Mhlongo.
The facilitator, who arrived in Lesotho on Tuesday, is in the kingdom to help create dialogue among all Lesotho’s political and other role players, with a view to addressing their current political and security challenge.
He has been mediating on behalf of SADC for more than two weeks by pushing the role players in Lesotho to bring forward elections, reconvene parliament as well as stabilise the security situation in that country.
He is supported by the regional body’s team of experts and members of the Secretariat including Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana.
Lesotho has been in turmoil since an attempted coup on August 30. Prime Minister Tom Thabane fled to South Africa and Lesotho police officer Mokheseng Ramahloko was killed during the attempted overthrow.
Deputy President Ramaphosa’s latest mediation efforts were nearly derailed by exchange of gunfire between the army and the police, and the evacuation of government secretary Moahloli Mphaka from his home outside Maseru on Tuesday night, according to media reports.
This was the third fire exchange between police and the army since August 30 and Deputy President Ramaphosa has been requested by SADC security agents to probe the shooting. – SAnews.gov.za
