if gvt fails to rein in members of armed forces fuelling Famo violence…
after brutal killing of six civilians, including five family members…
deceased include a pregnant woman
Staff Reporters
As yet another mass killing grips the nation, the leader of one of the Famo groups, accused of perpetrating the carnage, has warned the country to prepare for more bloodshed. This because of the government’s failure to rein in security forces he accuses of fomenting rivalry amongst the Famo gangs.
Corrupt members of security agencies stand accused of stealing state weapons and supplying them to the Famo gangs, originally formed around the Famo genre of music but which have since transmogrified into special interest criminal gangs controlling their respective turfs. The gangs are not only fighting for influence in their respective areas of control in Lesotho but have spread their wings to South Africa where they vie for illegal control of mining shafts.
The country was again in shock this week when six people, including five from one family, were gunned down in apparent Famo revenge killings in Leribe at the weekend, further cementing tiny Lesotho’s dubious reputation as one of the world’s top six most homicidal nations.
And in a chilling warning, Tṧepiso ‘Mosotho’ Radebe, a leader of one of the Famo groups, has warned of a possibility of more bloodshed should the government continue failing to rein in members of the armed forces whom he accuses of fuelling rivalry and violence amongst the Famo gangs.
Mosotho, leader of the Terene ea Khosi Mokata Famo group, accused the heads of national security agencies of failing to act on their officers allegedly partaking in Famo issues, despite being furnished with evidence regarding their involvement in fuelling Famo rivalries.
Two people from Mosotho’s Terene group were shot on Saturday, one of them being his brother-in-law who sustained serious injuries and is under treatment in hospital. The other Terene member died on the spot. Mosotho said the two were shot during an attack on his followers as they buried their member whom he claimed had been killed in South Africa, supposedly by another Famo gang. The burial ceremony was at Mosotho’s village of Liphakoeng in Leribe.
Just about six hours after the Liphakoeng incident, five family members of a rival gang member were gunned down in a suspected revenge killing in Fobane village, about 15 kilometres from Mosotho’s Liphakoeng village.
A Lesotho Times news crew visited Fobane village on Monday where the community was still in shock after the horrific slayings. In addition to the cold blooded murder of the five family members, several vehicles at their homestead had been burnt down by the unknown killers.
Upon our news crew’s arrival, community members were cleaning walls darkened by the smoke from the burnt vehicles. They said they were living in fear. Since the incident, they felt safer sleeping outside to avoid being burnt alive in their homes, they said.
As our news crew left the gruesome scene of the murder, several SUVs arrived at the scene. However, one could not see the occupants of the heavily tinted vehicles. It is suspected the occupants are members of a rival Famo gang, Liala Mabatha, who wanted to establish what had exactly happened to the family of one of their own. Our news crew hurriedly left the scene for its own safety as the atmosphere at the homestead was getting increasingly tense.
Fobane area chief, Motsarapane Molapo, told the Lesotho Times that the incident happened while he was away. He said he had however been told that the killers had arrived at one family homestead in the village in three big vehicles, claiming to be police officers. They demanded to see one Ma Dan, the nickname of the leader of the rival Liala Mabatha gang. The Lesotho Times could not establish Ma Dan’s real name.
When the killers were told that the man they were looking for was not around, they started harassing 10 family members present, dragging five of them out of the main house and shooting them to death.
“I was told that these people came with three big cars claiming to be police officers. On arrival they demanded the man they wanted and when they were told that he was not available, they started dragging some members of the family outside and shot them dead. They also burned three cars parked at the homestead and drove off into the darkness,” he said.
Asked about the motive of the killings, Chief Molapo said he was told that the killings were linked to illegal mining disputes in South Africa.
Apparently, apart from their fights over music dominance in their respective turfs, the Famo gangs have taken their wars to South Africa where they battle for control of rampant illegal mining in that country. South Africa’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has repeatedly blasted the Lesotho government for doing nothing to stop its citizens from the illegal mining scourge.
Chief Molapo said amongst the people who got killed was the pregnant wife of the wanted man, Ma Dan, his sister, nephew, driver, and another relative working as a herd boy.
He said Ma Dan’s youngest son escaped with four other members of the family as gunfire raged at the homestead in the early hours of Sunday.
For his part, Mosotho told this publication this week that the police and army seemed to be taking sides in Famo disputes, citing that the armed forces had opted to attend the Fobane shooting, before they could attend to the Liphakoeng incident although it had been reported first.
“Several people reported the incident of Liphakoeng immediately after those people were shot, and that was around 8pm, but never got help.
“To our utter dismay, at around 2am the next day we learned that while still trying to get the police or army to attend to the crime scene in our area, they had instead gone to Fobane to attend another scene where it was said the five people had been shot.
“Our member’s corpse was only collected the following day at around 11am.
“Surprisingly, nothing is being said about people shot in Liphakoeng but instead the army intelligence person whom we had informed about the crime scene in our area rushed from Ha Matala in Maseru to Fobane immediately after that incident happened but never attended to ours. He instead called me to insult me, blaming me for that incident (killing of the five).
“The image trying to be portrayed is that our people are the problem hence it is being hidden from Basotho that our people were the ones to be shot at first.
“I do not know who shot the Fobane people but I cannot rule out that my people who were attacked first are involved. They are angry that they are not getting any help. They now even accuse me of being a sellout because it appears as if I am stopping them from fighting back when they are being killed.
“Instead of getting help, a police officer from police headquarters is part of the people planning to kill me. I have supplied the police and army with recordings where they (the police officer and other Famo gang members) are talking about the need to eliminate me but nothing has been done about him (the police officer) to date. I cannot trust any soldier or police officer anymore in light of the threats to kill me which they are doing nothing about.”
Mosotho blames a Military Intelligence (MI) official and a police officer from Police Headquarters for fuelling disputes between his Terene group and the Liala Mabatha gang. He said instead of mediating to bring peace between the two groups, these two had sided with the Liala Mabatha gang.
“The people who are fuelling these disputes are members of the armed forces, and I have furnished the police and the army with evidence several times but nothing has been done. Just yesterday (Monday), they arrested an elderly traditional healer whom they are accusing of giving me muthi to protect me from being killed.
“I have for the longest time asked this Military Intelligence person to intervene in our disputes but instead he would say he was still in talks with the other side. I failed to understand why he was talking to those people secretly when I was expecting him to bring us together to mediate. He said they would not harm my people but they have been killing them at a high rate.
“The bribes they (armed forces members) are receiving from Famo groups hinder them from solving our disputes but instead force them to take sides. I have made a call to the Prime Minister to intervene as this issue is likely to get uglier,” he said.
Earlier this month, Mosotho made a clarion call to Prime Minister Sam Matekane to intervene and hold a joint meeting for Famo groups to build “lasting peace” amongst them. He also urged security chiefs to “extract” their officers from the Famo groups, claiming they were responsible for the feuds between these gangs.
Acting Police Commissioner, Mahlape Morai, on Tuesday said a new operation aimed at combating killings across the country had been launched.
She said the operation would strive to counter escalating crime including illegal ownership of firearms and increasing murders.
“Basotho, the police have noted with great concern, the high rate of crime, amongst them keeping of illegal weapons and killing of people. This unfortunate issue of killing people which has paralysed the nation, including the six members from one family in Fobane and another in Ha Bosofo is a disgrace to the safety and security of the nation.
“To fight this problem, the police, in partnership with the army, National Security Services (NSS) and Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) have launched a campaign, Operation Fiela 2024. As the head of the LMPS, I strongly condemn these barbaric actions and warn those who do not obey this instruction, that they will be met with the strong might of the law,” Dr Morai said.
Both the police and army have also warned they will not tolerate their members getting in the Famo gangs. Those found partaking in any illegalities would be dealt with decisively.
LDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sakeng Lekola, told the Lesotho Times the army had heard of their members being part of Famo gangs.
He said the LDF would not allow its members being affiliated to any Famo gangs. He therefore urged the Famo groups to report any members of the LDF forming part of their gangs so disciplinary action could be taken against them forthwith.
Lt. Col Sekola said there had been soldiers affiliated with Famo gangs in the past and they had been dismissed from the LDF as a result.
“We do not affiliate with gang members and will not tolerate any of our members associating with any gang. These people should come to our offices with names and proof that our soldiers are indeed affiliated with Famo gangs. They should not just report those from other groups, but their members as well. Then we will take it from there and ensure that disciplinary measures are taken against them,” he said.
Police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Kabelo Halahala, said he was not aware that police officers were taking sides when dealing with Famo issues.
He also implored Famo groups to expose police officers affiliated to them so they could be dealt with accordingly.
“We recently had a police officer who was charged for killing a person over those Famo gang affiliations. This means we cannot allow our officers to be part of the Famo gangs,” SSP Halahala said.
Police and army officers have been accused of being part of these Famo gangs and selling them stolen weapons belonging to the state.
About 75 guns were stolen from Mafeteng Police Station in 2022 in what was believed to be an inside job by police officers. Such stolen guns are freely sold to Famo gang members who then use them in their violent wars.
The Famo gangs were originally formed to promote the Famo genre of music in their respective areas. They subsequently transmogrified into criminal entities as they got jealousy of each other’s music taking sway in another group’s “territory”. Law intensity battles mutated into full blown killings of people including anyone caught listening to music from a rival group. The Famo groups appear to have coalesced around several other criminal activities including being guns for hire.
But Mosotho rejects assertions that his Famo group is a criminal enterprise. He recently gave the Lesotho Times an exclusive interview, the first ever by a leader of any Famo group, in which he claimed his was a civic group fighting to improve the conditions of living for people in its area of control.
He asked Mr Matekane to intervene and recognise the Famo groups as civic organisations while mediating between them to assist them in resolving their seemingly bloody differences.
The National Security Service (NSS) has branded the Famo gangs internal “terrorist groups”. But the government has so far failed to come up with a strategy to contain them.
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