By: Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU- His Majesty King Letsie III has assigned the former Alliance of Democrats (AD) Member of Parliament (MP) Advocate Lebohang Mochaba to a foreign mission.
Mochaba was commissioned as Lesotho’s Envoy to India last week.
She succeeds Lineo Molise-Mabusela whose tour of duty came to an end in 2022.
The High Commissioner is the official representative of the sending country in the host country. Amongst the functions she is expected to perform include promotion of diplomatic relations, facilities bilateral engagements between two States as well as providing consular services to Basotho in that Asian country.
Lesotho opened a resident Mission in New Delhi, India in 2005 following a visit by then Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili to that country.
Advocate Mochaba has had a stint as an MP for six months from October 2022 to April this year. Her short-lived term was ended by the court case challenging the miscalculated proportional representation (PR) seats making a way for rightful MPs.
She and three others were sworn-in in October last year following the general elections that the country had held. Days after their swearing in, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) approached the court to ask for a leave to review, recalculate and reallocate the PR seats which the Commission found upon review that they had miscalculated the PR seats allocation.
The MPs that lost their parliamentary membership are Morapeli Motoboli, ‘Maletsema Letšoepa, Katleho Mosotho all from the Democratic Congress (DC) and Advocate Mochaba.
They were later replaced by Hon Masetota Leshota of Basotho National Party (BNP), Hon Tefo Mapesela the leader of Basotho Patriotic Party (BPP), Hon Rev. Paul Masiu the leader of Baena but has entered through the alliance with the Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC) and Hon Mohlominyane Tota of the United for Change (UFC).
These changes were operationalized through the legal notice No.28 of Election Results (Amendment) 2023 wherein the IEC’s Chairperson had published correct names of the people to be MPs.
The incoming High Commissioner holds a B.A. Law and an LLB, both from the National University of Lesotho. She has practiced as a Lawyer and later joined the civil service.
She has also served the country in different capacities and before joining politics, Advocate Mochaba was serving as a Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice.