The Lesotho` s Explosives Code Needs to be Strengthened

By Rorisang David Mahlo

PS Mining Mr. Mochaba & Eng. Mr. Tjatja

“The fact is Explosives are dangerous, irrespective of whether one is a blaster or a regulator or just an ordinary citizen. We need to appreciate this fact, and act accordingly.” This was said by PS Mining-Mr. Soaile Mochaba while addressing the local Explosives Practitioners on Friday the 20^th October 2017 on a Stakeholder closed Meeting held at Victoria Conference Hall throughout the day.

Most importantly, “If explosives are not handled with the maximum required care, we are exposing our citizens to enormous safety and security risks which we might not be able to put under control,” Said Mr. Mochaba. In addition to that he went on to remind stakeholders that, explosives can potentially be misused as “weapons,” and we definitely don’t want to let things graduate to that stage,” Mr Mochaba cautioned them. 

The objective of this closed forum was to invite and include the opinions of the active sector role players in the process of interrogating the current regime in the areas of importation, transportation, storage, handling and use of explosives. Also, it was to gather opinions on the much needed review and strengthening of the outdated regime governing the explosive sector (Explosives Proclamation Act 41 of 1958) that has remained unchanged for such a long time. 

In his opening remarks, the Principal Secretary (PS) Mining Mr. Mochaba, firstly appreciated a positive turnout demonstrated by the sector players and the stakeholders to his first call of duty meeting. “…and I hope this confirms the closeness and warmth of our working relationship from here onwards, because when we stand as united, we can overcome most sector challenges as a team,” says Mochaba.

Secondly Mr. Mochaba acknowledged the increasingly growing importance of augmenting explosives regime for proper administration, and execution by stakeholder for socio economic benefit of the country. Also taking cognisance of the fact that the auspices of explosives sector has  been handed over to the private sector 10 years ago though there were certain areas that were left blurry and unclarified. 

ACP. Ramachaea - (CIS)

Despite all the blurry uncertainties regarding the explosives Mr. Mochaba stated that the commercial explosives will always remain the integral and mostly demanded service in the mining and construction sectors. Adding that “If not well controlled they could be a threat to the innocent lives of people as they could be used as weapons,” emphasised Mochaba.  

  

As the proceedings commences and on behalf of the office of Commissioner of Mines Mr. Pokane Koatla presented a currently existing overview of laws used in the Mining sector including the undeniable dilapidated Explosives Act 41 of 1958. Mr. Koatla strongly appealed before the stakeholders to honestly revive the said Act in order to address the current sector challenges.

He explained that Explosive Regulations 1958 and Proclamation 41 of 1958 are collaborately administered by Commissioners of Mines and Police with the powers bestowed on both of them. Further highlighted that this act provides for the regulation of the manufacture, storage, sale, transport, importation, possession and use of explosive.

Adding that, “this law also caters for Blasting License and permits applications and procedures, penalties, duties of blasting license holders, importation and exportation procedures, powers of inspector of explosives,” said Koatla.

The reasons propelling for the review of this Act as according to Mr. Koatla are sincerely manier than the simple identified deficiencies in the Law such as the 25c application fee for acquisition for Explosives License to single out just one.   

Representing the Commissioner of Police, the Assistant Commissioner (ACP) heading the Criminal Investigation Section (CIS) - Mr. Raphoka Ramachaea also cautioned the forum that the Explosives Proclamation Act of 1958 has proved not to be a sufficient tool to address the current sectoral demands as things seem to be rapidly changing.

According to the input from ACP Ramachaea, there are currently a lot of misconduct done by most Explosives Practitioners which some are highly detrimental to the lives of respective innocent facilitators in the subsector. For instance delay to apply for import permit before placing a purchase order or a common stylish behaviour of storing explosives at the unlicensed places not meant for such.

Blasting Professionals

“Our observation with regard to the prevalent Explosives practitioners` misconduct is highly perpetuated by the imbalance between the existing statistics data versus the existing true number of the hands on Explosives Practitioners,” says ACP Ramachaea.

On behalf of Lesotho Defence Force, Captain Mosala Lehlohla conscientised the forum on the latest and most dangerous bombings that took place in some African countries like Nigeria, sampling out the case of Bokoharam and other countries, that “ we must be seriously worried about the looming explosives most particularly at this time of instability in the country.”

“Honestly, those who live in Maseru district in areas like Moshoeshoe II, Khubetsoana and Ha `Nelese amongst us here, will attest to this with a trembling fear.  Worst of all, these negatively impact on our national security and ruin our international reputation,” commented Captain Lehloka.

In its current state, the Explosives Proclamation of 1958 and its Regulations does not properly address the transportation, storage and usage nor the technological advances in explosives development.  

Press Statement on Welcoming the PS- Mr. Soaile Mochaba

 The Management and Staff of Mining Officially Welcome the New PS

  By Rorisang David Mahlo

When the rains of blessings fall on government Ministries, the Ministry of Mining was not an exception to welcome the Chief Accounting Officer; a humble servant and a guru in the financial and economic fields of studies in the mining sector. 

After an estimated period of about a month, the Management and the subordinate staff of Ministry of Mining, officially welcomed their new Principal Secretary (PS) by the name of Mr. Soaile Mochaba on Wednesday the 20^th of September 2017 in the morning hours of a sunny day. 

In his short address to the Mining employees, Mr. Mochaba expressed his happiness to join the Staff of Mining though due to the nature and complexity of his work, he was forced to hit the ground running. “So I envisage to visit your respective individual offices so as to know you better and that on its own, will be another way to acquaint myself with the environment and the location of your offices,” says Mochaba.

On behalf of Mining Staff `Mathabo Ntja also expressed her warm words of appreciation to welcome the New PS. “I cannot wait to see you coming to our offices, we have a number of problems which we optimistically hope that your coming to our offices will provide a one on one platform of solving our problems once and for all” reported Ntja.   

Mr. Mochaba is a national of the Kingdom of Lesotho born in September 17, 1969 and bred in Maseru District. He is the second born child of the late Mr. and Mrs.  Mochaba. Now the bread winner - the family man and father his two Kids.  

He joined the Ministry of mining towards the end of August straight from the Private sector where he spent most of his career life pushing hard to make his presence felt in the corporate world. 

Amongst many excellent skills embedded in Mr. Mochaba`s credentials, is his mammoth and the wealth of experience from the economic and financial backgrounds that he brings with him in the office of Chief Accounting officer for Ministry of Mining. One will remember that most failing PS`s in most cases is due to lack of proper understanding and a poor financial accountability on the government coffers. For him, his experience speaks volumes on his behalf. 

The most recent job position occupied by Mr. Mochaba just before joining Ministry of Mining was as Finance Manager at Letshego Financial Services Lesotho Limited in 2016. While a few years before then he also served the only Water and Sewage services Company in Lesotho currently known as WASCO in the capacity of Finance Director.  This is to mention but a few.

Mr. Mochaba also contributed academically as the Lecturer in the financial field of studies grooming a number of Basotho students learning with the Center for Accounting Studies based in Maseru between 2011 and 2013. “I felt very grateful to meet some of my students serving in this Ministry and there so many of them all over the country,” says Mochaba.

Most importantly even the majority of most local Banks can also bear the witness on what kind of financial practitioner Mr. Mochaba is in the Banking sector. He once served Lesotho First national Bank in range of different capacities including being the Deputy Chief Executive officer, head of sales and chief Financial Officer between 2007 and 2010.

Furthermore the only government department except Ministry of Mining that had a bit of a taste of his performance is the Ministry of Local Government and that was way back in 1997. Since then he switched his full strength to serve and offer his knowledge to boost the financial and economic sectors in the private sector of Lesotho.

However, Mr. Mochaba has not been an island in his career. He has been performing his work aligned with professional institutions that guided and monitored his performance and application of ethics by subscribing to the following institutions:

   Professional Membership

ü                     Chartered Accountant member of the Lesotho Institute of Accounts (LIA).

  Board Membership

ü                    Chairman of the Finance and audit committee of the Lesotho Red Cross Society.

ü                    Non- executive director of Liqhobong Mining Development Company (2013 -2016).

Finally, Mr Mochaba has been nominated by the current 2017 reining coalition government of The National Unity, Reconciliation, Peace and Stability, to be the Chief Accounting Officer in the Ministry of Mining.   

Casting an Inverstment Net to the 2017 Africa Down Under Magnitudes

  By Rorisang David Mahlo

In his very first international attempt of duty calling activities in the Mining sector, Honourable Keketso Sello – the Minister of Mining made his first cut and unforgettable mark to open all business doors for the potential and interested investors in  Lesotho`s Mining sector. 

The Honourable Minister Sello, recently threw a net to attract potential international investors in the 2017 Australian Africa Down Under (ADU) Conference, to come to his Mother land for unexplored and untapped mining opportunities.  This year`s conference stretched from the 6^th to the 8^th of September 2017 in Perth - Western Australia. 

In his address, Hon. Sello assured the conference that it is not by mistake that Lesotho is profiled as one of the top ten (10) high quality diamond producing countries in the entire world. “It is by virtue of value and the quality gem stones the country is producing” said the Minister. Specifically, the diamond sub sector is known to have “a total of 405 bodies of Kimberlite pipes, and dykes, of which a very few of them have already acquired mining investors,” said the Minister. 

In addition to that, Minister Sello went on to showcase Lesotho as a dynamically gifted country by uttering to the conference delegates that besides the diamond sub sector; currently Lesotho is mining a variety of different kinds of industrial minerals like Dolerite, Sand tone, and Clay, whose byproducts attract regional and international markets.

On top of that, the Minister told the conference about the ongoing different methods of national exploration activities aimed at discovering even more minerals available in the country. To mention but a few, the Minister reported that, there is a Geo-Chemical Mapping project and a Remote sensing technique: in exploration for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Platinum Group Elements (PGEs).

Most interestingly and as an important part of diversification, Hon. Sello indicated that the country has recently signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with two Mining Companies for the exploration of two kinds of mineral deposits: 

      Firstly, MOA has been signed with Mansimanzi Mining (PTY) Ltd to explore for coal around Qhalasi and Matebeleng in Mohale’s Hoek district on Southern Side of the country and evaluate the potential for commercial exploitation.

   The subsequent MOA was signed with Thaba Naledi Energy to explore the existence and the magnitude of Shale Gas between Peka and Mokhotlong on the northern side of the Country.

v  

The Hon. Minister`s closing remarks to the conference was that “I am sincerely standing on this podium today, to firstly call every one interested and capable of doing mining business in Lesotho to come on board and secondly to invite you all to share in the development of Lesotho`s vast mineral resources as some companies like Lucapa can attest to what I have just said here,” said Hon. Sello.

Consecutively after that, the Chief Executive Officer for Lucapa (Mothae Mine) Mr. Stephen Wetherall also mounted the podium to shed light on his little tasteful experience of how things are done in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

In his words as everybody was listening very attentively, Wetherall could not hesitate but publicly thanked the government of Lesotho through Hon. Keketso Sello for considering Lupapa as one of the potential Mining companies to do Mining business in Lesotho. “We are not going to let you down Hon. Minister” Wetheral emphasised. 

Secondly, he promised and publicly committed his company to run mining operations by Lesotho’s Mining Code, being the Mines and Mineral Act of 2005 and bearing in mind the international standards governing the Mining Sector as their company is one of the Australian Listed Companies.

In a similar manner, in his speech to Africa Down Under delegates, he seconded what the Hon. Minister had said about Lesotho`s mineral Potential and attested that; “Lucapa`s decision to jump all these countries between Lesotho and Australia was solely for the interest of uncovering the potential that Mothae has underground- you are just yet about to witness this in practice,” said Wetherall. 

He also strongly demonstrated that Lucapa heard it and seen it happening with the first three giant mining companies that came before Mothae, making their strides in Lesotho`s mining sector and “so why not Lucapa then, we must follow the trend if not to set a new one” said Wetherall.

He also concluded his speech by announcing in the forum that his company- Lucapa is scheduled to commence its operations in June 2018. Adding that Lucapa cannot wait and waste these scarce opportunities found in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. 

Finally, the 2017 Africa Down Under Conference was the 15^th annually held conference in Perth, Western Australia and is organised by Paydirt Media - Australian based company. This event is the second largest after the Cape Town`s biggest Mining Indaba where all the world’s Mining Companies, Investors, Government Mining Ministries and Promoters come together for networking sharing their respective sector`s experience and hooking up with new investors.