Roof blows off Lesotho airport — after MPs raised red flags

Wind blew off part of the roof of a part of the main airport in Lesotho that is currently being renovated. Photo: Sechaba Mokhethi

• Sections of a newly installed roof were torn off Moshoeshoe I International Airport in heavy winds on New Year’s Eve.

• Three parliamentary committees warned last year that the M184-million airport contract was unlawful. Those warnings were ignored, and on New Year’s Eve, part of the roof was blown off. (One Lesotho Maloti equals one Rand.)

• A contractor with no airport experience won the tender. The committees say political connections, not competence, decided the deal.

• In a May 2025 report, the committees found conflicts of interest, “mis-procurement” and possible criminality. They called for the minister’s removal and re-tendering under an open international competitive process.

• By failing to comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety standards, Lesotho risks losing international accreditation at its main airport.

Wind ripped through ongoing renovations at Moshoeshoe I International Airport on New Year’s Eve, tearing off sections of newly installed roofing and laying bare not only the building’s structure but also the controversy surrounding a refurbishment tender award already condemned as unlawful.

The damage occurred months after three parliamentary committees recommended that the M184-million contract be cancelled, citing “mis-procurement”, conflicts of interest and non-compliance with the law. Those recommendations were ignored by both Parliament and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The committees’ report describes this airport refurbishment, aimed at ensuring compliance with ICAO standards, as “marred by controversy of mis-procurement, non-compliance, conflict of interest, and hidden or misinformation”. It branded the contract as unlawful and politically motivated.

Speaking on national television on Thursday, Public Works and Transport Minister Matjato Moteane confirmed that about 30% of the new roofing sheets had been damaged and would need to be replaced by the contractor. He insisted, however, that the project would still meet its July 2026 completion deadline.

In May 2025, the Public Accounts Committee, together with the Portfolio Committee on the Natural Resources, Tourism and Land Cluster, and the Committee of Chairpersons, investigated the airport refurbishment contract, which was awarded to LSP Construction. The committees found that LSP is linked to companies directly associated with Minister Moteane.

A central finding of the investigation was LSP’s lack of technical capacity. During committee hearings, an LSP representative admitted that the company has “no experience whatsoever” in airport refurbishment and had never undertaken a similar project. Representatives from associated companies also conceded that they had “never done any airport projects”. The committees found out that the financial proposal of LSP, which was 268% higher than the project’s advertised value, was not evaluated at all.

The committees’ report places Minister Moteane’s personal and professional history at the centre of the conflict-of-interest concerns. It reveals that the companies involved in the airport refurbishment form part of the Polihali Infrastructure Consortium Joint Venture (JV), which is also working on Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. According to the report, these companies have been working together, led by Moteane, before he became a minister. It further notes that “Moteane was a representative of the JV at Polihali shortly before he joined government”.

The committees also found evidence of continued business links. They noted that MPAMOT Africa and Khatleli Tomane Moteane Architects (KTM) operate from the same address. LSP’s expression of interest submission also included a tax clearance certificate bearing the trading and legal name of KTM, a company in which the minister was previously a shareholder. The minister’s name still appeared on some of KTM’s tender documents.

The timing of Moteane’s resignation from the company raised further concerns. The committees found that his resignation occurred after the expression of interest was advertised in local newspapers. While Moteane told the committees that a two-year cooling-off period had been agreed upon, it was concluded that his involvement violated the Public Procurement Act, which requires public officials to avoid even the “appearance of a conflict of interest”.

The procurement process was also compromised by contradictory statements about the project’s value. The ministry’s chief accounting officer, Tšepang Koele, told the committees that the project was valued at M50-million and that officials were unaware it would exceed that amount.

This was directly contradicted by Moteane, who informed the committees that he and ministry staff, including Koele, knew before tendering that the project value was far above M50-million. The committees concluded that the M50-million figure was used as a “convenience … to avoid the legal tendering process and protect LSP from competition,” since projects above M50-million require open international competitive bidding under the law.

The committees also found serious non-compliance with international aviation standards. As a member of ICAO, Lesotho is required to follow strict standards and practices for airport upgrades. But the committees found “no indication that ICAO was consulted or involved” in this project and noted the “deliberate exclusion” of the Civil Aviation Department. This failure, the report warns, risks the airport losing accreditation and being downgraded to serve domestic flights only, with serious implications for aviation safety and the economy.

The committees recommended the immediate removal of the minister for conflict of interest and alleged misconduct, as well as other high-ranking officials in the ministry.

They further recommended that the police or the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences investigate the matter to determine criminal liability or corrupt practices.

Concluding their findings, the committees stated that the project demonstrates a “disregard for value for money” and places both public funds and aviation safety “at significant risk”. The committees said that the LSP contract should be cancelled and replaced with an open international competitive process that complies with ICAO standards.

Addressing the storm damage, Moteane said the worst impact was on the southern side of the terminal. While he claimed there was no visible structural damage, he said a structural integrity report would be required before re-roofing begins.

In May, this reporter contacted Moteane for comment via telephone. He did not comment on the individual findings in the committees’ report, but said the issue was under investigation by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences.

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