The station manager of Lesotho’s Harvest FM, Adam Lekhoaba, was
arrested and deported to South Africa, writes Mzimkhulu Sithetho.
The deportation order came after he had criticized the government for riding roughshod over Lesotho citizens and labeling it as unelected.
Adam made these statements, regarded as insulting the vote of the people by government, on 02 May 2008 after the station management received a letter from the broadcasting regulator, Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), demanding an explanation within 60 days why the station should not be closed for broadcasting insulting comments.
Two days later, a deportation order signed by the prime minister, rather than the home affairs minister, was served on Lekhoaba ordering him to leave the country.
His lawyer filed an urgent application on the day – marked as Press Freedom Day – contesting the deportation on the grounds he is already in court contesting the government’s right to deport him. He has been declared a SA citizaen, and is currently trying to reclaim his status as a citizen of Lesotho, where he was born.
