Lesotho will host the 17th Annual Conference and 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) from October 27 to 30, 2025, at the ‘Manthabiseng Convention Centre.
theReporter’s ‘Mantšali Phakoana sat down with the PAC chairperson and deputy secretary of SADCOPAC, ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, to hear their expectations from the conference. Lemphane-Letsie also reveals that the Lesotho PAC, which still faces significant challenges in ensuring the implementation of its directives after tabling its report in the National Assembly, hopes to learn from other countries how to navigate this.
Can you tell us more about the upcoming SADCOPAC?
For the first time, the Parliament of Lesotho will host the 17th Annual Conference and 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the SADCOPAC from October 27 to 30 October 2025.
This prestigious regional gathering will bring together PACs from across the SADC region and Africa under the theme: ‘Strengthening Oversight for Sustainable Development: Enhancing Parliamentary Engagement in Public Financial Management.’
The conference will serve as a vital platform for delegates to engage in dialogue, exchange best practices, and strengthen parliamentary oversight and accountability mechanisms. It will also reaffirm the commitment of member states to transparency, good governance, and effective public financial management.
In addition to the conference, the AGM will provide an opportunity for member states to deliberate on organisational matters and review progress. Auditors-General from SADC member states will also take part. Their partnership with PACs is central to promoting transparency, accountability, and sound management of public resources. Their engagement will further enrich discussions on strengthening public financial oversight and improving governance systems throughout the region.
What are your expectations for the outcomes of the 17th Annual SADCOPAC conference and how will it benefit Lesotho?
We are expecting a valuable exchange of knowledge and experiences and capacitation among member countries. As Lesotho is currently legislating public debt management, we are hoping to learn from other SADC countries that have already implemented similar legislation.
We are hoping that the conference will provide a platform for our parliamentarians to gain insights into best practices, understand how to make a good law for public debt, and learn how parliament can effectively provide oversight on public debt. The capacity building and networking opportunities will be particularly beneficial for us. I have attended meetings that were discussing public debt, both at the SADC and the African Union level, but I don’t think my representation alone is sufficient. I am happy that now members of parliament will be part of this meeting.
What are some of the challenges you face as the PAC in implementing directives and how do you hope the conference will help you overcome them?
We were hoping to learn from countries like Mozambique and Madagascar, which have a unique system. Mozambique, for example, has an audit court that integrates with PAC proceedings, making decisions enforceable. When there is a session of the PAC, the Auditor General and the judge become part of such proceedings so that whatever is decided becomes a court decision. The only way out of that is when one decides to appeal. I believe that makes civil servants scared to misuse public funds, knowing that serious legal measures would be taken against them. This system seems effective in promoting accountability and deterring misuse of public funds. This is not a challenge unique to Lesotho, and we believe sharing experiences and best practices through this conference will help us find solutions. It is unfortunate that we have received an official apology from Madagascar that they will not be joining us. We hope to learn from Mozambique; their system is completely different from how we do things.
You said this will be Lesotho’s first time to host the conference, but not the first time for the PAC of this 11th Parliament to join this meeting. What can you say are the most significant issues you brought home from previous conferences to improve your work?
As the chairperson of the Lesotho PAC, I’ve attended two such conferences. As the SADCOPAC deputy secretary I’ve also been to many other meetings that really helped us as the PAC to improve our work. We want things to happen here and then, not tomorrow. When we summon people to account for misuse of public funds, we want corrective measures taken. We believe that is what Basotho want. Other countries are keen to learn from us on this aspect. We believe in the saying that prevention is better than cure because cure is very expensive and a lengthy process. Crime prevention is one of the measures which this committee has achieved after learning from other countries.
Mention some of your successes and what do you envision to be a successful PAC?
I would be happy if at the end of the term of this parliament, incidents relating to corruption have significantly been reduced. That would be a major indicator that we were a very effective PAC. Taking people to court could be one indicator but it is not in our power to do that. We have Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. The number of cases that would eventually go to court is entirely the business of the Executive, not Parliament. If the Executive decides not to implement parliamentary decisions, that cannot be blamed on the PAC.
Another indicator that we can measure our work on is the number of reports produced by the committee, for Parliament to adopt. Ever since I became a member of this parliament, I have seen only one report from the previous PACs. As for the current committee, we have produced three reports, though just one of them successfully went through in Parliament. Our first report is on the usage of COVID-19 funds. Honestly, we did not take it through to Parliament because it is old. We were dealing with old matters, something that was projected for that time and it ended during the pandemic, so we are still looking if it will add any value.
The second one is a report on the Moshoeshoe I International Airport. The committee presented the report with recommendations, but somehow, due to technicalities not real issues, it was rejected in Parliament. The findings are still the same, Members of Parliament did not debate on the findings but the technicalities. Some members adopted the report while others did not sign. I think they have deliberately denied themselves an opportunity to discuss issues that were contained in the report. However, they still remain.
The other thing that we all know is that in Parliament it’s all about numbers. So, whether our findings or report is good, if numbers do not support us there is nothing we can do. That is the unfortunate experience we had with the Moshoeshoe I International Airport issue.
The third report is on the Public Officers Pension Fund Report. It is currently under implementation and they still report to Parliament on the progress made on each and every decision. We are quite happy. We are about to table a report on the Lesotho Electricity Company. We are waiting for the minister to present the report after the forensic audit is completed so that we can incorporate important information. We are currently with LNDC (Lesotho National Development Corporation) before moving onto other institutions.
How do you expect the conference to contribute economically and to Lesotho’s tourism?
We believe that our visitors from these countries will be scattered all over Maseru town for accommodation, which will undoubtedly boost our economy. We’ve engaged Basotho producers, including those selling Seshoeshoe, bags, and tourist destinations, to explore ways of benefiting from the conference. attendees will be using materials like bags and pens that display our culture.
Additionally, Basotho will have stalls around the ‘Mathabiseng Convention Centre, selling local products. We’re also planning to host a flea market, although it’s not yet confirmed. Furthermore, we are calling upon local photographers to be part of this event, capturing the moments and showcasing our beautiful country. We are expecting a significant economic boost from this conference, particularly in the tourism sector.
