Athletics officials ousted from Minet Independence Marathon committee

MASERU – A dramatic power struggle has erupted within Lesotho’s athletics community after key officials were abruptly removed from the organising committee of the prestigious Minet Independence Marathon, raising serious questions about the event’s governance just two months before its scheduled date.

The unexpected ejection of Maseru Athletics Academy (MAA) officials from the race’s planning structure has prompted the district athletics governing body to formally request intervention from the Federation of Athletics Lesotho (FAL), exposing deep divisions within the sport’s leadership.

In a letter dated July 13, addressed to FAL Secretary General, Khauta Makhoana, the MAA levelled serious accusations against national athletics coach ‘Mantšebo Manama, alleging she improperly interfered with the event’s governance by directing sponsors and organisers to remove MAA delegates from the organising committee.

“Maseru Athletics Academy requests you to call to order the national athletics coach who lately purported to be secretary of FAL, who brought this district into disrepute on various platforms,” reads the letter, which has been seen by this publication.

“Recently she instructed the sponsors and organisers of the forthcoming Minet Independence Marathon to withdraw our delegates’ names. To our dismay, she substituted them with her colleagues from the Ministry of Sports and Culture.”

The MAA letter further appealed for prompt action to “protect the integrity of our sport and cementing sponsors’ confidence in our federation.”

MAA spokesperson, Sejanamane Maphathe, confirmed the authenticity of the correspondence but revealed that no response has been forthcoming from FAL headquarters.

“As I speak to you, we have yet to receive a response from FAL,” Maphathe stated in an interview on Thursday. “FAL gave us permission to organise the Minet race starting from last year. But surprisingly, Nicki (‘Mantšebo Manama), who now purports to be the FAL Secretary, removed our delegates from the race’s organising committee.”

According to Maphathe, the MAA delegates’ removal has now been finalised, despite their names still appearing on committee documents at the time the letter was dispatched.

“When we wrote to FAL, our delegates’ names were still on the organising committee, but they have now been removed,” he confirmed.

Minet Independence Marathon Head of Operations, Puleng Mokhethi, confirmed that MAA officials had approached her seeking clarification on the matter, requesting minutes of the meeting where the controversial decision was made.

“They called me asking for the minutes in which the names were removed. I asked them to submit a formal written request, and I am still waiting for their letter,” said Mokhethi. “I have nothing to hide, but I could not simply share the minutes of a meeting they were not part of.”

Information gathered by Public Eye indicates that the officials removed from the organising committee are MAA president, ‘Malibuseng Lebele and spokesperson Sejanamane Maphathe.

However, Manama has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting the MAA’s complaints are entirely without foundation.

“I know nothing about such a letter, and again, it is not true that I am the one who has removed their delegates’ names from the organising committee,” Manama said.

The national athletics coach, who also represents the Ministry of Sports as FAL Secretariat, acknowledged that “there is no smoke without fire” but maintained her innocence in the matter.

FAL Secretary General, Khauta Makhoana, declined to comment on the controversy, referring questions to spokesperson Nkoebe Makhalemele, who could not be reached for comment prior to publication.

The Minet Independence Marathon has traditionally served as one of Lesotho’s premier athletic events, attracting elite runners and significant sponsorship investment. This governance dispute threatens to undermine the event’s credibility and potentially impact future sponsor confidence in the federation’s administration.

The MAA’s appeal for intervention highlights growing concerns about leadership conflicts within Lesotho’s athletics governing structures, with district-level administrators feeling marginalised from decision-making processes that affect their members.

Sports governance experts have noted that such internal disputes can have far-reaching consequences, potentially affecting athlete development programmes, event organisation standards, and the country’s reputation within international athletics circles.

As the marathon date approaches, athletics enthusiasts and stakeholders will be watching closely to see whether FAL leadership can effectively mediate this dispute and restore confidence in the event’s organising committee. The resolution of this governance crisis may well determine the future cooperation between district athletics bodies and national federation structures in Lesotho.

The federation’s response – or lack thereof – to the MAA’s formal complaint will be seen as a critical test of its commitment to transparent and inclusive governance practices in Basotho athletics.