DCEO HALTS VICTORIA HOTEL OPERATIONS

DCEO HALTS VICTORIA HOTEL OPERATIONS, LESOTHO
DCEO has frozen the government- owned Victoria Hotel, which was procedurally and corruptly leased out in 2002, to Sobita Investment (PTY)Ltd it was then used as a channel for money laundering by South African based businessman Thabiso Tlelai (Known as Sobita Investments)
The company was awarded the deal to lease the strategically based Maseru hotel without an open tender process as required by procurement regulations for over twenty years. DCEO Director-General said Mr Tlelai has used the hotel to over M300 000 000 export millions of Maloti to his other South African based accounts but has never paid agreed M60 000 monthly rentals to the Lesotho government since 2002 when it was first awarded the contract. This reaped the country of revenue it should have obtained from its key asset.
“Sobita Investments currently owes the treasury about M19,4 million in rentals”
As a result, DCEO made an application in the High court of Lesotho for preservation of property duly granted. The hotel had its license suspended on 25 June, 2019 by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture on the basis that Victoria Hotel did not meet minimum requirements to operate as a hotel. The Hotel was denied tax clearance for a long time and could not renew trader’s license. The Hotel was again struck off from the roll of companies.
Currently the building is under curatorship as the court ordered. M.Putsoa and Associates will be responsible for day to day operations of the hotel in collaboration with the DCEO.