. . . company paid M1.6m for portion of land
. . . Principal Chief demands additional M3m
. . . as minister denies owing further payments
Minister of Law and Justice Richard Ramoeletsi and Principal Chief Khoabane Theko of Thaba-Bosiu have clashed over a million maloti land deal linked to a proposed cannabis cultivation project at Ha Ratau, Nazareth.
Eden Farm (Pty) Ltd, a company in which Ramoeletsi is one of the directors, paid M1.6 million to Chief Theko for a portion of land eight years ago.
Now, in a letter dated September 11, 2026, addressed to Ramoeletsi, Chief Khoabane alleges that the company’s business partners had committed to pay him M3 million once they obtained a cannabis licence.
The chief says his late younger brother, Chief Lerotholi Theko, had informed him Ramoeletsi were interested in setting up a cannabis project on their family land and that investors were ready to pay M3 million once they obtained the license.
Chief Theko further alleges that after a short time, he made efforts to obtain licence at the Ministry of Health but withheld its release pending his promised M3 million payment.
According to the letter, the parties disagreed over whether the licence should be released before payment or handed over after the money had been paid.
Chief Khoabane acknowledges in the letter that M1.6 million was discussed and accepted in connection with the transaction, but says he understood the amount to be payment for the eastern portion of his field, beyond a public road passing through the area.
“I should remind you that the company’s owners (investors) came to Lesotho when they heard that the licence had been issued. However, you insisted that I release the licence so that the money could be released. After I finally released the licence, you, Mr Ramoeletsi, in the absence of the late Chief Lerotholi Theko, paid me M1.6 million,” the letter reads.
Chief Khoabane further said that he accepted the M1.6 million as payment for a portion of the land after Ramoeletsi convinced him that the bank might ask questions about such a large amount of money in his account.
“I was not aware that this was a trick to grab my field,” Chief Khoabane said.
“I advise you to withdraw the lease because it was obtained fraudulently. You and Chief Morena Lerotholi Theko went to the Council at Ha Ratau and claimed that I had approved the request for the lease,” Chief Khoabane wrote.
Ramoeletsi, however, disputes owing the chief M3 million or any further money, insisting that the M1.6 million was payment for the land the company agreed to purchase.
He told theReporter in an interview yesterday that investors interested in cultivating medicinal cannabis in Lesotho approached him in 2018 to partner with them through Eden Farm.
The proposed project required land with access to water and electricity, as well as an environmental impact assessment, to meet the requirements for obtaining an operating licence.
“I discussed the matter with my friend, the late Chief Lerotholi Theko, who told me that his family owned a land at Ha Ratau. We inspected the property and found that it had water and electricity, so negotiations began,” Ramoeletsi recounted.
He noted that Chief Lerotholi explained that the land belonged to their family and was under the oversight of his brother, the late Chief Khoabane.
According to Ramoeletsi, the company initially considered purchasing the entire 9.52-hectare property. However, negotiations changed after they realised that a public road divided the land and that the company did not need the entire property for its proposed project.
He said they subsequently agreed to purchase approximately 5.9 hectares, leaving the remaining portion with Chief Khoabane.
“We agreed to take only part of the land because the entire property was larger than we needed and was divided by a public road. We proceeded with the sale through the Masapong Council, which surveyed the area, and we obtained a lease. We paid Chief Khoabane M1.6 million for the portion we needed,” Ramoeletsi said, adding that Chief Khoabane had initially sought M2,665,600 for the entire property.
A disagreement reportedly arose when Chief Khoabane insisted the company buys the entire piece of land as he would have difficulties selling the remaining portion.
Ramoeletsi said the company told the chief that he could continue using the remaining land or sell it to someone else.
He further argued that fencing the entire property would have been impractical because the public road divided it, while fencing the separate portions would have increased costs.
“It did not make economic sense for us to fence the entire property because of the public road dividing it. We had already purchased more land than the project required.”
Ramoeletsi said Eden Farm subsequently applied for a cannabis cultivation licence and paid a licensing fee of M540,000. The company also commissioned an environmental impact assessment, which he said was assessed and approved by the Department of Environment. The company then submitted its application to the Ministry of Health for a licence.
However, Ramoeletsi said he was surprised to learn, when he went to collect the licence, that Chief Khoabane had already collected it, allegedly claiming to be a partner in the project.
“Morena Khoabane was not even listed on the application form. I went back to him with his brother and asked him to return the licence, but he insisted that we owed him money because we had purchased the entire property. He only handed over the licence after we threatened to report the matter to the police,” Ramoeletsi said.
He claimed Chief Khoabane later wrote to him in 2019 demanding payment, but he maintained that the company had paid for the portion of land it had purchased and had no further financial obligation to him.
“We did not need his assistance to obtain the licence, nor did we pay anyone extra money. I don’t understand why he would have expected us to pay him M3 million to help us obtain a licence that cost M540,000. That would not make sense,” Ramoeletsi argued.
He confirmed receiving Chief Khoabane’s latest letter and said he had instructed his lawyers to respond.
He said the allegations in the letter were similar to those raised in earlier correspondence in 2019 and that his position remained unchanged.
The minister also indicated that the proposed cannabis project did not proceed at Ha Ratau after Eden Farm discovered that the electricity supply was insufficient for its operations.
He said the company subsequently identified alternative land at Metolong, where the electricity infrastructure was more suitable, and undertook the required processes with the involvement of the area chief and the Masapong Council.
The Ha Ratau property was consequently left available for other farming activities.
Ramoeletsi became the Minister of Law and Justice in November 2023, following the 2022 national general elections.
