By Tṧeliso Tṧosane
The Maseru Magistrate’s court on Monday rejected former Lesotho Times editor Lloyd Mutungamiri’s request to testify virtually in the trial in which members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) are charged with an attempt to murder him.
Mutungamiri, a Zimbabwean national, was shot and injured by soldiers on July 15 2016. One bullet broke two of his right-hand fingers and another shattered his lower jaw, requiring him to undergo specialised dental surgery to manage the jaw and to remove a bullet that lodged behind his left ear. He also sustained eye injuries after broken window glasses entered and cut his eyes, among other facial injuries.
The shooting followed a week during which one of the publication’s journalists was also summoned for interrogation by police and military officials in connection with a story about the LDF.
The story was about the negotiations for an exit package for the then army commander, Lieutenant-General Tlali Kamoli, in line with a Southern African Development Community (SADC) recommendation for his removal from post.
Mutungamiri had requested the court to allow him to testify citing safety concerns if he came to Lesotho to testify.
However, Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Murenzi dismissed this request and ordered Mutungamiri to appear in court to testify on Wednesday this week.
