Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force

Last updated
Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force
Incumbent
Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela

since 23 January 2018
Reports toMinister of Defence
Appointer Government of Lesotho
Formation1978
Website Official website

The Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force is the professional head of the Defence Force. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the Lesotho military.

List of chiefs

PortraitCommanderTook officeLeft officeTime in officeDefence branchRef.
No image.png
Mosakeng, MakhulaLieutenant general
Makhula Mosakeng
?12 September 1998?Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [1]
No image.png
Mosakeng, MakhulaLieutenant general
Makhula Mosakeng
2000October 20043–4 yearsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [2]
No image.png
Motanyane, ThusoLieutenant general
Thuso Motanyane
(born 1954)
October 200424 August 20116 years, 10 monthsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [3] [4]
Phatoli Lekanyane (4618442827) (cropped).jpg
Lekanyane, PhatoliMajor general
Phatoli Lekanyane
24 August 201115 March 20126 monthsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [4] [5]
No image.png
Kamoli, TlaliLieutenant general
Tlali Kamoli
(born 1966)
15 March 201229 August 20142 years, 6 monthsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [5] [6]
No image.png
Mahao, MaaparankoeLieutenant general
Maaparankoe Mahao
(1968–2015)
29 August 2014February 20155 monthsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [6]
No image.png
Kamoli, TlaliLieutenant general
Tlali Kamoli
(born 1966)
February 20151 December 20161 year, 10 monthsFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [6] [7] [8]
Lesotho Defence Force Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Motsomotso Medical Readiness Excercise 14-1 (cropped).jpg
Motšomotšo, KhoantleLieutenant general
Khoantle Motšomotšo
(?–2017)
1 December 20165 September 2017 278 daysFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [9] [10]
No image.png
Poopa, LineoMajor general
Lineo Poopa
Acting
5 September 201723 January 2018171 daysFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Army [10]
No image.png
Letsoela, MojalefaLieutenant general
Mojalefa Letsoela
23 January 2018Incumbent4 years, 278 daysFlag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Air Squadron [8] [10]

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References

  1. Selsky, Andrew. "Report: Lesotho Chief Forced Out". apnews.com/. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  2. Sunday Express (26 September 2017). "'Include Local Security Experts In Reforms'". sundayexpress.co.ls. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. Rosenberg, Scott; Weisfelder, Richard F. (2013). Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press. pp. 386–387. ISBN   9780810879829 . Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 defenceWeb (1 September 2011). "Lesotho defence force gets new chief" . Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 Lesotho Times (21 March 2012). "Shake-Up In Lesotho Defence Force". lestimes.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Peta, Basildon (13 October 2017). Ex-LDF chief Kamoli faces police interrogation. Pretoria News. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  7. Army chief steps down after negotiations with the government. Economist Intelligence Unit. Published 10 November 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  8. 1 2 Lesotho Times (9 February 2018). "New Army Chief Speaks". Lesotho Times. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  9. Ngatane, Nthakoana (1 December 2016). "Lesotho army commander retires". sabc.co.za. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Govt appoints new army commander. Lesotho Times. Published 27 January 2018.