By Maleshoane Ratsebe
Pictures by Retšelisitsoe Makara
- For MISA Lesotho to be effective enough, members argue its constitution should speak to the current trends in the media space.
- The current constitution, they argue, is “outmoded, archaic and irrelevant”
The Lesotho chapter of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Lesotho) is set to embark on amendments to its constitution following an extensive discussion by members during an extraordinary general meeting this past weekend at Polihali, in the district of Mokhotlong.
With support of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA), MISA Lesotho held the extraordinary general meeting for members at the premises of LHDA’s Polihali Dam project in Mokhotlong.
The extraordinary general meeting, scheduled from Friday April 26 until Sunday April 28 in Mokhotlong, came after a failed ordinary annual general meeting (AGM) that was scheduled to take place at MISA Lesotho premises in Maseru on March 31, 2024. The AGM had failed to take off because of poor attendance by the members.
The constitution of MISA Lesotho requires that the AGM is held on or before March 31, every year. The constitution also requires that the AGM can only take off if members in attendance constitute a quorum. In other words, a large number of the general membership of MISA Lesotho should be present at the meeting to legitimise proceedings at the AGM.
Fifty three (53) members attended the extraordinary general meeting in Polihali. The meeting was supposed to discuss three items as per the officially proposed agenda, namely: Chairperson’s overall remarks on the progress of MISA Lesotho, the secretary general’s report and the treasurer’s report of the fiscal year.
However, at the very start of the meeting, members raised additional issues they urged were urgent to be included in the agenda.
Nthabeleng Seitlheko, a member in good standing, was first to raise a point that the general assembly should further discuss amendments to the the constitution of MISA Lesotho. Her grounds were that the constitution was “too old, outmoded, archaic and therefore no longer relevant.”
Seitlheko’s sentiments were echoed by a few other members arguing some sections in the constitution were no longer relevant in the 21st century. For instance, Sitlheko added; “unnecessarily so, there are too much powers vested with the chairperson by the constitution, such that during his absence the business of MISA Lesotho is halted.”
The constitution of MISA Lesotho was first crafted and adopted in 1996 when the Institute was transformed from the Media Institute of Lesotho (MILES) Resource Center.
The members submitted the constitution should be reviwed such that it speaks to the current trends in the media and free expression space.
The chairperson, Mr Kananelo Boloetse, also highlighted there were limitations delaying progress of MISA Lesotho in certain provisions of the constitution.
A resolution has been reached by the general assembly to the effect that the National Governing Council of MISA Lesotho should prepare and organise for a special meeting to amend the constitution.
