By Neo Kolane
The European Union Delegation says it frantically tried to bring two NGOs involved in its multi-million maloti human rights project to the table when disagreements started to emerge between them two years ago.
Sesotho Media and Development and the She-Hive Association had entered into an agreement in November 2021 which was intended to guide and regulate their relationship in the implementation of a M17 million EU funded project on Human Rights, referenced as FED/2021/423-111.
The contract’s main focus is the promotion on accountability and respect for human rights by Lesotho Mounted Police Service. Sesotho Media and Development and She-Hive Association are beneficiaries with different roles of Lead Applicant and Co- Applicant respectively, while the EU Delegation in Lesotho is the contracting authority.
The EU’s remarks come after She-Hive Association last week said it was on the brink of collapse after Sesotho Media and Development withdrew financial support from the project following some disagreements.
The head of the European Union Delegation to the Kingdom of Lesotho Paola Amadei said in the spirit of cooperation, they had urged the two NGOs to resume dialogue and host regular meetings to clarify any outstanding issues as stipulated in the contract.
Amadei noted the EU Delegation further instructed the two to present a joint plan by December 2021 on the status of implementation to ensure that no time was lost on the project.
Given persisting disagreements over the management of the project and its assets, the EU made further appeals for the two organisations to resolve their disharmony and strive to achieve the objectives of the project, he said.
She added that they deployed an independent monitoring review team at the end of the first year of project activities to ascertain whether it was on track despite the ongoing disagreements.
“The independent monitoring review observed that disagreements persisted, posing a threat to the implementation of the project.
“In addition, the review was unable to find evidence of the co-applicant’s (She-Hive) participation in the project and concluded that the organisation was no longer involved in the implementation of activities.”
Amadei said the EU made one last attempt to resolve the dispute and formally invited Sesotho Media to take the necessary steps to revive the working relations within a 30-day period, or request an amendment of the contract.
At the end of this period, following bilateral consultations in which both organisations
acknowledged they could no longer cooperate with each other, the EU Delegation accepted a request by Sesotho Media to amend the contract and formally end the participation of the She-Hive Association in the project.
In a March 27, 2023 letter to She-Hive Association founder and chief executive officer, ‘Mamakhethe Phomane, Sesotho Media and Development executive director ‘Mamolefe Phetlane requested an amendment of the contract to reflect her organisation as the sole implementation partner.
“In light of the above matter, this letter serves as an official notice of termination of the co-applicant (She-Hive) in the action (project).
“Kindly take note that the duration of the notice period shall be 30 days from the date of receipt of this letter,” she wrote.
Amadei noted that this decision was arrived at following almost two years of project implementation during which all attempts for reconciliation had failed.
She added that the EU regrets that the project could not be implemented jointly by the
two organisations as originally envisaged.
Disputes over the management of project assets risked jeopardising the implementation of important human rights-related activities, she also warned.
Phomane told a press conference last week that they could no longer afford rent, salaries and other running costs after Sesotho Media withdrew financial support from the EU.
She said the main bone of contention was that Sesotho Media had in January 2023 withheld funds meant for her association accusing it of failing to account for the funds it received in January 2022 covering the period of January to May of the same year.
She however, maintained that She-Hive has always timeously availed the required financial documents to Sesotho Media for spot checks and audit. There was therefore, no need for it to withhold the funding.
“We have handed over all our original documents to Sesotho Media and Development for ongoing auditing and it will not be an exaggeration to claim that they have illegally confiscated our records,” she said.
Phomane added that relations between the two further soured when they fought over a vehicle that was supposed to be purchased and registered as an asset in the books of her organisation.
Sesotho Media and Development refused with the vehicle only offering usage to She-Hive upon request, she alleged.
As a result of the withdrawal of the financial support, Phomane said, She-Hive was indebted to its employees. It has also failed to pay rent for more than 12 months and risk being kicked out.
She said their landlord had already served the association with a notice of eviction and confiscation of equipment for non-payment.
“This is in addition to the fact that Sesotho Media, acting in common purpose with EU, are threatening to take all equipment bought for She-Hive under the project that was funded by the European Union.
“We do not expect EU to act any differently,” she said.
Amadei also said the EU Delegation believes it is nonetheless best for the project to continue with Sesotho Media as envisaged by the grant contract under such circumstances.
“In the interest of the project’s true final beneficiaries, marginalised groups and survivors of human rights abuses in Lesotho, it is best that the project goes on with the lead applicant,” she added.
