LEC defends M12.8 million cable contract

…amid tender controversy

Moorosi Tsiane

THE Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) has dismissed allegations that it unlawfully awarded a M12.8 million cable supply contract to Verozha Holdings, insisting the procurement complied with all established procedures.

LEC acting procurement manager, Soai Soai, told the Lesotho Times yesterday that the award was part of a structured procurement process approved by the company’s Procurement Committee, which opted for selective tendering to urgently address a growing backlog of electricity connections across the country.

The clarification follows widespread social media claims that LEC had awarded a M6 million tender to a company linked to Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) Koro-Koro constituency secretary, Seeiso Letsie, through political influence.

Mr Soai said the Procurement Committee resolved on 19 March 2026 to use selective tendering for the supply of 100 000 metres of 8mm XLPE CNE COMM (M) PEYY electrical cable and 20 000 metres of 36mm x 3-core plus 54.6mm insulated neutral ABC conductor cable.

He said 27 companies registered on the LEC supplier database were invited on 31 March 2026 to submit quotations.

Following the evaluation process, Verozha Holdings was awarded a M6 221 500 contract on 14 April 2026 to supply the 100 000 metres of electrical cable, while Arabian Electrics (Pty) Ltd secured a separate M1 235 000 contract to supply the 20 000 metres of conductor cable after emerging as the lowest bidder in that category.

Mr Soai said Verozha Holdings’ contract was later expanded to include an additional 100 000 metres of electrical cable worth M6 624 000, increasing the total contract value to M12 845 500.

He said the decision to use selective tendering was prompted by an urgent need to connect households that had been waiting for electricity since between December 2024 and March 2025.

“We had an emergency of houses which have not been connected with electricity from as far back as December 2024 to March 2025. In a bid to respond to this backlog, the committee resolved that we engage in selective tendering and invite companies we usually work with to submit quotations,” Mr Soai said.

He said all 27 invited companies submitted bids, which were evaluated before the contracts were awarded.

Mr Soai said that during implementation, LEC discovered that the backlog, particularly in the northern districts, was significantly larger than initially estimated, resulting in a shortage of materials.

He said the Procurement Committee subsequently resolved, on 27 May 2026, to procure an additional 100 000 metres of cable through sole sourcing while preparations for an open tender were underway for additional works.

The additional M6 624 000 contract was awarded to Verozha Holdings to supply cable for Leribe and Butha-Buthe, where the demand backlog was highest.

“The Procurement Committee again resolved on 27 May 2026 that we should engage in sole sourcing procurement for another 100 000 metres of cable because of the shortage. This time we only needed the cable as we still had conductors,” Mr Soai said.

He maintained that the procurement decisions were based solely on operational requirements and were not influenced by political or external considerations.

Mr Soai added that the open tender process was still underway and would proceed once the immediate backlog in electricity connections had been cleared.

“The open tendering processes are still being processed and will be followed once we have dealt with this backlog,” he said.

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