From Pyjamas To Prison: One Man’s Fight For Youth Jobs In Lesotho

In Lesotho, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, one young man’s call for government accountability has sparked a national and regional conversation and drawn the ire of the state.

According to local media sources, thirty-one-year-old Tšolo Thakeli, a father of two and an outspoken advocate for youth employment, found himself arrested, intimidated, and charged with sedition.

This was reportedly for a simple social media video questioning why promised jobs had not materialized.

Thakeli’s message was hardly radical. In a video posted earlier this month, he asked why Prime Minister Sam Matekane had yet to fulfill his high-profile pledge to create 70,000 jobs.

Lesotho’s youth unemployment rate stands at 24%, a staggering figure in a country where hope is in short supply.

But within a day of the video going viral, armed police showed up at Thakeli’s home, on Father’s Day, while he was still in his pyjamas.

“I never thought I’d be targeted just for asking about jobs,” Thakeli said.

“I’ve been raising this issue for years under different governments.”

What followed was a whirlwind of legal harassment.

Initial charges for allegedly insulting the prime minister and inciting unrest were dropped for lack of evidence.

Yet he was arrested again the same day, this time on the far more serious charge of sedition.

He was held for two days in inhumane conditions, in what he described as cold, dark, filthy cells that offered little more than fear and humiliation.

After his release, Thakeli was summoned by Lesotho’s police commissioner, who issued a chilling warning: continue speaking out, especially if you mention the prime minister by name, and the state won’t protect you.

“They basically told me that if anything happens to me, I’m on my own,” he recounted.

Yet despite the threat, Thakeli remains undeterred. His online presence has only grown.

With videos reaching tens of thousands, he continues to push for transparency, using humor, memes, and bold commentary to connect with a frustrated generation.

His activism struck a chord again recently when thousands of young Basotho flooded an army recruitment drive for just 500 positions.

It was a vivid display of desperation in a nation struggling with 16% overall unemployment.

Prime Minister Matekane’s promise to generate 70,000 jobs in a matter of weeks was met with widespread skepticism.

This was especially after no budget provision for such a program had been made earlier in the year.

Thakeli’s video simply echoed what many were already thinking: where is the plan, and why the silence?

His courage has not gone unnoticed. Activists across Southern Africa are sounding the alarm.

“These are the kinds of questions any citizen in a democracy should be able to ask,” said Makomborero Haruzivishe of Action for Southern Africa.

“He wasn’t calling for the government’s overthrow, he was asking for accountability.

“The government’s reaction is terrifying.”

Thakeli, a qualified lawyer who once stood outside Parliament alone in 2016 to protest youth joblessness, has long been a voice for those overlooked by successive governments.

Now a business owner, he reflects on his own struggle to find work after graduating — a reality still faced by thousands of young people in Lesotho.

Although he uses humor online, once joking that his lawyer “always looks tired of me every time I go live”, the threat he faces is very real.

With a court date looming on July 2 and rumors that his bail may be revoked, Thakeli is concerned not just for himself, but for his wife and daughters.

“I’m just a concerned citizen,” he said.

“I don’t belong to any political group, I’m not armed, I’ve never incited violence.

“I’m simply someone who wants the best for my country.

“And holding government accountable, that’s not just a right.

“It’s our duty.”

In a time when governments across Africa are being scrutinized for democratic backsliding and repression of dissent, Thakeli’s story is a sobering reminder that activism can come at a cost.

However, it is also a reminder that courage can spark change.

His voice, amplified by many others, continues to challenge the silence.

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