The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Education and Training Mr. Lesao Lehohla said Mr. Moerane's ideas would continue to inspire them and many others to come. Mr. Lehohla was giving condolences at a memorial service held in honour of the late Minister of Public Works and Transport and the Member of Parliament for Koro-koro constituency Mr. Mofelehetsi Moerane, held at the Manthabiseng Convention Centre on Wednesday.

Mr. Lehohla said the destiny of Lesotho and Basotho as the nation was intimately intertwined with the destiny of Africa saying it was for the men with vision in the continent that to seize the nettle and move Lesotho, 'ispo facto' Africa forward.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Mr. Moerane's efforts at improving the road infrastructure in the country, which was to be his passion as the minister responsible adding his political party benefited profoundly from his political acumen and clearer understanding of the nitty-gritty's of the party of which he had such intimate knowledge.

"He used to be so animated about a network of roads to tame the maloti ranges of Lesotho and making Lesotho navigable by land and air and even 'possibly by sea' and he has left a legacy of road maps that traverse this kingdom and interconnect with our neighbouring Republic," the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged.

Speaking at the same occasion, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr. Motloheloa Phooko related how Mr Moerane started to fall sick in 1998 and that since then he has been in and out of hospitals until in July this year when he was admitted at one of the Private Clinics in Johannesburg South Africa suffering from prostate cancer.

The Minister of Natural Resource Mr. Monyane Moleleki related Mr. Moerane's political struggle from his school days under the British colonial rule up until his active role he played under the Basotho National Party (BNP)  governance.

He pointed that some of his actions led to his arrest several times but he never gave up and that he was one of the veterans of congress politics who was highly influenced by the  founder of Basotholand Congress Party (BCP),  the late Doctor Ntsu Mokhehle.

On behalf of the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) Youth League,  the Deputy President and the Assistant Minister in the Ministry of  Agriculture and Food Security Mr. Molise Ts'eole said they have lost a great leader in Mr. Moerane. He said it was not surprising that Mr. Moerane was the leader of BCP Youth League since 1960 to 1992 because of his intelligence and  vision, adding that he liked education and respected his leaders.

Other speakers included the Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly, Mr. Sephiri Motanyane and Mr. Meshu Mokitimi as a friend friend of the deceased.

King Letsie III and the Prime Minister Mr. Pakalitha Mosisili were among the high dignitaries who attended the memorial service of the late Minister.

Mr. Moerane will be buried with an official funeral at his home at Mokema in the Maseru district on Friday.

06 October 2004