QMMH payroll manager escapes dismissal

…as he is allegedly advised to resign to secure benefits

…PAC questions why dismissal letter was withheld

Mohloai Mpesi

THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has heard allegations that a dismissal letter prepared for Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) payroll manager, Patlo Khoalenyane, was deliberately withheld while he was quietly advised to resign so that he could retain his employment benefits.

The Committee was left stunned this week after learning that Mr Khoalenyane, who allegedly continued drawing a salary for more than a year despite not reporting for duty, resigned before the dismissal letter that had already been prepared could be served on him.

Mr Khoalenyane was due to be dismissed alongside three other employees. However, while the other employees received their dismissal letters last Friday, his was never served.

The Committee heard that, unlike the others, Mr Khoalenyane’s letter was to be handed to him only in the presence of QMMH Managing Director, Dr Khoase Ranyali, to whom he reports directly.

Assistant Human Resources Manager for Recruitment, ’Makatleho Lefielo, told the Committee that Mr Khoalenyane’s dismissal had been delayed because the Managing Director was unavailable.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, ’Matšoanelo Monyobi, told the Committee that the matter only reached her office last month after a disciplinary panel recommended the dismissal of the four employees.

“The matter concerning the dismissed employees was still being handled by QMMH. It only reached my desk last month after the panel had heard them and recommended their dismissal. QMMH is best placed to explain the reasons for the dismissals.

“Mr Khoalenyane’s letter reached my desk on the 21st, and the Committee asked why it had taken so long when he had been on the payroll for the entire year,” Ms Monyobi said.

QMMH’s payroll has come under repeated scrutiny in recent months. The hospital’s finance manager previously told PAC that Mr Khoalenyane had remained on the payroll long after disciplinary proceedings against him had concluded. He was also allegedly implicated in the recruitment of “ghost” workers before disciplinary proceedings commenced.

Mr Khoalenyane, together with two other QMMH employees, was separately charged before the Maseru Magistrate’s Court last year over allegations of defrauding the hospital of nearly M1 million in a case involving several other accused persons.

PAC member Dr Tšeliso Moroke, who chaired this week’s hearing, accused Ms Lefielo of meeting Mr Khoalenyane and encouraging him to resign before his dismissal letter could be served so that he would qualify for employment benefits.

Dr Moroke asked Ms Monyobi whether she had seen the dismissal letter.

“I saw them,” Ms Monyobi replied.

“The process lacks transparency. This morning, ‘Mè Makatleho called Mr Khoalenyane to ask whether he had received his dismissal letter.

“She encouraged him to resign before she issued the dismissal letter so that he would not lose his benefits. That is why I am asking the PS whether she saw the dismissal letters,” Dr Moroke said.

He further alleged that officials were reluctant to dismiss Mr Khoalenyane because he knew the identities of employees allegedly fraudulently placed on the QMMH payroll.

“I should tell you that Ms Lefielo had a meeting with Mr Khoalenyane this morning and encouraged him to resign. This brings us back to the issue of the ghost workers because they are unable to confront him directly since he knows who is involved. To keep him quiet, they need to ensure he leaves the system smoothly.

“We are saying, with evidence, that you encouraged Khoalenyane’s resignation.

“Why would Patlo resign when we have a dismissal letter? I have the resignation letter here. The PS may know that the dismissal letter exists, but it was never served on the people it was meant for.

“I am telling you now that Mr Khoalenyane’s dismissal letter never reached him. The only document in the HR office is his resignation letter. That is what is on record,” Dr Moroke said.

Ms Monyobi responded that the hospital could not dismiss an employee who had already resigned.

“To my knowledge, QMMH cannot dismiss a person who has resigned. If Mr Khoalenyane did not receive his letter…”

Dr Moroke interrupted her, insisting that the dismissal decision had preceded the resignation.

“You did not hear me correctly. The dismissal letter came first, even if the resignation letter was backdated to pre-empt it.

“After the decision to dismiss these employees was taken, someone quickly went to advise Mr Khoalenyane against it so that he would resign instead. This administration is very poorly run,” he said.

Ms Monyobi said anyone found to have interfered with the disciplinary process would be held accountable.

“If he resigned before QMMH issued him with a dismissal letter, he could not have been dismissed. He ought to have been given the dismissal letter.

“If someone caused Ntate Khoalenyane to receive a resignation letter instead of his dismissal letter, they will have to answer for what happened,” she said.

Ms Lefielo maintained that she had been informed by a colleague, Ms Mabatloung, that only two employees had received their dismissal letters.

“Ms Mabatloung was issuing the dismissal letters on Friday because I left early that day. She said only two people had been given their letters — Mr Mapili and Mr Rabale — and that Mr Rabale had refused to accept his.

“She said Mr Khoalenyane was supposed to receive his letter in front of the Managing Director because he reports to the MD, but the MD was not around,” Ms Lefielo said.

QMMH, Lesotho’s flagship referral hospital, opened in 2011 under a public-private partnership between the government and the Tšepong consortium led by South Africa’s Netcare Group. Government terminated the arrangement in 2021 and assumed full management of the facility.

Since then, the hospital has repeatedly faced allegations of a bloated wage bill, politically influenced recruitment and financial mismanagement. The PAC’s ongoing investigation into alleged ghost workers forms part of a broader inquiry into the hospital’s finances.

Dr Moroke said there was “something fishy” about the handling of Mr Khoalenyane’s case, recalling that the payroll manager had previously vowed he would not “go down alone”.

“Mr Khoalenyane said he will not go down alone. It is surprising that the person meant to dismiss him is the MD. You will agree with me that Mr Khoalenyane did not receive his dismissal letter — he was advised to resign instead. That letter is still sitting in the QMMH HR office,” he said.

Ms Monyobi said she was disturbed to learn that the Human Resources office had received Mr Khoalenyane’s resignation letter, dated 3 August 2026, while his dismissal letter had still not been served.

“I am surprised because these letters were signed a long time ago. Why did he not receive his dismissal letter when we received his resignation letter on the 3rd of August 2026, while others had already received theirs? I need to get to the bottom of this.

“Three letters went to QMMH, and normally, when someone is given their letter, they do not need to appear before the Managing Director,” she said.

Dr Moroke questioned why Mr Khoalenyane’s dismissal required the Managing Director’s presence.

“What is the business between Mr Khoalenyane and the MD? There is something wrong connecting the two of them, and it is not for QMMH’s benefit. Some people there have improper relationships. Mr Khoalenyane is not the only one who knows about the ghost workers, and that group will make sure he is treated well when he is finally removed from the system.

“The MD was supposed to come here and tell us why Mr Patlo was to be dismissed in his presence,” Dr Moroke said.

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