Commission
Commissioners
Rev. Dr. John Maphephe
Chairman
Rev. Dr. Maphephe is a seasoned and highly experienced international consultant in the areas of elections, technology governance, project managements, international development, humanitarian assistance and diplomacy. He has extensive local and international experience and proven track record of providing strategic guidance and support to governments, international organizations and civil society organizations. He has extensive expertise in democratic governance, human rights, conflict prevention and resolution, and economic development. He has served in many countries in Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Rev. Dr Maphaphe’s diverse experience spans multiple regions showcasing his expertise and adaptability in various contexts. He brings a wealth of experience at home. He holds among other qualifications, a PhD in Technology and Public Management, a Master’s Degree in Good Governance and Political Transformation as well as Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He is a member of several professional bodies.
He is bestowed with awards and appreciations internationally and he has renowned publications under his name.
Mrs. Pontšo 'Mamatlere Matete
Commissioner
Mrs. Matete is a highly experienced electoral Governance professional with over twenty-nine years (29) of dedicated service at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in Lesotho, holding various positions, including 10 years as a Manager Electoral Operations from 2012-2022 and a one (1) year experience as Acting Director of Elections 2014-2015. She has extensive experience and proven competence in Public Administration as demonstrated during Lesotho’s first snap elections in 2015, where she organized and managed the electoral process within six months under the oversight of SADC.
She understands the electoral legal frameworks, use of electoral tools and instruments. She will be an asset in the reforms for a strengthened electoral system that promotes public trust through fairness, independence and accountability. Mrs. Matete, among other qualifications, holds a Master of Philosophy in Conflict, Transformation and Management, Bachelor of Social Science in Democratic Governance, Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education and Diploma in Journalism. She has undertaken election observation missions and study tours internationally to learn about the planning and management of various electoral processes and application of technology such as electronic voting to improve the electoral system.
Dr Chelete Monyane
Commissioner
Dr. Monyane is a distinguished academic and governance expert with extensive experience in Research, Policy development and higher education management. He has extensively published on electoral reforms and democratic consolidation in Southern Africa particularly on the Kingdom of Lesotho. He has profound knowledge in project management and strategic planning with over 10 years of experience that cuts across academic and operational research in the public sector. He is familiar with legislative and policy frameworks guiding electoral commissions in Southern Africa.
He is an international consultant that served in the SADC Electoral Reform Consultation Panel Project to review the effectiveness of electoral systems, compensatory versus two tier systems and open structured (ballot lists).
He is competent in policy development, governance frameworks, strategy development, research, performance monitoring and evaluation as well as reporting in a public entity. Dr. Monyane, among his notable academic and professional qualifications, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF), Public Law at the University of Cape Town; he holds a, a PhD in Law and Governance. He is also currently enrolled in PhD in Cyber and Data Governance. He has a Master of Social Science in Political Science, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) and a Bachelor of Arts. He is an advocate of the High Court in South Africa. He also holds other professional qualifications and affiliations.
Director of Elections
Ms. Tebello Nthakong
Director of Elections
Ms. Tebello J. Nthakong is a distinguished electoral governance and institutional leadership professional with over 16 years of progressive experience in electoral management, democratic governance, legal reform, and multi-stakeholder programme implementation in Lesotho and across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
She has served as the principal representative of the Director of Elections in Maseru, Leribe, and Mafeteng, three of Lesotho’s most operationally demanding districts, where she led the successful delivery of national, local government, by-election, and fresh election processes, including two national snap elections conducted under politically sensitive circumstances. Her regional experience includes representing the Director of Elections at the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC (ECF-SADC) CEO and Executive Committee Meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and serving as an election observer and technical attachment in Mozambique, Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Most recently, she served as Project Manager for the Inclusive Lesotho Elections Cycle Support (ILECS) Programme, a multi-year European Union and UNDP electoral reform initiative. In this capacity, she exercised full budgetary and programme oversight, led strategic partnerships with the European Union, International IDEA, and the National Identity and Civil Registry Departme. She holds dual Master’s degrees in Governance and Political Transformation and Electoral Policy and Administration. She is an appointed member of the African Union FemWise-Africa Network, a continental platform of women leaders advancing conflict prevention and mediation and is also an African Union-certified Short-Term Election Observer, contributing to the promotion of credible, transparent, and peaceful electoral processes across Africa.