Police and military in the mountain kingdom exchanged gunfire yesterday in the hours before Ramaphosa saw political actors.

Leaving Lesotho yesterday, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was encouraged by the deep sense of patriotism of the people and their determination to find a solution to the political and security crisis within the SADC guidelines.

This will entail shortening the mandate of parliament, that’s been suspended since June, and having early elections.

Violence continues to rock the capital Maseru where police and military exchanged gunfire.

They’ve been at loggerheads since renegade general Tlali Kamoli attempted a coup on August 30 before fleeing into the mountains with weapons stolen from the government armoury.

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His interaction with members of the Coalition Government and other political role-players is aimed at finding a solution to Lesotho’s political and security crisis.

Lesotho’s political leaders left SADC’s summit in Pretoria on Monday charged with naming a date for early elections.

They couldn’t agree on when to reassemble the suspended parliament.

So the elections scheduled for 2016 are being expedited.

Ramaphosa will be looking for a date for them

He’ll also be arranging a deal with renegade general Tlali Kamoli to end his mutiny which is undermining security in the kingdom.

Sources say this will probably involve a cash payment and appointment to an ambassadorial post.

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Tlali Kamoli’s mutiny has been cited by Thabane as the reason it’s too dangerous to allow normal political activity in the mountain kingdom.

General Tlali Kamoli himself insists he poses no threat to Lesotho.

Backed by at least 200 of the kingdom’s special forces, Kamoli says he’s not in hiding and denies having attempted a coup on August 30 to oust Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.

Senior SADC officials at last night’s Pretoria summit on Lesotho says it’s all about the money.

They say Kamoli contends that his sacking has Lesotho’s army commander has unfairly cost him money.

So he will end his mutiny if he’s given two year’s salary and a diplomatic posting.

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An aide says the South Africans are still guarding the premier at his official residence in the capital Maseru.

Lesotho’s military denies it mounted a coup against Thabane who heads a disintegrating coalition government.

Last Saturday, Thomas Thabane fled into South Africa, which entirely surrounds Lesotho, saying he feared for his life from soldiers who were searching for him.

In Pretoria on Monday he negotiated a roadmap with South African President Jacob Zuma designed to restore stability to the kingdom.

It required him going home and recalling parliament, that he’s suspended since June, where he’ll face a no confidence motion.

Thabane delayed his return by a day after Lesotho police said they couldn’t protect him.

The premier’s aide Samonyane Ntsekele says Thabane’s safe and working from his residence seeking to ensure General Maaparankoe Mahao replaces General Tlali Kamoli as head of the army.

Thabane maintains Kamoli staged Saturday’s attempted coup.

The 15-nation Southern African Development Community has sent an observer team to Lesotho. But it’s rebuffed Thabane’s call on them to deploy peacekeepers.

The South African military’s denies it’s involved in protecting Lesotho officials, adding that any deployment in the kingdom will require a request from the regional body.

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Key to this though is getting a renegade general, hiding in the hills with stolen weapons and a band of hard line loyalists, to step down.

After three hours in Lesotho, President Jacob Zuma got an undertaking from elements in the kingdom’s disintegrating coalition to hold further negotiations.

Their goal will be to arrive at a concrete date for reopening Lesotho’s parliament that was suspended in June by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane.

He told reporters the parties are just about to get there.

However there is no solution to the security threat that he says stopped him assembling the legislature later this month.

That’s the presence of the renegade general Tlali Kamoli accused of triggering the crisis last month after being sacked by Thabane.

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