Following his reports on a corruption scandal involving the Lesotho Civil Servants’ Pension Fund journalist Phafane Nkotsi, who is the director and owner of the newspapers Lesotho Times and Lesotho Tribune, received death threats. In addition, in February, Mergence Investment filed an urgent application to the High Court of Lesotho, requesting that the articles be prohibited from publication. The court rejected the request in defense of freedom of expression. On April 17, 2024, staff members at the Lesotho Tribune found three threatening notes on their newsroom desks, warning them to stay away from the funds.