Kingdom of Lesotho
The Kingdom of Lesotho is small landlocked country, with a population of 2.2 million, which is completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Its boundaries run with those of KwaZulu-Natal to the east, Eastern Cape to the south, and the Free State to the north and west. It lies between latitudes 28' and 31' South and longitudes 27' and 30' East. It covers an area of approximately 30355 square kilometres of which about one quarter in the west is lowland country. The remaining three quarters are in the highlands and its highest geographical point is at Thabana Ntlenyana Mountain which reaches an elevation of 3482 metres. Lesotho is the only independent state in the world that is situated at altitudes higher than 1500. Over 80% of Lesotho lies above 1800 metres with the general terrain being mostly highland with plateaus, hills and also mountains; as such it is known as ‘The Kingdom in the Sky’ or ‘The Mountain Kingdom’.
The mountain ranges run from north to south and those in the central area, the Maluti, are spurs of the main Drakensberg, which they join in the north, forming a high plateau varying in height from 2 700 to 3 400 m. It is in this area where two of the largest rivers in Southern Africa, the Orange (Senqu) and the Tugela, and tributaries of the Caledon, have their source. This phenomenon has caused Lesotho to be called the "sponge" of Southern Africa. Lesotho’s natural resources encompass water, minerals (including diamonds, sandstone, and clay), agriculture (focus on subsistence farming and livestock rearing) and energy. These resources play a crucial role in the nation’s economy, providing employment opportunities, supporting livelihoods and contributing to overall development.
Climate
Lesotho climate can be classified as temperatures with alpine characteristics. The country experiences hot summers and relatively cold winters. Due to higher elevations, the highlands of Lesotho experience snow every year. Rainfall is variable and the mean annual rainfall amounts to between 700 mm and 800 mm in most parts of the lowlands, with highest rainfall occurring October to April and extremely low levels of precipitation occurring between May to September. The mean annual temperature for Lesotho is 12.8°C, with average monthly temperatures ranging between 15°C (November to March) and 6°C (June, July).
In Lesotho, high aridity and periods of intense drought exacerbate the loss of biological diversity, deterioration of rangelands and reduce crop and animal productivity via desertification, make the country increasingly vulnerable. Recent data shows that in two consecutive agricultural seasons (2021/2022 and 2022/2023), Lesotho experienced harsh climatic induced shocks such as hailstorms, pests and heavy rainfall/water logging in most parts of the country. Due to the effects of climate change, access to adequate food and nutrition is severely compromised and this requires a call for intervention and support measures to alleviate affected communities.
History of the Basotho nation
King Moshoeshoe I (1786 - 1870), founder of the Basotho Nation
The emergence of Basotho as a nation occurred around 1818 when King Moshoeshoe (1786-1870) formed alliances with an amalgam of clans and chiefdoms of southern Sotho people who occupied the area which is presently the Northern and Eastern Free State and Western Lesotho from about 1400 AD.
Moshoeshoe was born at Menkhoaneng in the Northern part of present-day Lesotho in 1786. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bakoteli, a branch of the Koena clan. While still under the tutelage of his father, Lepoqo (his birthname) played an important role in bringing different clans, under his father's control. He gained the name Moshoeshoe after a successful cattle raid in another Chief’s village. In 1820, at the age of 34, Moshoeshoe moved to Botha-Bothe Mountain with his followers and became Chief in his own right. In 1822, during his reign, a severe drought occurred and this caused competition of scarce resources; grains and cattle were seized and people got displaced from their clan groups and homes. The drought caused severe famine to a point where some people in different parts of Lesotho turned to cannibalism. This difficult time was known as Lifaqane. The most efficient defence strategy for the Basotho during the Lifaqane period was using mountains as a fortress. Faced with all this widespread devastation of the Lifaqane period, the Basotho were forced to adapt or perish. They soon realised that the most efficient defence strategy against marauding armies was the mountain fortress.
In 1824, King Moshoeshoe I was attacked at his birthplace (Menkhoaneng) by the Batlokoa clan. Although he was not defeated, the clash had exposed the weakness of his fortress as his stronghold. As such, he decided to leave his birthplace and seek a new hideout in Qiloane plateau, later to be called Thaba Bosiu, as the new site of refuge and defence. From Menkhoaneng to Thaba-Bosiu, King Moshoeshoe I and his nation (that was created from refugees who were remnants of clans scattered by the Lifaqane), walked a distance of 116km to reach their new home. The walk took nine days since they had many rests along the way; it is during this journey that his grandfather was eaten by cannibals. Thaba Bosiu proved to be a formidable fortress as King Moshoeshoe and his people successfully defended against armies and other clans in the years that followed. It successfully defended against an Amangwane army in 1828; against the Batlokoa during Moshoeshoe's absence on a cattle raid in 1829; and against the Ndebele of Mzilikaziin 1831. Meanwhile, Moshoeshoes's power and influence grew as he offered a friendly hand to his defeated enemies, giving them land and assistance to cultivate crops. Even former cannibals were converted into useful citizens in this way. It was further strengthened by alliances as Moshoeshoe chose wives from other clans including daughters of the long-established Bafokeng chiefs.
Ultimately, Thaba Bosiu holds great significance to the history and culture of Basotho because in 1824, King Moshoeshoe established the Basotho nation at Thaba-Bosiu by bringing together people of different clans to form one peaceful nation. He died on 1870, March 11; March 11 is a public holiday that is marked in Lesotho in remembrance of the founder of the nation.
Arrival of Missionaries
In the late 1820s a new threat came to the clans occupying the Mohokare valley. Groups of Khoikhoi, known as Kora, appeared led by Dutch-speaking people of mixed descent. Many were mounted on horseback and armed with guns. The Basotho again had to take refuge on their mountain-tops and in remote rock- shelters, which horses could not easily reach. Horses had never before been seen in Lesotho. Moshoeshoe decided to obtain horses and guns for his own people. Also, after hearing of the advantages other clans derived from having a resident missionary, Moshoeshoe sent cattle to induce a missionary to stay with him. In fact, Moshoeshoe also hoped that the missionaries would help him to acquire guns and thus prevent the depredations of the Kora. In this way three missionaries of the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society (PEMS) - Thomas Arbousset, Eugene Casalis and Constant Gosselin - came to Thaba Bosiu in 1833. Moshoeshoe placed them with his two senior sons, Letsie and Molapo, at Makhoarane, the site of the present-day Morija.
The arrival of the missionaries had far- reaching effects on the life of the people. Potatoes, wheat, fruit trees and domestic cats and pigs were introduced. Before long the missionaries had opened schools and printed books in the Sesotho language. The French missionaries did not belong to any of the colonising white groups of southern Africa and were accepted as citizens of Moshoeshoe's kingdom. In fact, Eugene Casalls had a role similar to that of a Foreign Minister for the period 1837 - 1855 while living in a mission at the foot of Thaba Bosiu. His knowledge of the outside world proved invaluable to Moshoeshoe during the period when white settlers began to threaten his kingdom.
For the next few years an uneasy peace prevailed due to boundaries left undefined between Lesotho and South Africa. Moshoeshoe, realising his precarious position, sought British protection from Sir Philip Wodehouse, the new High Commissioner, who arrived in the Cape in 1861. Hostilities with the Orange Free State Republic of the Boers (in South Africa) again broke out in the form of the Seqiti War in 1865. Thaba Bosiu was itself besieged but not taken since King Moshoeshoe managed to establish a short armistice by renewing his entreaties to Wodehouse for protection. In 1867 Free State forces again overran much of Moshoeshoe's land and conquered almost every lowland fortress except Thaba Bosiu. In this hour of crisis, Sir Philip Wodehouse finally secured the permission of the British Cabinet to annex the country. On 12 March 1868, Moshoeshoe's prayer was granted, and by proclamation of Sir Philip Wodehouse, Lesotho became a British territory. The after-effects of the war were serious. Casualties had been heavy, missionaries expelled and mission stations taken over, livestock lost, and, worst of all, a large area of land had been annexed by the Orange Free State. In the Convention of Aliwal North of February 1869, the boundaries of Lesotho were laid down in their present form. King Moshoeshoe I died in 1870.
The British protection sought by Moshoeshoe proved to be a mixed blessing since Britain found it convenient to annex Lesotho to the Cape Colony. The move was unfortunate for Lesotho because it was now under the rule of the Cape Colony. The Gun War of 1880-81 cost the Cape Government dearly in men and money. By 1883 chronic misgovernment induced the Cape Government to request Britain to restore direct rule over Lesotho, in return for which it was even prepared to pay any deficit in the annual recurrent budget.
Resumption of Direct Rule
In this way, as a direct consequence of the Gun War, the Basotho won the right to have their country administered separately from other parts of Southern Africa. British rule was resumed in 1884, a major step in the sequence of events which led ultimately to the granting of independence by Britain in 1966. Under the British Resident Commissioner, Sir Marshall Clarke (1884-1894) and Sir Godfrey Lagden (1894-1902) together with the Paramount Chiefs Letsie (1870-91), and his son Lerotholi (1891-1905), a system of dual government evolved.
Early political player: King Moshoeshoe II, and leader of the Basotholand Congress Party (BCP)
Due to a Lesotho growing nation, the British Resident Commissioner proposed the formation of a National Council which would be composed almost entirely of chiefs, and which would advise him and the Paramount Chief on policy matters. The Council was finally accepted and implemented by Paramount Chief Lerotholi in 1903. The death of Lerotholi (1905) marked the end of governance by Chieftainship which was strong and widely respected. His son Letsie II (reigned from 1905-1913), allowed the Chieftainship to drift, and took little interest in government. The reign of Letsie II's successor, Paramount Chief Griffith Lerotholi (1913- 1939), was characterised by a struggle between the Chieftainship and various groups to define the future of Lesotho. When Griffith died in 1939 he was succeeded by his son, Seeiso, who ruled for only one year. He died under mysterious circumstances and was replaced by his first wife, the Regent 'Mantsebo (1941-1960), with reason that the heir apparent (Prince Bereng Seeiso, second son of Paramount Chief Griffith Lerotholi) was only five years old during the time.
It was at this time that a new and more coherent nationalist movement emerged led by the commoner Ntsu Mokhehle, a highly educated and articulate spokesman for a party that initially embraced a wide cross-section of Basotho. His movement, the Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), called for self determination and the end of all racist practices in Lesotho. The BCP set the political agenda for much of the 1950s and the Chieftainship lost the initiative in public life. The British reluctantly agreed to the increasing pressure for constitutional change and self determination. By 1960 the National Council was composed equally of both chiefs, who were appointed, and members indirectly chosen from the nine District Councils.
Lesotho Gains Independence
District Council elections were held and the BCP was the best established political movement However, a number of junior chiefs, allied to the Catholic Church, questioned the radical Pan African views (democratising the chieftainship) of Mokhehle who was the leader of BCP. As a response, the Chiefs and Catholics formed the Basutoland National Party in 1958 which was led by Chief Leabua Jonathan. The 1960 elections showed the BCP and allied independent candidates winning 32 of 40 indirectly elected seats in the Legislative Council. BNP shared the remaining seats with another party, MP. Following his mother’s two decade regency, in 1960 Prince Bereng Seeiso was installed as Paramount Chief and assumed the title Moshoeshoe II.
The Constitutional Review Commission appointed by Moshoeshoe II in 1961, submitted its report in 1963. It approved a West Minister style constitution. The King was to enjoy few powers and this disappointed him greatly. The Constitution enjoyed widespread support and was accepted by Britain. Elections for the first government would be held in 1965, with Independence following soon thereafter. The results of the 1965 elections were a surprise to most observers who expected the BCP to repeat its landslide victory of the 1960 elections. The BNP won 31 seats, the BCP 25 and the MP only 4 seats. The BNP led Lesotho to Independence on 4 October 1966. After gaining its independence, Bereng Seeiso was given the English title of King, thus being King Moshoeshoe II, in honour of the founder of the nation.
Reign of BNP
Although the BNP government did achieve some measure of success during its five-year term, however this was not enough to secure an outright win in the next election. The BCP won the 1970 general elections, capturing 36 seats to the BNP's 23, with the MFP picking up only one. Initially the BNP government may have been prepared to hand over power to the opposition, but certain cabinet ministers threatened the prime minister and together they engineered the nullification of the elections, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the arrest of opposition leaders and the King. In 1973 the BNP government gained a measure of credibility by forming an interim National Assembly appointed by Chief Leabua and including certain prominent BCP leaders.
Between 1973 and 1985 significant strides were made in Lesotho in expanding the school and health systems, in upgrading roads and communications, in training government workers and in securing foreign aid for a multitude of projects. Faced with growing internal and external pressure, both from the armed wing of the BCP as well as foreign donors, the BNP government was forced to make a feeble attempt towards holding representative elections in 1985. Since the BNP threatened the other parties, only the BNP contested the primaries and thus there was 'no need' to hold general elections. But this 'overwhelming victory' only served to exacerbate tensions inside the ruling party itself. Leabua's government was overthrown in a military coup led by Major-General Lekhanya.
Reign of the Military
The military ruled for the period 1986-1993. The King was given executive powers and political parties were banned. There was growing tension in the Military Council in 1990 which led to the King's major backers in the Council to be removed; King Moshoeshoe II was forced into exile, and then dethroned. Prince Mohato was sworn in as Letsie III in November 1990. After three years of preparation, the 1966 Constitution was revised, a vigorous election campaign was held, and the long- awaited general elections were held in 1993 March 27. The BCP won a landslide victory, capturing all 65 constituencies with over 70 percent of the vote. The election was declared to have been free and fair by a wide range of internal and external monitors.
Reign of BCP
The BCP was faced with the daunting task of re-establishing a truly democratic structure and spirit to government, both at the national and local level. During its first year in office the new government also faced a number of crises, including turmoil within the security forces. Most important was the 'Palace Coup' of 1994 August when King Letsie III suspended the constitution and created an interim government. But it soon became clear that there was no support from the nation and the government of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe intervened. The coup collapsed and the democratically elected government was returned to power. As part of the terms of the settlement, Moshoeshoe II was reinstalled as King of Lesotho.
King Letsie III ascends throne
On 1996 January 15 King Moshoeshoe II died in a car accident and was buried at Thaba Bosiu, the burial place of all Lesotho Royals. King Moshoeshoe II was succeeded by his son who was sworn in as King Letsie III on 1996 February 7. Born in 1963 July 17 as Mohato David Bereng Seeiso, King Letsie III is the eldest son of King Moshoeshoe II and Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso. He was installed as the Principal Chief of Matsieng in 1989, December 16. He assumed the title of Letsie III after Letsie I, the eldest son of King Moshoeshoe I, founder of the Basotho nation.
On 2000 February 18, His Majesty King Letsie III was joined in matrimony with Miss Karabo Mots’oeneng, who is now known as Her Majesty Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso. They are blessed with three children: Princess Senate, the eldest; Princess ‘Maseeiso, the second-born; and the Crown Prince, Prince Lerotholi, the youngest. His Majesty is a reigning constitutional monarch and serves as the Head of State of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Apart from performing representational duties, His Majesty is a symbol of national unity, peace and stability.