Geography and Topology
History
Evolution of the Basotho Nation
British Rule
Independence
Government
Population
Language
Society
Economy
Religion
Located in the south-eastern region of southern Africa, the Kingdom of Lesotho is surrounded on all sides by the Republic of South Africa, bordering KwaZulu-Natal Province to the east, Eastern Cape Province to the south and Free State Province to the north and west. Covering a total land area of 30,355 square kilometers, it approximates in size to the Kingdom of Belgium.
Lesotho’s geographical formation is characterized by deep valleys and high mountains, with the Maluti and Drakensberg Mountain Ranges running from south west to north east. It is the only country in the world to have all its territory located more than 1,000 metres above sea level – the lowest point is 1,388 metres and this rises to almost 3,500 metres in the Maluti mountain range near the north-eastern border.
Early History
For at least 25,000 years nomadic hunter-gatherers have lived and prospered in the mountains and valleys of what is now Lesotho. These people, whose descendants are known today as the San or Bushmen, lived throughout southern Africa and were able to adapt themselves to all of its various eco -systems.
The San left thousands of their beautiful abstract rock paintings and engravings as evidence of their long occupation. Some denote hunting scenes, whilst others are believed to represent the experiences of shamans whilst in a trance. There are estimated to be some 5,000 rock paintings in Lesotho, of which the most important is Ha Bakoana.
The Evolution of the Basotho Nation
Bantu settlement in the area took place comparatively recently, possibly as last as 1400 CE when Sotho sub-ethnicities first began to migrate into the wider region. In the centuries which followed various kingdoms emerged, notable amongst which was a confederation of Basotho or southern Sotho communities occupying the area which is presently the northern and eastern Free State and western Lesotho. The Basotho are closely-related to the Tswana (Batswana) of Botswana and both the Southern Sotho and the Northern Sotho or Pedi of South Africa.
The emergence from this confederation of a distinct Basotho nation occurred largely in response to the difaqane, the military expansion of the Zulu state which took place during the 1820’s, precipitating violent warfare throughout southern Africa. In 1824 Moshoeshoe I (1786-1870), then a minor chief of the Bakoena clan, established fortresses at Butha-Buthe and later Thaba Bosiu, offering assistance to the remnants of tribes scattered by Zulu and Matabele raids on the condition that they contributed to the defence of his kingdom. By 1840 Moshoeshoe’s followers numbered about 40,000, their mountain fastnesses protected by outlying refugee settlements. These people were gradually forged into the Basotho nation which, by the time of Moshoeshoe’s death in 1870, had a population of over 150,000
Having successfully weathered the storm of the difaqane, the Basotho were faced with a new threat during the mid 1830’s as Boer Voortrekkers crossed the Vaal River looking for lands on which to settle. Early conflict with the British-administered Orange River Sovereignty during the 1840s and early 1850s was resolved largely in Moshoeshoe’s favour, but in 1854 the situation changed following the British withdrawal from Bloemfontein and the establishment by the Boers of the Orange Free State. Armed conflict broke out in 1858 leading to heavy losses on both sides, and during the fragile peace which followed Moshoeshoe realizes the precariousness of his position. In 1861 he sought British protection, but it took two further devastating attacks on Basotho territory by the Boers before the British government finally agreed in 1868 to annex what had now become known as Basutoland. The modern-day boundaries of Lesotho were laid down in the following year. Moshoeshoe died in 1870; two years later Basutoland was annexed to Cape Colony, but direct rule under a Resident Commissioner was implemented from 1884.
A system of dual government subsequently evolved in Basutoland. The British administration concerned itself mainly with the collecting of taxes, the punishment of serious crime and the settlement of boundary disputes between rival chiefs, and only in the nine government reserves which would later become Lesotho’s towns did a system of colonial local government develop. Elsewhere the ancient system of chiefs and headmen continued as before. In 1903 the Basutoland National Council was formed; composed almost entirely of chiefs, it functioned to advise the British Resident Commissioner and the Paramount Chief or King (at that time Lerotholi) on policy matters.
By the 1940s pressure for a more representative form of government by organizations such as the Commoners’ League (CL) and the Basutoland Progressive Association (BPA) brought a measure of democracy to the National Council, but soon after this a coherent nationalist movement began to evolve in the form of Ntsu Mokhelhle’s ANC-style Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), which called for self-government and an end to all racist practices. The BCP subsequently set the political agenda for much of the 1950s, whilst the chieftainship increasingly lost the initiative in public life.
Reluctantly, the British government finally agreed to increasing pressure for constitutional change and self-determination, and in 1960, after a new constitution was in place, elections were held. The main contenders were the BCP under Ntsu Mokhehle and the conservative Basutoland National Party (BNP) headed by Chief Leabua Jonathan. The BCP won the elections and demanded full independence, which was eventually granted in 1966. However, on the eve of independence the BCP lost power to the BNP and it was thus Jonathan who became first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
In the years which followed, the BNP government achieved some measure of success but became steadily more unpopular with the electorate. The BCP promptly won the 1970 general elections, but Jonathan responded by suspending the constitution and banning opposition political parties. In 1974 an attempted coup by BCP members failed and many BCP supporters were killed. Jonathan’s government was finally overthrown in the coup of 1986, in the aftermath of which executive and legislative powers were once more conferred on King Moshoeshoe II.
In 1990, following another coup, the King’s powers were formally revoked. A little after this Moshoeshoe was deposed and replaced by his son, who assumed the title Letsie III. Military rule finally came to an end following the landslide victory of Dr. Ntsu Mokhehle’s BCP in the 1993 general elections. However, since that time coups and insurrections have continued to hamper Lesotho’s political and economic development.
In August 1994, after a series of violent disturbances precipitated by the security forces, King Letsie suspended the constitution and set up an interim government. However, following intervention by South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe the coup collapsed and the democratically-elected government was returned to power. As part of the terms of the settlement, Moshoeshoe II was re-installed as King of Lesotho. However in January 1996 Moshoeshoe was killed in a car accident and Letsie once more ascended to the throne.
The most recent general elections of May 1998 resulted in a landslide victory for the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), but three of the 12 opposition parties that had contested the elections subsequently alleged that the poll had been rigged, sparking months of angry protests. In an attempt to address these allegations, government and opposition parties appealed to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to investigate.
Justice Pius Langa, Vice President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, was appointed chairperson of the Commission, members of which were drawn from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. After written representations by government and opposition parties and the recounting of ballot papers by students from the University of the Free State, the Langa Commission decided that while there had been election irregularities, there was no conclusive evidence that the elections had been rigged. The recounting of ballot papers confirmed the results of the May elections as announced by the Independent Electoral Commission. However, the findings of the Langa Commission were subsequently rejected by opposition parties.
By September 1998 day-to-day government in the kingdom had become paralysed, and following an army rebellion in that month, troops from South Africa and Botswana acting on behalf of SADC at the request of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili entered Lesotho to restore order. There they met with fierce resistance from heavily-armed sections of the Lesotho Defence Force siding with the opposition, and in the heavy fighting which followed shops were looted and offices burned in the capital city of Maseru and a number of other centres. At the time of going to press order has once more been resotred and the process of reconstruction is well underway.
The King is Lesotho’s head of state but now has only ceremonial duties. The Prime Minister is the executive head of government and is assisted by a Cabinet. The bicameral legislature comprises an 80-member, directly-elected Assembly (lower house) and a 33-member Senate which includes the 22 principal chiefs plus 11 chiefs nominated by the ruling party.
The Kingdom of Lesotho is divided into 10 districts. These are Maseru, Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha’s Nek, Quthing and Thaba-Tseka.
Lesotho has a total population of 2.3 million people, approximately 77% of whom reside in the rural areas.
Major centres of population include the capital Maseru (400,000), Mafeteng (65,000) and Roma (45,000).
The official languages of Lesotho are English and Sesotho. Zulu and Xhosa are also spoken by those who work in South Africa’s mines or have contact with South Africa’s Transkei region.
Some 79% of Lesotho’s population are Basotho (called Mosotho when referring to a single person). Most of the remaining 20% are of Nguni origin (primarily Zulu and Xhosa), but small communities of San, Griqua, Europeans and Indians may also be identified.
Traditional society in Lesotho is patriarchal and centered on the family. However, because many men work outside the country for much of the year, the women make many family decisions and do most of the farm work. Women also work on the roads and in service occupations, making up more than 36% of the labour force.
When a man dies, his possessions are divided up amongst his brothers and sons, who are expected to provide for the man’s widow and any other women who were in his care. The family is a considerable source of pride and the ability to father or bear a child is an important demonstration of one’s potential. The more children one has, the more respect one is given.
City families normally live in nuclear units, but extended families are the norm in rural areas where a motse or compound comprising several rondavels (circular houses) often accommodates large family groups including the wives and children of male offspring.
Lesotho is one of the poorest countries of the Third World and among the 10 poorest in Africa. Even prior to the recent troubles it was calculated that some 60% of the population lived below the Poverty Datum Line, and 48% were direct beneficiaries of food-aid from international donors; furthermore 20% of the rural population was landless, 43% of the labour force was unemployed and an estimated 52% of eligible children did not attend primary school.
Lesotho’s subsistence economy is based on animal husbandry and agriculture; chief crops grown in the country are corn, grain, peas and beans. The adverse balance of trade (mainly consumer and capital goods) is offset by the earnings of large numbers of the population who work in neighbouring South Africa, indeed, it is estimated that as many as 250,000 men are away from Lesotho at any one time, working in South African mines or factories; they may be away for several months each year, or even for several years.
Apart from some diamonds, Lesotho has few natural resources and only minor industrial development, principally in the areas of food processing and textiles. In practice this means that the country is economically dependent on South Africa and indeed Lesotho provides the biggest market for South African export consumer goods in the region. The Lesotho National Development Corporation has been set up to promote the development of industry, mining, trade and tourism. The Highlands Water Scheme, a $2 billion dam project which provides water for South Africa’s Vaal industrial zone and hydro-electricity for Lesotho, was recently completed. GDP per capita currently stands at below US$380.
Almost 80% of the population of Lesotho is Christian, the three largest churches being the Roman Catholic Church, the Lesotho Evangelical Church and the Anglican Church of Lesotho. There is also a small Muslim community in the north. About 20% of the population follow purely indigenous religious beliefs, whilst outside Maseru many Christians practise native traditions or rites alongside Christianity.