“….Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War 400 B.C. Overview LESOTHO has over the years been unstable and institutions which should, as per the constitution, defend and […]
Utloang Kajeno IN keeping with the thrift of the pulse of the nation and the media, most of my recent columns have been confined to the SADC Commission of Inquiry probing the circumstances surrounding the death of the former Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), Lieutenant-General Maaparankoe Mahao and the legality of his […]
By Sofonea Shale Lesotho marks the 49th anniversary of independence this year by launching sectoral preparations for national celebrations for the golden jubilee next year. One of several questions youth ask about independence is whether it is true or not that Lesotho parliament was divided over the independence motion in 1966? The Minister of […]
Vocibus volutpat reprimique eum cu, his nonumy voluptua lobortis et, eum periculis assueverit reformidans at. Amet sanctus neglegentur at sed, saepe scaevola atomorum mea ex. Mutat nostro an eos. In atqui deleniti dissentias duo, ea mei consul fabellas, id ius vero saperet. Quis exerci ei qui, per ut vocent dignissim reprehendunt, dicat postea eum ut. […]
Makhabane Maluke His Majesty`s speech from the Throne during the opening of the 9th Parliament (on 8 May) was a significant event to signal a return of order in Lesotho, compared to what followed the prorogation of the 8th Parliament (on 10 June 2014). In the latter, there was no single mention of “My […]
By Sofonea Shale The SADC Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of former Lesotho Defence Force commander, Maaparankoe Mahao, is a very significant component of the region’s intervention in the Kingdom. Although SADC’s intervention in Lesotho has and continues to be elitist, exclusionary and therefore systematically and technically disenabling popular sovereignty, […]
Godfrey Mutizwa WHEN the world’s leaders gather for the UN sustainable development summit in New York this month, they will have a staunch if silent supporter for some of their principles in a grandmother, some 13 000km away in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Mapheello Palaoane (75) may have never heard of the sustainable […]
Lee Mwiti THE pointed talking-up of China as an alternative to the West has been trendy in an Africa dazzled by Beijing’s flashing overtures, reminiscent of a man planning to abandon his wife of donkey’s years for a new found love. It has been a whirlwind relationship — bilateral trade has exploded in the last decade to an […]
Makhabane Maluke IT is not only the potholes and bumps along the road that make a motorist want to know its history, regarding the expertise and professionalism of the firms involved in its construction and probably why the road remains in a bad state. Even the sight of a road built with perfect workmanship […]
By Sofonea Shale Though Africa Union (AU), an heir to struggle credentials and custodian of founding emancipation ethos of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) marked August as the African Woman’s month to celebrate successes of women and amplify their potential, some people look at them, turn a blind eye to their gains and count […]
By Advocate Haae Phoofolo (King’s Counsel) I joined the legal profession in this country almost 40 years ago and I have served in various capacities as a senior public servant with the Central Bank of Lesotho (Deputy Governor) and later a politician. I equally served as chairman of […]
Mahao Mahao THE decision not to allow government and the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) at Lieutenant General Maaparankoe Mahao’s funeral was almost spontaneous. It was a humble reminder that once again the family stands firm that Maaparankoe was Lieutenant General and not anything below. The family meeting that made the decision to bar government […]
Audacious Tseby HIT lists, abductions, shoot-outs, fleeing and hide-outs; this all sounds like something from a Hollywood action blockbuster where there is kingpin boss orchestrating and giving out orders for certain people to be murdered who are not in his good books. Except, instead of this being a twisted plot in a Sopranos series, it […]
Utloang Kajeno COUNSELING is universally defined as giving professional help and advice to someone to resolve personal, social or psychological problems. From the above it will be discerned that counseling is a multi-faceted discipline that may be undertaken for a variety of reasons. However, for purposes of this article I wish to confine counseling […]
The real story moving forward in a tiny kingdom afflicted by HIV and malnutrition – and utterly dependent on foreigners for free HIV anti-retrovirals and extra food – is if the most influential of donors, the United States, sticks to its demand for accountability for those responsible for the events last 30 August. But responsibility […]
Mahao Mahao MY long period of silence has been brutally broken. And once again it is as a result of a horrible smell currently engulfing this politically cursed country. So the “blood-bath” that some members of this seven-headed government promised the nation prior to the elections is beginning to show signs of fruition. […]
By Sofonea Shale THE killing of Maaparankoe Mahao by the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), an institution which by right was supposed to protect him, shocked Basotho within and beyond the territorial borders of this Kingdom. Given the particular political context and the military situation in Lesotho within which Mr Mahao’s departure occurs, it may […]
Karen Williams Politicians defend Omar al-Bashir fleeing an ICC arrest warrant, saying the court is a bully and targets Africa. Karen Williams disagrees. he International Criminal Court grew out of the international justice movement that flourished after the ending of apartheid in South Africa and the fall of dictatorships in South America. South Africa joined the […]
By Tšepiso Secker SMALL economies often find themselves in a Catch-22 situation when it comes to financial inclusion and fiscal regulation. In Lesotho’s case, this was evident in the 2010 court case between micro moneylenders and members of civil society. At least five moneylending companies were taken to court on the basis of misrepresentation […]
… a call for the enactment of the disability equity bill by the 9th parliament of lesotho Persons with disabilities in Lesotho continue to face multiple discrimination on a daily basis, from access to education, access to employment opportunities, access to justice and access to health services to mention a few. They are inhibited from enjoying […]
Leaders’ talks a welcome development
Comment AS reported in this edition, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and his predecessor Thomas Thabane have been secretly meeting in the past three weeks to map out a framework by which the All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader can return home. The two gladiators’ rapprochement deserves commendation especially given that the political impasse was seemingly intractable. […]