Staff Reporter
HIS Majesty King Letsie III will next week celebrate his 56th birthday in Upper Moyeni in Quthing, Home Affairs minister Mokoto Hloaele said this week.
Members of the security agencies will provide entertainment at the birthday celebrations. There will also be different cultural activities and games that include mohobelo (male dance), mokhibo (women dance) and litolobonya (girls dance).
Mr Hloaele added that Home Affairs principal secretary, ‘Machabana Lemphane- Letsie, district and national organising committees will all appear on state media to engage with the nation in connection with the King’s birthday celebrations.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie and the organising committees were hosted by Radio Lesotho’s Seboping Current Affairs programme on Tuesday morning. They were later hosted by Lesotho Television (LTV)’s Seotlong programme on the same day at 9pm as part of activities build-up to the main event.
“As the Ministry of Home Affairs we are busy preparing for His Majesty King Letsie III’s birthday,” Mr Hloaele said at a press conference in Maseru this week.
He added the whole nation was also preparing for the celebrations.
“The King’s birthday will this year be commemorated in Quthing on the 17th of July. The event was celebrated in Butha-Buthe district in 2019 and next year it will be celebrated in the Berea district”.
Mr Hloaele also said the birthday celebrations will be preceded by an awards ceremony to honour outstanding members of the security agencies and other deserving individuals.
“On 11th of July, there will be an award ceremony where members of the security agencies and individuals with outstanding works will be honoured in celebration of the King’s birthday. The event will be held at the Palace (in Maseru) at 10 am.
“On 12 July, the Minister of Home Affairs will be engaged in a livestock registration programme at Sebapala, Quthing at 10am as part of programmes to celebrate our King’s birthday. On 15 July, there will be a rehearsal to fine-tune our act for the main birthday celebrations at the Pitso House in Upper Moyeni, Quthing,” Mr Hloaele said.
He said on 16 July the Quthing district will hold its own district celebrations that include a 10am Holy Mass at St Mathews Catholic Church.
“There will be special celebrations by the host district on the eve of His Majesty’s birthday. In line with this there will be entertainment activities at Sebapala, Moreneng on 16 July at 12noon. The main event will be held at Pitso House, Upper Moyeni on 17 July and the event will start at 8am,” Mr Hloaele said, adding the 17 July events were the climax of the celebrations and everyone should attend.
King Letsie III was born David Mohato Bereng Seeiso at Scott Hospital in Morija on 17 July 1963 — the first son of King Moshoeshoe II and the Queen Mother ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso.
His Majesty initially succeeded his late father, King Moshoeshoe II, when the latter was forced into exile in 1990. King Moshoeshoe II was restored to the throne in 1995 but he died in car accident the following year.
King Letsie III was then crowned King in 1996 and since then, his birthday celebrations have been held in the country’s 10 districts on a rotational basis. Mr Hloaele said next year’s celebrations will held in the Berea district followed by Thaba-Tseka district in 2021.
He said the 2022 celebrations will held in the Mohale’s Hoek district and His Majesty’s 60th birthday celebrations in 2023 will take place in Matsieng and Setsoto Station.
