By Staff Reporter
This past Friday, the parade ground at Makoanyane Barracks in Maseru was not simply a stage for military drills but a witness to profound change. It was a scene of reclaimed futures, of parental pride replacing fear and of a nation witnessing a powerful antidote to the social poisons that threaten its most valuable asset: its youth.
The pass-out parade of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Youth Development Programme, Serial 12/2025, saw 277 graduates—192 males and 85 females—march with a newfound sense of purpose. For three intense weeks, these young people, aged between 14 and 22, were not just participants in a boot camp but recruits in a war against hopelessness. As they stood in their crisp tracksuits, their journey from the uncertain streets of our communities to this moment of disciplined achievement was palpable. This was more than a ceremony but a powerful declaration that change is not only possible but is happening right here, in our midst.
For anyone who has lived with the creeping anxiety of youth delinquency in our capital, this initiative is nothing short of a godsend. Since its inception in 2021, the LDF has steered over 3,500 young people through this programme. This was not a peacetime project born in a boardroom. It was a crisis response, born from the desperate cries of communities in Koalabata, Naleli, Khubetsoana, Sekamaneng, Thetsane and Qoaling—neighbourhoods held hostage by the destructive rise of manomoro gangs. It was an answer to the question on every parent’s mind: ‘How do we save our children from this path?’
The LDF stepped into that void, offering not punishment, but purpose; not condemnation, but character-building. It offered a chance to break the chains of destructive habits and forge new ones built on the bedrock of discipline, respect and national pride.
The most compelling evidence of the programme’s success came not from the dignitaries, but from the young people themselves. Standing as a representative of her cohort, boot camper Malataliana’s voice was filled with a conviction that belied her years. “We have learned lessons here that have shaped us into the leaders of tomorrow,” she declared, her words echoing across the silent grounds. “We have been taught, among many valuable lessons, resilience, a quality that is so often missing in the youth of today.” Her message was a direct plea to her peers, a solemn vow made in public: “Let us hold on to these values. Let us not go back to drugs, to alcohol, to crime.” This was not the rehearsed speech of a student, but the heartfelt testimony of someone who has seen an alternative to despair and has embraced it wholeheartedly. She thanked the LDF, her instructors and crucially, the parents who took a leap of faith, entrusting them to the army’s care.
That faith was handsomely rewarded, a sentiment powerfully articulated by Thabiso Ntoi, who spoke on behalf of the parents. His relief and gratitude were tangible. “This initiative has brought significant change to our children’s lives,” he said, urging the graduates to be ambassadors of this transformation. “Go back to your communities and live by the values you have learned. Respect others, pursue your studies and become the leaders we need in our key institutions.” His call for the message to be spread so that others may benefit is a call to all of us. This success story cannot be allowed to remain a secret.
An initiative of this scale and impact cannot be shouldered by the army alone. It requires a national coalition: a united front of public and private entities committed to youth development. Vodacom Lesotho has been at the vanguard of this corporate support and its commitment goes beyond mere sponsorship. According to Katleho Pefole, External Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Vodacom Lesotho, the company’s involvement is a living embodiment of its philanthropic mission to connect for good and to invest in causes that promote the public good.
Pefole noted the tangible, positive impact the programme has had since Vodacom became its chief sponsor. This is corporate social responsibility at its most meaningful—investing not just in branding, but in the very fabric of the society that sustains its business. Vodacom’s unfaltering support has been the financial and logistical backbone of this programme. Additionally, the company’s gratitude towards other private sector partners who have joined the cause underscores a vital point: this is a collective responsibility. Our nation’s future is everyone’s business.
The presence and powerful words of the nation’s top leadership elevated the ceremony from a simple graduation to a statement of national priority. LDF Commander, General Mojalefa Letsoela, the architect of this visionary programme, spoke with the clarity of a soldier who has identified a new battlefield. While thanking the government, parents and the business community, he named the new enemy of the state: alcohol and drug abuse among the nation’s younger generation. The army commander stated, unequivocally, that the greatest threat to our national security may not be external aggression, but internal decay. He implored all sectors of society to join forces in this fight and urged the government to consider revising laws to combat these menaces more effectively.
Prime Minister Sam Matekane echoed this sentiment with palpable passion, praising the LDF for instilling a love of country among the youth. He then turned his focus to the root causes, delivering a blistering condemnation of those who perpetuate the drug crisis. He condemned the parents who have become dealers and enablers, operating in the shadows of our communities and destroying young lives as a result. The Prime Minister’s vision is for a nation of sober-minded citizens who will take the country forward. His final charge to the graduates was both a directive and a plea: respect your parents, listen to their guidance and dedicate yourselves to your studies to become the upstanding citizens of tomorrow.
The LDF Youth Development Programme is a shining symbol of what is possible when we refuse to surrender to social problems. It is a working model of intervention, rehabilitation and empowerment. However, we must be realistic. A three-week boot camp, no matter how transformative, cannot inoculate a young person against the challenges that await them back in their communities.
This is where our collective responsibility begins. The government, inspired by the Prime Minister’s words, must follow through on General Letsoela’s call to review and strengthen our laws against drug and alcohol abuse. The private sector must look at Vodacom’s example and ask, ‘What can we do?’ More support is desperately needed to expand this programme, to reach more young people and to create post-camp mentorship and opportunities that ensure the lessons learned are not forgotten.
For the rest of us, our duty is to welcome these graduates back not with suspicion, but with support. We must become the community that reinforces the values they have learned. We must encourage them, employ them and believe in them. We must be the village that it takes to raise a child, ensuring that the seeds of discipline and respect planted at Makoanyane Barracks can grow and flourish.
The LDF Youth Development Programme is more than a line item in the military budget. It is an investment in our collective soul. It is a bold, audacious and profoundly successful experiment in nation-building, one young person at a time. Let us not just celebrate this milestone but also commit ourselves to sustaining it, for in the disciplined march of these 277 young Basotho lies the hopeful, steady beat of a brighter tomorrow for all of us.
