Lesotho: Late British protectorate (1913-1966)

Updated February 2007

The British did little to develop the country, which increasingly became regarded as little more than a labour reserve to service the needs of the farmers of the Orange Free State and the gold mines of the Witwatersrand (Lodge et al 2002, 89; Eldredge 1993, 175-176, 189). Letsie II's successor, Lerotholi, focused on internal political struggles aimed at consolidating the power of the monarchy over the minor chiefs, expanding the sway of the Catholic Church and resisting pressure for political reform from the Basutoland Progressive Association and the Commoners' League (Lesotho Government Undated). Political reform in the 1930's was restricted to attempts to correct the inefficiencies of the courts of the chiefs and to restrict the proliferation of chiefdoms; these were stimulated by growing unrest amongst commoners as the extractions of the chiefdoms were made increasingly intolerable by the Great Depression and accompanying drought (Lye & Murray1980, 83; Lodge et al 2002, 89).

Lerotholi died just before the outbreak of World War II, on 3 August 1939 and after the brief reign of Seeiso (d 26 December 1940) and the regency of Masopha (until 28 January 1941), the long regency of 'Mantsebo (1941-1960) followed (Lesotho Government Undated). As with other British colonies, the contradictions between rapid social and economic change and the outmoded forms of indirect rule were brought to the fore, resulting in new concepts of nationalism and undermining both the legitimacy of colonial power and the traditional structures through which it governed: "As the self-confidence of educated commoners grew, they began to take a more prominent role in Basutoland, to a great extent displacing the chiefs as the backbone of society" (Institute of Security Studies 2003). The emergence of Apartheid in South Africa, where many Basotho earned their living, had a direct and radicalising impact on the population. The consequence was the emergence of new modern political parties (Lodge et al 2002, 90).

In 1952 Dr Ntsu Mokhehle established the Basutoland African Congress (later Basutoland Congress Party, BCP) by bringing together elements from both the Commoners League and the Basutoland Progressive Association (Lodge et al 2002, 90). The BCP fought against racial discrimination and advocated self-rule for Basotholand (Institute of Security Studies 2003; Lesotho Government Undated). The radicalism of the BCP alienated conservative Catholics and the chiefs leading to the breakaway of the royalist Marema-Tlou Party (MTP) led by SS Matete in 1957 and the formation of the conservative Basotholand National Party led by Chief Leabua Jonathan in 1958 to counter the BCP (Lye & Murray, 84; Lesotho Government Undated; Institute of Security Studies 2003). On the left, the Communist Party of Lesotho was founded in 1960 by Joe Matthews, a South African exile, to oppose the Pan African Congress alignment adopted by Mokhehle (Lodge et al 2002, 90). In 1960 a second faction of the BCP broke away to form the Basotholand Freedom Party which merged with the MTP in 1963 to form the Marerna-Tlou Freedom Party (Lye & Murray, 84; Institute of Security Studies 2003).

Constitutional change gathered pace in the 1950s and early '60's as a result of this political ferment, despite British fears of alienating South Africa. District Councils were in place in 1950 which included both chiefs and elected representatives (Lesotho Government Undated). The Basotholand Council consisted of 100 members. These were the Regent 'Mantsebo, 52 members appointed by the Regent, five by the British Commissioner, six by designated interest groups and 48 designated by the District Councils, four from each of the nine (Lodge et al 2002, 89). In 1955 the Basutoland Council requested the right to legislate on Basotholand's internal affairs (Wikipedia 2007). After much shilly-shallying the British accepted the 1958 recommendation of a commission that the National Council be transformed into Legislative Council (Institute of Security Studies 2003). In 1959 Basutoland was made a British Colony and Moshoeshoe II ascended the throne in 1960, while the Basotholand National Council was inaugurated in the same year (South African History Online Undated; Institute of Security Studies 2003; Lesotho Government Undated).

References

ELDREDGE, EA 1993, A South African Kingdom: The pursuit of security in nineteenth-century Lesotho, Cambridge University Press.

INSTITUTE OF SECURITY STUDIES 2003, "Lesotho: History and Politics", [www] http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/Lesotho/Politics.html [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

LESOTHO GOVERNMENT UNDATED, "History of the Basotho", [www] http://www.lesothoemb-usa.gov.ls/profile.htm [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

LODGE, T, KADIMA, D & POTTIE, D (eds) 2002 Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa, EISA.

LYE WF &338; MURRAY, C 2000 Transformations on the Highveld: The Tswana and Southern Sotho, David Philip.

SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY ONLINE UNDATED, "Basutoland (Lesotho) gains independence from Britain", [www] http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/africa/african%20independence-history/lesotho.htm, 1-18. [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).

WIKIPEDIA 2007, "History of Lesotho", [www] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lesotho [opens new window] (accessed 23 Oct 2007).