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The History of Lesotho
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The territory now known as Lesotho has been occupied from the dawn of human history and during the past thousand years by Late Stone Age San hunter-gatherers. From about the 16th century, African farmers, the ancestors of the present population, moved across the grasslands of southern Africa and settled in the fertile valleys of the Caledon River, where they came to dominate the San hunters of the region. These stock-keeping agriculturalists belonged to the large Sotho group and were divided into numerous clans. |
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The Basotho Kingdom (1824-69)
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The violent upheavals of the early 19th century among the chiefdoms of southern Africa became particularly intense in Lesotho in the 1820s. During this violence, the members of many chiefdoms were annihilated, dispersed, or incorporated into reorganized, larger chiefdoms under new leaders who had the ability to offer greater protection.
One such man was Moshoeshoe of the Moketeli, an offshoot of the BaKwena. In 1824 he gathered the tribes scattered by Zulu raids and established a stronghold at Butha-Buthe, and later on the mountain of Thaba-Bosiu, about 20 miles from what is now Maseru. By 1840 his people numbered about 40,000. |
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Worried by the Boers, Moshoeshoe the Great enlisted British support, but the British were equally worried about Moshoeshoe, and launched an unsuccessful attack on him. When the English left defeated, the Boers pressed their claims to the land, leading to the 1858 Free State-Basotho War (won by Moshoeshoe) and another in 1865 (in which Moshoeshoe lost much of the western lowlands). In 1868, under increasing pressure from the Boers, Moshoeshoe placed the region under the protection of the British government, but as part of the deal, lost even more land to the Boers.
The British signed over control to the Cape Colony in 1871 - a year after the death of Moshoeshoe the Great - and the new government wasted no time reducing the power of the chiefs. After another war in 1880 the land was again shuttled back to British control. This turned out to be a lucky break for the people of Lesotho. Had they remained part of the Cape Colony, they would have become part of the newly-formed Union of South Africa and, under apartheid, would have become a homeland. |
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Basotoland (1871-1866)
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The Cape Colony relinquished Basutoland to British rule in 1884, when it became one of the British High Commission Territories in southern Africa. |
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Meanwhile, developments had been occurring in southern Africa that were to determine the course of Basutoland's future. The first mineral discoveries had been made that were to lay the foundation for the creation of the Union of South Africa. In 1910 the Basotholand National Council - an official advisory body - was formed, and in the mid-1950s it requested internal self-government. Elections were held in 1960 for a Legislative Council made up of elected delegates and appointed chiefs. In 1966, Basotholand gained independence, and its name was changed to Lesotho. |
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Lesotho 1966 - 2001
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When the first Prime Minister, Chief Jonathan, was defeated at the 1970 poll, he suspended the constitution, expelled the king and banned the opposition. This textbook example of African democracy at work led to another staple of modern African politics - a coup - in 1974. The attempt was crushed and Jonathan retained power in the one-party state. When the leader began siding with foreign nations in criticizing South African apartheid in 1983, South Africa closed Lesotho's borders, strangling the country. It was a telling reminder of South African power.
On January 20, 1986, Chief Jonathan was overthrown in a coup by Major General JM Lekhanya. Although the South African government has vehemently denied any involvement, the new regime proved more amenable to South African regional security policies. In 1991 Lekhanya was himself overthrown by a group of army officers. King Moshoeshoe II went into exile in London. Following negotiations between the new leadership headed by Major-General Elias Ramaema and Moshoeshoe II, the former monarch returned to the country in August 1992. He did not resume his throne, however. In typical African tradition, the future of Lesotho remains uncertain. |
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