Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Parliament of the Kingdom of Lesotho’s National Assembly will, after the Christmas break, discuss a proposed motion on the reclamation of some parts of South Africa.
According to a government notice of 12 December, the “reclamation of Lesotho territory” will be pursued under the United Nations Resolution 1817 (XVII), which was passed by the General Assembly at its 1 196th Plenary Meeting of 18 December 1962.
“The Honourable House resolves, pursuant of Section 1(2) of the Constitution, to declare the whole of the Free State, parts of the Northern Cape, parts of the Eastern Cape, parts of Mpumalanga and parts of KwaZulu-Natal as comprising the territory of the Kingdom of Lesotho,” reads the notice.
The motion was pushed for by Tšepo Lipholo, the leader of the Lesotho Covenant Movement (LCM), who is in Parliament through proportional representation.
A parliamentary source in Lesotho told News24 the matter would be heard after the Christmas break. READ | Lesotho appoints three female cabinet members, but Basotho want more gender parity in govt – study
Historically, the Basotho were found in the Orange Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and parts of KwaZulu-Natal. But, because of forced migration during the Mfecane and other Nguni wars, they were forced to move north to present-day Lesotho.
King Moshoeshoe I, around 1822, became the father of the Basotho people because he was responsible for bringing them together, after they were driven apart by Zulu and Ndebele raids.
Given Lesotho’s proximity to South Africa, on both a physical and economic level, some activists have called for the nation to embrace annexation. In 1871, Lesotho (then Basutoland) was part of the Cape Province – but, in 1884, it was declared a distinct crown colony.
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