Power, governance and the rights of Basotho — Parliament, parties, the courts, and the human-rights debates that define the country's direction.
Politics & Rights
A Basotho man named Sempe Makoaela disappeared after allegedly being arrested by South African Border Management Authority officers at the Maseru Border Gate on Christmas Day 2025, leaving his mother searching for answers across multiple South African institutions for six months. South African authorities have provided conflicting accounts of his
Politics & Rights
Former Lesotho Defence Force Military Intelligence chief Tumo Lekhooa was accused by Crown Counsel of lying under oath about retiring with the rank of Major General rather than Colonel during the murder trial of former LDF Commander Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli. The dispute centers on whether Lekhooa's promotion
Politics & Rights
Lesotho's Ministry of Home Affairs has reduced the passport backlog from 61,000 to 38,000 applications while announcing reforms including hiring permanent staff and investigating 16 officials charged with bribery. The ministry cited outdated technology and reliance on temporary workers as obstacles to service delivery that will
Politics & Rights
A 12-year-old Basotho boy remains in intensive care at a Bloemfontein hospital after being mauled by five German Shepherds at the residence of former IEC commissioner Tšoeu Petlane, sustaining severe facial injuries that required specialist treatment unavailable in Lesotho. The family has launched a fundraising campaign that has
Politics & Rights
The Judicial Officers Association of Lesotho (JOALE) has condemned death threats made against Mohale's Hoek Magistrate Relebohile Khongoane, describing the incident as part of a broader pattern of intimidation against judicial officers. JOALE has called on the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, the Judicial Service Commission, and the government
Politics & Rights
Parliament's Social Cluster Committee has ordered the Lesotho Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Council to immediately reinstate the registration of integrative medical practitioners, criticizing the council for unprofessionally excluding members of the Integrative Medical Association of Lesotho from the national register. The dispute centers on whether integrative medicine practitioners,
Politics & Rights
A Mohale's Hoek magistrate has received death threats, highlighting systemic neglect of magistrates' welfare and security in Lesotho's justice system. The article calls for urgent government action to provide magistrates with adequate security, official accommodation, secure transport, and improved court infrastructure to protect judicial independence
Politics & Rights
Suspended National University of Lesotho Registrar Liteboho Maqalika-Lerotholi has approached the High Court to challenge a disciplinary committee's refusal to refer constitutional questions about gender bias to judicial determination. She contests the all-male composition of the disciplinary panel as violating constitutional equality rights and the university&
Politics & Rights
Banel (Pty) Ltd, a Leribe-based cannabis company, has filed an urgent High Court application seeking the release of 500 kilograms of medicinal cannabis worth M1.2 million that was seized by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service at Moshoeshoe I International Airport in February 2026. The company claims it had
Politics & Rights
A dispute over alleged livestock theft in Mohale's Hoek escalated into a deadly gun battle that killed one village guard and injured two others, with multiple homes burned and a subsequent military operation in Qacha's Nek resulting in two suspect arrests and two deaths. The incident
Politics & Rights
Lesotho's Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development has warned that 'Malibuseng Children's Home in Maseru East is operating illegally and has repeatedly failed to comply with national child protection standards. Authorities removed children from the facility in November 2025 after discovering it was unregistered,
Politics & Rights
King Letsie III celebrates his 63rd birthday, having reigned since 1996 as a symbol of national unity and stability in Lesotho. The monarch is recognized internationally for his advocacy on nutrition as African Union Nutrition Champion and for his leadership in water resource management, including his role in the Lesotho