The mountain kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa has had political problems this year that eclipsed its struggle with the COVID pandemic.

Octogenarian Prime Minister Tom Tabane quit in May with his ruling coalition broken and his second wife Maesaiah charged with the murder of his first spouse Lipolelo two days before he was sworn in as premier in June 2017.

Thabane was replaced by Moeketsi Majoro.

Meeting in Maseru, foreign ministers Naledi Pandor and Matsepo Molise Ramakoe spoke about regional security.

Developments in Lesotho affect South Africa almost as intimately as they impact people of the kingdom. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has in the past been a  special envoy to Lesotho.

The ministers also covered arrangements for border crossings during the festive period.

These increase enormously over this period as migrant workers, particularly miners, go home for the holidays.

The commission will meet again in the second quarter of 2021.

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They’re demanding  demanding that the government sets aside the suspension of the country’s chief justice.

Prime Minister Tom Thabane suspended Lesotho’s 

Chief justice Nthomeng Majara  accusing her  of inciting violence and threatening peace and stability in the mountain kingdom.

Majara’s suspension attracted international condemnation from judges, and rights groups.

The SADC reforms were intended to lead to the amendment of the constitution and eventual stability, following years of political and security upheaval.

The opposition withdrawal is disappointment for the SADC mediation facilitation team which was led by former deputy chief justice, Judge Dikgang Moseneke.

The regional grouping stepped in after a failed coup attempt in 2014.

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He isays he’s uncovered plots to arrest him and he fears for his life.

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Tensions remain high in Lesotho after the killing of Prime Minister Tom Thabane estranged wife two days before his inauguration in July.

The motive for that killing remain unknown.

The country’s former defence minister Tseliso Mokhosi was recently arrested over the killing of a policeman in 2016.

The police officer’s body was found earlier this month.

The former minister had since been freed.

Three years ago Thabane accused his Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing of helping to plan the army coup that forced him to seek safety by fleeing to South Africa.

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He’s been invited by King Letsie III. 

Pakalitha Mosisili won elections in Lesotho on February 28.

He’s formed a coalition of seven parties to hold enough seats in the legislature of the mountain kingdom and regain the reins he relinquished nearly three years ago.

President Zuma will be accompanied by Deputy-President Cyril Ramaphosa, who played a key role as the regional mediator in the imbroglio that follows the abortive coup in Lesotho six months ago that drove outgoing Prime Minister Tom Thabane briefly into exile in South Africa.

Mothetjoa Metsing, who was Thabane’s deputy and suspected of being behind the attempted coup, has retained this position by joining the ruling coalition.

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His Democratic Congress shaded Tom Thabane’s All Basotho Convention in last Saturday’s snap poll and formed a coalition government.

In the 2012 election the Democratic Congress won the most parliamentary seats but was short of a majority.

Pakalitha Mosisili was unable to find coalition partners to form a government – leaving the way open to Tom Thabane.

This time round Mosisili’s teamed up with half a dozen opposition parties giving him 18 additional seats and a parliamentary majority.

He has his work cut out restoring stability to the mountain kingdom entirely surrounded by South Africa, where an abortive coup six month ago almost unseated Thabane.

It brought in the region to mediate a deal that included the early election.

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Analysts, however, believe Lesotho’s insecurity – that give rise to the snap election putting Pakalitha Mosisili in the driver’s seat – is far from over.

Lesotho premier Pakalitha Mosisile says there’s no security problem in his country,

The problem was his predecessor, former Prime Minister Tom Thabane.

Analysts fear this confronational language indicates Mosisili hasn’t learned the lessons of the past.

They fear it might lead of another period of uncertainty in one of the poorest countries on the planet.

International observers hailed the early poll as peaceful, free and fair.
But it did not deliver an outright winner.

Deputy Prime Minister Motetjwa Metsing, whose differences with Thabane fractured the last coalition, keeps his job because he’s among the politicians who’ve banded around Mosisili who held the reins in Lesotho for 14 years.

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Results coming in from rural areas have narrowed the early lead won by incumbent prime minister Tom Thabane.

With tallying almost completed last night, Tom Thabane’s All Basotho Convention has 40 of the 120 seats in the assembly.

The Democratic Congress of Pakalitha Mosisili, a former prime minister, won 33 seats.

Thabane’s former coalition partner the Lesotho Congress for Democracy has two seats.

The election, endorsed by both the region and the continent, was for 80 of the assembly places. The remaining 40 are distributed proportionally after the final tally.

Thabane must get enough of these to win an outright parliamentary majority – or start talking a deal with a smaller party.

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It’s urged the people of the mountain kingdom to accept the result and to exercise any challenges within the boundaries of the law.

Heading the SADC observer mission to Lesotho, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashebane’s found the process transparent, credible, free and fair.

Her statement today says it reflects the will of the people of Lesotho.

The poll’s two years early because of an attempted coup in Lesotho six months ago.

Prime minister Tom Thabane, who was the target of that overthrow bid, is the leader as the votes of the 1,2 million registered electors are tallied.

SADC fielded 82 observers from 11 member countries.

Nkoane Mashebane says the voting took place in a generally calm and peaceful political atmosophere.

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Two thirds of ballots from 1,2 million registered voters in the mountain kingdom has been tallied manually.

Reports from the observer missions from the region, the continent and abroad are expected today.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who’s the SADC mediator in this process, is back home after observing some of the voting the counting.

He’ll return to Maseru on Wednesday when official results are expected.

The army, which is believed to behind the attempted coup five months ago that necessitated the early poll, has been confined to barracks.

Neighbouring countries have supplied 475 police to keep the peace in the nation that’s been on edge because of the instability.

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