Lesotho Country Facts

 

Bureau of African Affairs                                                     
October 2007                                                                  
                                                                       
  Background Note: Lesotho Country Facts                                                     
                                                
  A woman wearing a traditional hat                                           
  waits to vote in Likalaneng, Lesotho,                                       
  February 17, 2007. [© AP Images]                                            
                                                                       
  Flag of Lesotho is three horizontal stripes of blue - top - white, and green
  in proportions 3:4:3; centered in white stripe is black Basotho hat         
  representing the indigenous people.                                         
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Kingdom of Lesotho                                                          
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 30,355 sq. km. (11,718 sq. mi.), about the size of Maryland.          
  Cities: Capital--Maseru (173,700). Other cities--Teyateyaneng (22,800),     
  Leribe (35,000), Mafeteng (32,900), Mohale's Hoek (18,400).                 
  Terrain: High veld, plateau and mountains.                                  
  Climate: Temperate; summers hot, winters cool to cold; humidity generally low
  and evenings cool year round. Rainy season in summer, winters dry. Southern 
  hemisphere seasons are reversed.                                            
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun--Mosotho (sing.); Basotho (pl.). Adjective--Basotho.      
  Population (2005 est.): 2 million.                                          
  Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 1.4%. (Note: the population growth rate is  
  depressed by an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate estimated to be at approximately   
  29%.)                                                                       
  Ethnic groups: Basotho 99.7%; Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%.            
  Religions: 80% Christian, including Roman Catholic (majority), Lesotho      
  Evangelical, Anglican, other denominations; other religions include Islam,  
  Hindu, indigenous.                                                          
  Languages: Official--Sesotho and English. Others--Zulu, Xhosa.              
  Education: Years compulsory--None. Literacy (2003 est.)--84.8%. Lesotho has 
  free primary education (grades 1-7).                                        
  Health: Infant mortality rate (2004 est.)--85.22/1,000. Life expectancy (2004
  est.)--36.81 years.                                                         
  Work force (2001 est.): 704,000.                                            
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Constitutional monarchy.                                              
  Constitution: April 2, 1993.                                                
  Independence: October 4, 1966.                                              
  Branches: Executive--monarch is head of state; prime minister is head of    
  government and cabinet. Legislative--Bicameral parliament consists of elected
  Assembly and non-elected Senate. Judicial--High Court, Court of Appeals,    
  Magistrate's Court, traditional and customary courts.                       
  Administrative subdivisions: 10 districts.                                  
  Political parties: Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), All Basotho Congress
  (ABC), Basotho National Party (BNP), Lesotho Peoples Congress (LPC), National
  Independent Party (NIP), Basutoland African Congress (BAC), Basutoland      
  Congress Party (BCP), Lesotho Workers Party (LWP), Popular Front for        
  Democracy (PFD), Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Christian Democratic Party 
  (CDP), Kopanang Basotho Party (KBP), National Progressive Party (NPP), New  
  Lesotho's Freedom Party (NLFP), Sefate Democratic Union (SDU), Social       
  Democratic Party (SDP), United Party (UP).                                  
  Suffrage: 18 years of age.                                                  
  Central government budget (FY 2003-2004 est.): Revenues--$560 million.      
  Expenditures--$599 million.                                                 
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP (2003): $1.43 billion.                                                  
  Annual growth rate (2004): 3.4%.                                            
  Per capita GDP (2003): $550.                                                
  Average inflation rate (2003): 10%.                                         
  Natural resources: Water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and  
  other minerals. Lesotho is an exporter of excess labor.                     
  Agriculture (2003 est.): 16.8% of GDP. Products--corn, wheat, sorghum,      
  barley, peas, beans, asparagus, wool, mohair, livestock. Arable land--11%.  
  Industry (2003 est.): 43.1% of GDP. Types--apparel, food, beverages,        
  handicrafts, construction, tourism.                                         
  Trade (2003): Exports--$450 million; clothing, furniture, footwear and wool.
  Partners--South Africa, United States, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, EU.    
  Imports--$661 million; corn, clothing, building materials, vehicles,        
  machinery, medicines, petroleum products. Partners--South Africa, Asia, EU. 
  Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March.                                            
  Economic aid received (2002): $972.6 million. Primary donors--World Bank,   
  IMF, EU, UN, U.K., Ireland, U.S.                                            
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  More than 99% of Lesotho's population is ethnically Basotho; other ethnic   
  groups include Europeans and Asians. The country's population is 80%        
  Christian, the majority of whom are Roman Catholic. Other religions are     
  Islam, Hindu, and indigenous beliefs. Sesotho and English are official      
  languages, and other languages spoken include Zulu and Xhosa.               
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  Lesotho gained independence from Britain on October 4, 1966. In January 1970
  the ruling Basotho National Party (BNP) appeared set to lose the first      
  post-independence general elections when Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan     
  annulled the election. He refused to cede power to the Basotho Congress Party
  (BCP) and imprisoned its leadership.                                        
                                                                       
  The BNP ruled by decree until January 1986 when a military coup forced them 
  out of office. The Military Council that came into power granted executive  
  powers to King Moshoeshoe II, who was until then a ceremonial monarch. In   
  1990, however, the King was forced into exile after a falling out with the  
  army. His son was installed as King Letsie III.                             
                                                                       
  The chairman of the military junta, Major General Metsing Lekhanya, was     
  ousted in 1991 and then replaced by Major General Phisoane Ramaema, who     
  handed over power to a democratically elected government of the BCP in 1993.
  Moshoeshoe II returned from exile in 1992 as an ordinary citizen. After the 
  return to democratic government, King Letsie III tried unsuccessfully to    
  persuade the BCP government to reinstate his father (Moshoeshoe II) as head 
  of state. In August 1994, Letsie III staged a coup which was backed by the  
  military and deposed the BCP government. The new government did not receive 
  full international recognition. Member states of the Southern African       
  Development Community (SADC) engaged in negotiations aimed at the           
  reinstatement of the BCP government. One of the conditions put forward by the
  King for the return of the BCP government was that his father should be     
  re-installed as head of state. After protracted negotiations, the BCP       
  government was reinstated and the King abdicated in favor of his father in  
  1995, but Moshoeshoe II died in a car accident in 1996 and was again        
  succeeded by his son, Letsie III. The ruling BCP split over leadership      
  disputes in 1997.                                                           
                                                                       
  Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle formed a new party, the Lesotho Congress for   
  Democracy (LCD), and was followed by a majority of Members of Parliament,   
  which enabled him to form a new government. The LCD won the general elections
  in 1998 under the leadership of Pakalitha Mosisili, who had succeeded       
  Mokhehle as party leader. Despite the elections being pronounced free and   
  fair by local and international observers and a subsequent special commission
  appointed by SADC, the opposition political parties rejected the results.   
                                                                       
  Opposition protests in the country intensified, culminating in a violent    
  demonstration outside the royal palace in August 1998. When junior members of
  the armed services mutinied in September, the government requested a SADC   
  task force to intervene to prevent a coup and restore stability. A military 
  group of South African and Botswana troops entered the country in September,
  put down the mutiny, and withdrew in May 1999. Looting, casualties, and     
  widespread destruction of property followed.                                
                                                                       
  An Interim Political Authority (IPA), charged with reviewing the electoral  
  structure in the country, was created in December 1998. The IPA devised a   
  proportional electoral system to ensure that there would be opposition in the
  National Assembly. The new system retained the existing 80 elected Assembly 
  seats, but added 40 seats to be filled on a proportional basis. Elections   
  were held under this new system in May 2002, and the LCD won again. For the 
  first time, due to the inclusion of proportional seats, opposition political
  parties won significant numbers of seats. Elections were held again in      
  February 2007. Nine opposition parties hold all 40 of the proportional seats,
  with the National Independent Party (NIP) having the largest share (21). The
  LCD has 61 of the 80 constituency-based seats, and All Basotho Congress (ABC)
  holds 17.                                                                   
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  The Lesotho Government is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister,    
  Pakalitha Mosisili, is head of government and has executive authority. The  
  King serves a largely ceremonial function; he no longer possesses any       
  executive authority and is proscribed from actively participating in        
  political initiatives.                                                      
                                                                       
  The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) controls a majority in the National
  Assembly (the lower house of parliament), with All Basotho Congress (ABC),  
  the National Independent Party, and the Lesotho Workers Party among the 9   
  opposition parties represented. The upper house of parliament, called the   
  Senate, is composed of 22 principal chiefs whose membership is hereditary,  
  and 11 appointees of the King, acting on the advice of the prime minister.  
                                                                       
  The constitution provides for an independent judicial system. The judiciary 
  is made up of the Court of Appeal, the High Court, Magistrate's Courts, and 
  traditional courts that exist predominately in rural areas. All but one of  
  the Justices on the Court of Appeal are South African jurists. There is no  
  trial by jury; rather, judges make rulings alone, or, in the case of criminal
  trials, with two other judges as observers. The constitution also protects  
  basic civil liberties, including freedom of speech, association, and the    
  press; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of religion.               
                                                                       
  For administrative purposes, Lesotho is divided into 10 districts, each     
  headed by a district administrator.                                         
                                                                       
  Lesotho held its first post-independence local government elections on April
  30, 2005 using a quota system that reserved one-third of electoral divisions
  for women candidates. In these elections, 53% of the victorious candidates  
  were women. Locally elected officials attended post-election training while 
  regulations for local governance were drawn up by the National Assembly and 
  infrastructure was created.                                                 
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  Head of State--King Letsie III                                              
                                                                       
  Cabinet                                                                     
  Prime Minister--Pakalitha Mosisili                                          
  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs and Public               
  Safety--Archibald Lesao Lehohla                                             
  Minister of Defense--Pakalitha Mosisili (also Prime Minister)               
  Minister of Foreign Affairs--Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa, MP                     
  Minister of Education and Training--Dr. Mamphono Khaketla                   
  Minister of Natural Resources--Monyane Moleleki, MP                         
  Minister of Local Government--Pontso Sekatle                                
  Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Rehabilitation, Law and Constitutional
  Affairs--Mpeo Mahase-Moiloa, MP                                             
  Minister of Finance and Development Planning--Timothy Thahane               
  Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Culture--Lebohang Ntsinyi             
  Minister of Public Service--Pakalitha Mosisili (also Prime Minister)        
  Minister of Trade and Industry, Cooperatives, and Marketing--Mpho 'Mali Malie
  Minister of Communications, Science, and Technology--Mothojoa Metsing, MP   
  Minister of Health and Social Welfare--Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng, Senator        
  Minister of Employment and Labor--Moses Refiloe Masemene                    
  Minister of Agriculture and Food Security--Lesole Mokoma, MP                
  Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports, and Recreation--Mathabiso Lepono         
  Minister in the Prime Minister's Office--Dr. Motloheloa Phooko, Senator     
  Minister of Public Works and Transportation--Ts'ele Chakela                 
  Assistant Minister of Justice, Human Rights, and Rehabilitation, Law and    
  Constitutional Affairs--Mothejoa Metsing                                    
  Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Cooperatives, and Marketing--Popane
  Lebesa, MP                                                                  
  Assistant Minister of Education and Training--Dr. Mamphono Khaketla, MP     
  Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Food Security--Molise T'seole         
  Assistant Minister of Sports, Gender, and Youth Affairs--Hlonepho Nts'ekhe  
                                                                       
  Ambassador to the United States--Molelekeng Ernestina Rapolaki              
  Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations--Lebohang     
  Moleko                                                                      
                                                                       
  Lesotho maintains an embassy in the United States at 2511 Massachusetts     
  Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel: 202-797-5533). Lesotho's mission to the
  United Nations is located at 204 East 39th Street, New York, NY 10016 (tel: 
  212-661-1690).                                                              
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Lesotho's economy is based on water and electricity sold to South Africa,   
  manufacturing, earnings from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU),     
  agriculture, livestock, and to some extent earnings of laborers employed in 
  South Africa. Lesotho also exports diamonds, wool, and mohair. Lesotho is   
  geographically surrounded by South Africa and economically integrated with it
  as well. The majority of households subsist on farming or migrant labor,    
  primarily miners in South Africa for 3 to 9 months. The western lowlands form
  the main agricultural zone. Almost 50% of the population earns some income  
  through crop cultivation or animal husbandry, with over half the country's  
  income coming from the agricultural sector.                                 
                                                                       
  Water is Lesotho's only significant natural resource. It is being exploited 
  through the 30-year, multi-billion-dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project   
  (LHWP), which was initiated in 1986. The LHWP is designed to capture, store,
  and transfer water from the Orange River system and send it to South Africa's
  Free State and greater Johannesburg area, which features a large            
  concentration of South African industry, population, and agriculture.       
  Completion of the first phase of the project has made Lesotho almost        
  completely self-sufficient in the production of electricity and generated   
  approximately $24 million annually from the sale of electricity and water to
  South Africa. The World Bank, African Development Bank, European Investment 
  Bank, and many other bilateral donors financed the project. Lesotho has taken
  advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to become the    
  largest exporter of garments to the U.S. from sub-Saharan Africa. Exports   
  totaled $466.9 million in 2004. Employment reached 40,000. Asian investors  
  own most factories.                                                         
                                                                       
  Lesotho has received economic aid from a variety of sources, including the  
  United States, the World Bank, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the European    
  Union, Germany, and the People's Republic of China.                         
                                                                       
  Lesotho has nearly 6,000 kilometers of unpaved and modern all-weather roads.
  There is a short rail line (freight) linking Lesotho with South Africa that 
  is totally owned and operated by South Africa. Lesotho is a member of the   
  Southern African Customs Union (SACU) in which tariffs have been eliminated 
  on the trade of goods with other member countries, which include Botswana,  
  Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. With the exception of Botswana, these 
  countries also form a common currency and exchange control area known as the
  Common Monetary Area (CMA). The South African rand can be used              
  interchangeably with the loti, the Lesotho currency (plural: maloti). One   
  hundred lisente equal one loti. The loti is at par with the rand.           
                                                                       
  HIV/AIDS                                                                    
  According to recent estimates, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Lesotho is   
  about 29%, one of the highest rates in the world. The United Nations        
  estimates that this rate will rise to 36% within the next 15 years, resulting
  in a sharp drop in life expectancy. According to the Lesotho Bureau of      
  Statistics, in 2001 life expectancy was estimated at 48 for men and 56 for  
  women. Recent statistics estimate that life expectancy has fallen to an     
  average of 36.81.                                                           
                                                                       
  The government of Lesotho was initially slow to recognize the scale of the  
  HIV/AIDS crisis, and its efforts to date in combating the spread of the     
  disease have met with limited success. In 1999, the government finalized its
  Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS, a diagram for addressing the education,         
  prevention, counseling, and treatment needs of the populace. In late 2003,  
  the government announced that it was forming a new National AIDS Commission 
  to coordinate society-wide anti-AIDS activities. Also in 2003 the Government
  of Lesotho hosted a SADC Extraordinary Summit on HIV/AIDS. In July 2005     
  legislation was passed to create the National AIDS Commission.              
                                                                       
  DEFENSE                                                                     
  The security force is composed of the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF--estimated 
  4,000 personnel) and the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS--estimated    
  3,000-4,000 personnel). The LDF consists of an army, an air wing, and a     
  paramilitary wing. The LDF answers to the Prime Minister (who is the Minister
  of Defense and National Security and also the Minister of Public Service),  
  while the Lesotho Mounted Police Service reports to the Minister of Home    
  Affairs. There also is a National Security Service (NSS), Intelligence, which
  is directly accountable to the Prime Minister. Relations between the police 
  and the army have occasionally been tense, and in 1997 the army was called  
  upon to put down a serious police mutiny.                                   
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Lesotho's geographic location makes it extremely vulnerable to political and
  economic developments in South Africa. It is a member of many regional      
  economic organizations including the Southern African Development Community 
  (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Lesotho also is active
  in the United Nations, the African Union, the Nonaligned Movement, the      
  Commonwealth, and many other international organizations. In addition to the
  United States, South Africa, China, Libya, Ireland (Consulate General), and 
  the European Union all currently retain resident diplomatic missions in     
  Lesotho. The United Nations is represented by a resident mission as well,   
  including UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WFP, and UNAIDS.                          
                                                                       
  Lesotho has historically maintained generally close ties with the United    
  States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other Western states. Although     
  Lesotho decided in 1990 to break relations with the People's Republic of    
  China (P.R.C.) and reestablish relations with Taiwan, it has since restored 
  ties with the P.R.C. Lesotho also recognized Palestine as a state, was a    
  strong public supporter of the end of apartheid in South Africa, and granted
  a number of South African refugees political asylum during the apartheid era.
                                                                       
  U.S.-LESOTHO RELATIONS                                                      
  The United States was one of the first four countries to establish an embassy
  in Maseru after Lesotho gained its independence from Great Britain in 1966. 
  Since this time, Lesotho and the United States have consistently maintained 
  warm bilateral relations. In 1996, the United States closed its bilateral aid
  program in Lesotho. The Southern African regional office of the U.S. Agency 
  for International Development (USAID) in Gaborone, Botswana now administers 
  most of the U.S. assistance to Lesotho, which totaled approximately $2      
  million in FY 2004. Total U.S. aid to Lesotho is over $10 million, including
  humanitarian food assistance. The Peace Corps has operated in Lesotho since 
  1966. About 100 Peace Corps volunteers concentrate in the sectors of health,
  agriculture, education, rural community development, and the environment. The
  Government of Lesotho encourages greater American participation in commercial
  life and welcomes interest from potential U.S. investors and suppliers.     
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Officials                                                    
  Ambassador--Robert B. Nolan                                                 
  Deputy Chief of Mission--W. Patrick Murphy                                  
  Management Officer--Craig Anderson                                          
  Consular Officer--Joyce Brooks                                              
  Public Diplomacy Officer--Christopher Smith                                 
  General Services Officer--Wendy Kahler                                      
  Information Management Officer--Dwayne Taylor                               
  Director, Peace Corps--Hilliard Denham                                      
                                                                       
  The mailing address of the U.S. Embassy is P.O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho.
  Tel: (266) 22-312-666; fax: (266) 22-310-116. E-mail: infomaseru@state.gov. 
                                                                       
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  Further Electronic Information                                              
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