The economy of Lesotho is based almost entirely on agriculture, farm animal raising, and the earnings of Basothos employed outside the nation. About two-fifths of the adult male labor force works in South Africa. Gross domestic product, which does not reflect remittances from workers out of the nation, stood at $874 million in 1999, or $420 per person. Tourism, particularly from South Africa, has expanded rapidly. In 1998 the around annual budget included revenues of $392 million with expenditures totaling $442 million.
Lesotho is a poor nation, and its few natural resources are insufficient for even the present population. unexploited uranium deposits found near Teyateyaneng, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Maseru, could introduce a remarkable boost to Lesotho's economy. Its economy could not be sustained at all without the benefits it derives from South Africa, with which Lesotho forms part of a customs union and shares an integrated communications system. It has also depended heavily on South Africa for employment for much of the working population, although opportunities for Sotho there became far more restrictive in the mid-1990s. About one-third of the male working population is unemployed.
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, farm animal, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of substantial privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.
Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 13, and 97.1 % of school-age children are listed. Christian missions under the direction of the minister of education operate most schools, which are free at the primary level. In 1996 some 374,600 pupils attended 1,249 primary schools, and 68,100 pupils attended secondary and vocational schools. The National University of Lesotho (1966), in Roma, is attended yearly by about 1,400 students and has a teaching staff of more than 200. The Lesotho Agricultural College (1955) is in Maseru. Lesotho has a literacy rate of 91 %.
The Lesotho Government is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, is head of government and has administrator authority. The King serves a largely ceremonial function; he no longer possesses any administrator authority and is proscribed from actively participating in political initiatives.
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) controls a majority in the National Assembly, with the Basotho National Party (BNP), Lesotho Peoples Congress, and the National Independent Party, among the 9 opposition parties described.
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 orthodox 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 separated into 10 districts, each headed by a district secretary.
Lesotho gained freedom on October 4, 1966. In January 1970 the ruling Basotho National Party (BNP) looked set to lose the first post-freedom 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 governed by decree until January 1986 when a military coup forced them out of office. The Military Council that came into power granted administrator powers to King Moshoeshoe II, which was until then a ceremonial monarch. In 1987, the King was forced into exile after a falling out with the army. His son was installed as King Letsie III.
An Interim Political Authority (IPA), charged with reviewing the electoral structure in the nation, was created in December 1998. The IPA devised a proportional electoral system to ensure that there 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, opposition political parties won remarkable numbers of seats. Nine opposition parties hold all 40 of the proportional seats, with the BNP having the largest share (21). The LCD has 79 of the 80 constituency based seats. Although its elected members participate in the National Assembly, the BNP has launched several legal challenges to the elections; none has been successful.
Lesotho, formerly Basutoland, small, land-locked monarchy within South Africa. The kingdom of Lesotho is mainly mountainous and has a total area of 30,355 sq km (11,720 sq mi). The capital of Lesotho is Maseru.
Official Name -Kingdom of Lesotho
Capital City-Maseru
Languages- English (official), Sesotho, Zulu, others
Official Currency- Loti
Religions- Christian, orthodox beliefs
Population -2,132,000
Land Area- 30,350 sq km (11,718 sq miles)
N/A
About 90 % of the people of Lesotho are Christians, mainly Roman Catholics, Lesotho Evangelicals, and Anglicans. Most of the remainder follow orthodox beliefs. English and Sesotho, a Bantu language, are the nation’s official languages.
Village life is controlled by basic agricultural tasks, with heavy responsibilities falling on women. Craftwork is still practiced in the villages and includes pottery and grassweaving and the walls of houses are often elaborately decorated. Herders still play a orthodox instrument called the letsiba, and dances such as the “gum-boot dance” and the lefela demonstrate the determine of migrant labour on orthodox forms of cultural expression.Urban life is a blend of orthodox and Western culture. In Maseru there are shops and markets that offer regional crafts and goods, as there are modern and Western hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs; many of these were either burned or damaged by looting following the general election in 1998. Its location makes it an ideal starting point for those trekking on foot or by pony in the highlands.
International organization Member
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
The population of Lesotho (2001 estimate) is 2,177,062. The overall population density is 72 persons per sq km (186 per sq mi). The population was growing at 1.5 % a year in 2001. While the growth rate was lower than in many African countries, it was still high enough to place a burden on Lesotho’s limited resources. Many people, particularly men, reside outside the nation for a portion of each year working as laborers. Life expectancy at birth was 50 years for women and 48 years for men. The only city of remarkable size in Lesotho is Maseru.
The Sotho speak Sotho, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family; they were originally united by a common loyalty to the royal house of Mshweshwe ,of the Moketeli branch of the Kwena lineage. Internally, divisions among different chiefdoms—and within the royal lineage itself—have had political significance, but externally the sense of Sotho nationhood and cultural unity remains strong. Both Sotho and English are official languages in the nation; Zulu is spoken by a small but remarkable minority of Zulu. In addition, there are a few thousand nationals of Asian or mixed descent. The small European community is controlled by expatriate teachers, issionaries, aid workers, technicians, and development advisers.
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka.
