By Liteboho Motšekalle
Happy birthday, Your Majesty! My seven-year-old nephew was enthusiastic at the thought of celebrating and eating cake with you. To him, a birthday means stuffing his face with sweetness. You should have seen the melancholy cloud his face when we told him the cake-eating part was happening. Your Majesty, I write this letter to you today as the daughter of a late historian and a young woman who fiercely believes a better Lesotho is still within reach.
My father committed his life to history. A voracious reader and keen observer of our national evolution, he understood the foundations and transitions of traditional leadership in this country. He eloquently defended the monarchy and praised your bravery in dissolving the Basotho Congress Party (BCP)-led government, demanding your father’s return from exile and re-inauguration as King. I was not yet born when this happened. However, my father’s narration of historical events on the monarchy influenced my 2024 opinion piece arguing that it is time the monarch danced with power.
As a country, we need new thinking, Your Majesty. We need to reimagine our national leadership model by shifting from a ceremonial monarchy to one with executive, but not absolute, powers. Constitutional law expert Professor Hoolo ‘Nyane precisely echoes that the constitutional monarchy is counter-intuitive and maintained at great cost without it having a substantive role to hold politicians accountable. Thus, the monarchy should be conferred with some powers to construct checks and balances between itself and elected officials. It is senseless to keep this institution entirely tethered. Moreover, it benefits imperialists and self-serving politicians who govern with impunity, making unscrupulous and decadent decisions for this country while real development is deferred.
Lesotho is crumbling under the incompetent leadership of the prime ministers we breed and nurture. On Africa Heroes’ Day this year, Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s mud-splattered photos circulated on social media. When I saw them, I could only ask: what did we do to deserve this caliber of leadership? His idea of commemorating Africa Day was denigrating and repugnant. He spat on the graves of those who sacrificed their lives for an emancipated Lesotho and Africa. And this is the man whose vision and leadership are supposed to deliver prosperity. We continue to truly be led by the worst among us.
Your Majesty, I write to you as a young woman who still believes, fervently, that a better Lesotho for all is possible, nevertheless, we simply need new thinking in how we honour your presence. Your reign and economic development take place in a constitutional cage, while politicians misuse security agencies to hold the masses hostage. They run this country like a personal fiefdom. It has become a nest for greedy officials to loot from tenders. There is no determination to curb the widespread corruption that is entrenched in every public space. The kleptocracy continues to deepen poverty, unemployment, and inequality. So, I ask Your Majesty: can you do some soul-searching? When you depart this earth, God forbid, what will be the legacy you leave behind?
On 17th July 2026, Mokhotlong will host your birthday celebration for the third time in over two decades. This district is one of the most complex in this country by being an economic powerhouse, yet it remains neglected. Just last month, we saw the heart-rending rescue of a pregnant Itumeleng Motloli (now late) from the snow at ‘Moteng Pass by Mr Clifford Amad Tarr and two herdboys. She was being transferred from Mokhotlong Hospital when her ambulance got snowbound. Two things stand out in this tragedy: the chronic under-resourcing of Mokhotlong Hospital and a blatant disregard for preparing for winter. We need pragmatic leadership that supplies our hospitals with medical specialists and sophisticated, modern equipment to reduce reliance on Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital.
NoViolet Bulawayo opined that “when things fall apart, the children of the land scurry and scatter like birds escaping a burning sky. They flee their own wretched land so their hunger may be pacified in foreign lands.” Our story reflects an endlessly profound dependency on South Africa, and times have changed. Chief Leabua Jonathan is dead, Chris Hani is assassinated, and Cyril Ramaphosa is president. Our support during apartheid belongs to history. Now, as South Africa struggles with unemployment, Basotho and other Africans are no longer welcome. South Africans have come for the masses—how long before they come for the elite? Your Majesty, what does the future have in store for your nation?
As the late King Moshoeshoe II said in 1976, I strongly believe the struggle for a better Lesotho is not yet over. With creative and effective leadership, we can rewrite our own dignified story. We just need new thinking and the courage to blend monarchy and democratic institutions. We need to invest in ideas that would break the cycle of poverty and create a self-reliant Lesotho.
Yours sincerely,
Liteboho Motšekalle
Summary
- Your Majesty, I write this letter to you today as the daughter of a late historian and a young woman who fiercely believes a better Lesotho is still within reach.
- A voracious reader and keen observer of our national evolution, he understood the foundations and transitions of traditional leadership in this country.
- Your Majesty, I write to you as a young woman who still believes, fervently, that a better Lesotho for all is possible, nevertheless, we simply need new thinking in how we honour your presence.
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