Lesotho

By the 17*h century, the central plains o f southern Africa, situated west o f the Maluti Mountains were occupied by a diversity o f Sesotho-speaking groups including the Fokeng, Tlokwa, Taung, Kwena, Khoakhoa and Sia (Van Warmelo, 1966). The rise o f Shaka’s Zulu kingdom in the east resulted in the arrival o f fugitive Nguni tribes in the territory from about 1822. This led to the departure o f chief Sebetwane and his followers for the upper reaches o f the Zambesi, where the Kololo kingdom was founded in Barotseland (see Chapter 3). Moshoeshoe I remained and established his own realm to ward o ff further attacks that came from the Ndebele under Mzilikazi, en route to what became Matabeleland in Zimbabwe (see Chapter 4). In the 1840s, the Boers began to take occupation o f the central plains and came into conflict with Moshoeshoe’s domain. During this period, he negotiated anti-European alliances with other Southern African kings (Freund, 1984). By 1868, he was prompted to request the British government to establish control over the territory lest it be annexed by the now Free State Republic (Marquard, 1969). From 1871 until 1884, Basutoland came under the rule o f the British Cape Colony, a role that was not successful and in 1884 Britain took direct control by means o f a resident Commissioner. The Basutoland National Council was established in 1903, comprising the paramount chief and 99 members. When the Union o f South Africa came into being in 1910, the South Africa Act made provision for the incorporation o f the three British protectorates o f Basutoland, Swaziland and Bechuanaland. This was never implemented, despite attempts in 1935, 1951 and 1956 under Prime Ministers Hertzog, Malan and Strijdom. In terms o f the South African Land Act, only 13 per cent o f the country was allocated to the black population, whereas had

incorporation o f the protectorates occurred, the proportion would have risen to 45 per cent. Nevertheless, the British House o f Commons objected to the emergent apartheid policies o f South Africa and thus blocked any such development. In 1959, in preparation for the granting of independence to the territory, half o f the new National Council’s 80 members were elected in terms o f the first constitution. A constitutional commission was appointed in 1961 and a Basutoland Constitutional Conference was held in 1964 to facilitate arrangements for a new dispensation (Marquard, 1969). By then, Britain was ‘anxious to dispose’ (Freund, 1984, p. 223) o f its relatively few remaining colonies, including the three High Commission territories.