Siyabonga Hadebe | Lesotho 'land claim' is a dangerous colonial distortion
As a number of media outlets have reported, a motion in Lesotho’s parliament aims to declare the entire Free State and areas of the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape as part of the small mountain kingdom.The motion is actually inspired by UN Resolution 1818 of 1962, titled: Question of the Trust Territory of Basutoland, which recognised the right of the people of Lesotho to self-determination and independence.
The colony and its entities, such as legal systems, territories and loyal subjects, cannot have any standing in fighting for the people. What is shameful is that post-colonial Lesotho has failed dismally to at least restore the dignity of the Basotho for the past six decades. That is not to suggest that there was no form of organisation before the colonial conquest, but what exists today is a result of the Europeanisation of identities to benefit the colony and its capitalist enterprise.
In 1871, Shepstone was appointed as the British resident in Natal and was tasked with extending British influence into Basutoland. These chiefs were responsible for maintaining law and order within their territories and collecting taxes on behalf of the British colonial government. In Natal, Shepstone implemented the system with the support of the Zulu monarch, and this type of governance was deepened after 1879 to appease the defeated Zulu tribe and keep it away from the reach of the Boers.
The effects of the paramount chief system in Southern Africa. The effects of that system in the region, including Basutoland, were complex and far-reaching, with mixed outcomes that continue to shape the region today.It helped establish a centralised governance system that enabled colonial authorities to exert greater control over the territories they ruled.
This is something that the Lesotho MPs fail to understand with their claim, which targets the lands previously owned by the BaSia, Hlubi, BaTlokwa, BaKholokwe and many others. The 1964 Cairo Declaration by the Organisation of African Unity recognised the borders inherited from colonial powers to avoid stirring future conflicts.
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