Lesotho has had seven people serve as Prime Minister since the position was created in 1965. Three of them: Ntsu Mokhehle, Pakalitha Mosisili, and Tom Thabane served non-consecutive terms.
However, the current Prime Minister is Sam Matekane, who took office on October 28, 2022. Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy, meaning the King is the head of state, but his role is mainly ceremonial.
The Prime Minister is the head of government and is chosen by the King based on advice from the Council of State. The Prime Minister must have support from the majority in the National Assembly.
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Complete List Of Lesotho Prime Ministers From 1965 Till Date
Name | Took office | Left office | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|
Sekhonyana Nehemia Maseribane | 6 May 1965 | 7 July 1965 | BNP |
Leabua Jonathan | 7 July 1965 | 20 January 1986 | BNP |
Justin Metsing Lekhanya | 24 January 1986 | 2 May 1991 | Military |
Elias Phisoana Ramaema | 2 May 1991 | 2 April 1993 | Military |
Ntsu Mokhehle | 2 April 1993 | 17 August 1994 | BCP |
Hae Phoofolo | 17 August 1994 | 14 September 1994 | Independent |
Ntsu Mokhehle | 14 September 1994 | 29 May 1998 | BCP |
Pakalitha Mosisili | 29 May 1998 | 8 June 2012 | LCD (until 2011), DC |
Tom Thabane | 8 June 2012 | 17 March 2015 | ABC |
Pakalitha Mosisili | 17 March 2015 | 16 June 2017 | DC |
Tom Thabane | 16 June 2017 | 19 May 2020 | ABC |
Moeketsi Majoro | 20 May 2020 | 28 October 2022 | ABC |
Sam Matekane | 28 October 2022 | Incumbent | RFP |
Who Was The First Prime Minister In Lesotho?
Joseph Leabua Jonathan was the first Prime Minister of Lesotho after it gained independence. He was born on October 30, 1914, in Leribe, which was then called Basutoland. His father was a minor chief, but they came from a working-class background.
Jonathan had his early education at the Paris Evangelical Missionary School in Morija and later went to South Africa, where he worked in diamond mines for three years.
The tough working conditions and racial discrimination he faced in South Africa opened his eyes to the injustices faced by Black people, which led him to become involved in politics when he returned to Basutoland in 1937.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Jonathan started to fight for Basutoland’s right to govern itself. He was involved in several delegations to London, asking for political rights for the people of Basutoland.
In 1959, he started the Basutoland National Party (BNP), which became a key political party in the country. Jonathan’s party had some success in the elections of 1960, but it was in the 1965 pre-independence elections that the BNP won big.
The party secured 31 out of 60 seats in the parliament. As a result, Jonathan became the Prime Minister on July 7, 1965.
When Basutoland became independent and changed its name to Lesotho on October 4, 1966, Jonathan stayed as Prime Minister, working alongside King Moshoeshoe II.
In 1966, after some violent clashes between the king’s supporters and the police, Jonathan placed the king under house arrest to keep control. In 1970, during the first elections after independence, Jonathan’s government faced growing opposition.
When it seemed like his party might lose, he claimed the elections were unfair and declared a state of emergency, which led to more political unrest.
Despite these troubles, Jonathan’s rule continued until January 1986, when a military coup led by Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya removed him from power.
Jonathan was put under house arrest but was allowed to seek medical treatment in South Africa, where he died on April 5, 1987, at the age of 72.
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New Prime Minister Of Lesotho
Sam Matekane became the Prime Minister of Lesotho on October 28, 2022. He won this position after his party, the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), won a major victory in the general elections earlier that month.
His party gained 56 out of 120 seats in the Lesotho Parliament, which helped him form a coalition government with two other parties to have a majority.
Matekane is one of the richest people in Lesotho, due to his success in the diamond industry. People in Lesotho see him as an outsider who can bring a fresh approach to politics.
Born on October 30, 1958, Matekane was a businessman who was unhappy with the unstable government coalitions that had been a problem in Lesotho since 2012.
He believed that these coalitions made it hard to govern effectively and wanted to create a government that could work more efficiently.
His political rise was in a twinkle of an eye, showing that many people in Lesotho wanted a change. When Matekane was sworn in as Prime Minister, he promised to “make Lesotho great again.”
He said he wanted to restore economic stability and attract more foreign investment. One of his key goals is to cut government spending and make public services more efficient.
He also pledged to fight corruption, calling it the “worst disease” in the country’s government. He wants to run the government like a corporation, focusing on transparency and accountability.
Also, he promised to have lifestyle audits done on himself and his cabinet members to show his commitment to integrity in government. However, Matekane faces many challenges.
Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in the world, and it has struggled with high unemployment and an economic downturn since 2017.
His government will need to find ways to address these problems while managing the expectations of his supporters and coalition partners.
Some critics are also concerned about potential conflicts of interest because of his business background, and they worry that his business dealings might affect government decisions and contracts.
