Tshepo Lipholo charged after accusing king of promoting Lesotho to South Africa

[ad_1] A Lesotho MP is dealing with prison fees after he accused the nation's monarch and authorities of signing over management of Lesotho to its a lot bigger neighbour, South Africa.

Dr Tshepo Lipholo additionally faces fees of "violating the dignity and status" of the royal household by declaring himself the chief ruler of the landlocked nation.

He reportedly appeared in courtroom on Monday to use for bail however this was postponed to a later date this month.

The opposition MP has beforehand known as for elements of South Africa to be declared "Lesotho's territory" and needs them returned to Lesotho's management,

Amongst them is the Free State, one of many three South African provinces that share a border with the small southern African nation. Dr Lipholo can also be laying declare to elements of the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Japanese Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The folks of Lesotho, known as Basotho, lived in these areas till the nineteenth Century, after they have been seized by Afrikaners - white South Africans. Many nonetheless stay there, particularly the Free State.

Within the cost sheet, which the BBC has seen, the state accuses the lawmaker of "uttering seditious phrases" and "inciting public violence" by saying King Letsie III and the federal government had "signed [over] Lesotho to grow to be the tenth South African province".

These remarks have been allegedly made between April and June 2025 on numerous social media platforms and radio interviews, in accordance with the state.

He's additionally accused of declaring himself the paramount chief of Basutoland, the nation's colonial title, regardless of the king's presence.

A retired military official, Main Common Samuel Makoro, was additionally arrested on Friday for allegedly supporting Mr Lipholo and offering him with delicate info.

Dr Lipholo is the chief of the Basotho Covenant Motion (BCM), which has a single seat in parliament.

His movement, which was beforehand debated in Lesotho's parliament, relies on a 1962 United Nations decision that recognised the appropriate to self-determination and independence for the folks of Basutoland.

The view from South African officers is that the movement to reclaim territories some Basotho view as their very own doesn't stand an opportunity of occurring, as a result of it doesn't benefit from the assist of the bulk in Lesotho.

One of many key obstacles is the 1964 Cairo Declaration of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, whereby African leaders agreed to recognise the prevailing borders of their newly unbiased international locations, even when they have been drawn up by colonial powers with little regard to the place completely different ethnic teams lived, to keep away from stirring up battle throughout the continent.

South Africa's overseas affairs ministry reaffirmed this view in response to a query in parliament earlier this 12 months.

Dr Lipholo has beforehand informed Lesotho media that he additionally hopes to have the movement mentioned within the British Parliament "because it was the UK that gave Lesotho its independence in 1966, with out correcting the borders seized by the Afrikaners".