Lesotho

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Lesotho voters went to the polls on Saturday 17th February to elect new members of parliament. The governing party won 61 seats out of the eighty directly elected seats and the ABC just 17 seats (and the Alliance of Congress parties 1 seat). The BNP, the Basotho National Party ruled Lesotho for two decades from 1966 won no seats directly but was allocated three seats by proportional representation. The party is set to challenge that result in court. Of the 40 additional seats allocated according to proportional representation, the National Independent Party, the partners of the ruling Lesotho Congress of Democrats, was allocated 21 seats, and the ABC's partners, the Lesotho Workers Party was allocated ten seats. Two new parties, the Basotho Batho Democratic Party and the Basotho Democratic National Party were both allocated one seat each. So the government has gained a very comfortable majority. The outgoing government was made up of members of the LCD, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy, which won 77 seats out of 120 seats at the last election. That had fallen to only 61 seats before the recent election. The election campaign was enlivened by the emergence of the new party, the ABC, the All Basotho Convention. Founded when Thomas Thabane defected from the government in October 2006, many believed the party represented a genuine threat to the ruling party. Thabane defected, he claimed, because of the corruption in the government. In the campaign the government pointed to its achievements: the consolidation of democracy, increased participation of women in local governments, the opening of ten radio and TV stations, improved rural roads. They pointed to the creation of 30,000 jobs in five years. The opposition pointed to job losses suffered when World Trade Organisation removed quotas which had made Lesotho an attractive location for the clothes manufacturing industry. They also pointed to the sky-high rate of HIV in the country and the government's failure to respond appropriately.

Official Name

Kingdom of Lesotho
Former Name Basutoland, Kingdom of Lesotho (populated by San bushmen (Qhuaique) until end of 16th century; refugees from surrounding areas formed the Basotho ethnic group the 16th-19th centuries; Basotho groupings consolidated in 1818; wars with South Africa 1856-68; with local agrement placed under British protection in 1868; was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho on independence.)

Capital

Maseru

Main Towns

Laeribe (pop. 35,000), Mafeteng (pop. 32,900), Maputsoe, Maseru (pop. 173,700), Mohale's Hoek (pop. 18,400), Teyateyaneng (pop. 22,800)

Subdivisions

10 districts: Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka.

Independence

4 October 1966 (from UK)

Constitution 2 April 1993
National Holiday Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

UN Membership

17 October 1966

OAU Membership

31 October 1966 – now African Union (AU)

Commonwealth

4 October 1966

Other Organisations

In alphabetical order according to abbreviation/acronym: Africa-Caribbean-Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU), African Development Bank (AfDB or AFDB), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICCt), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Confederation of Labour (WCL), World Customs Organization (WCO, former Customs Cooperation Council [CCC]), World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Tourism Organisation (WToO), World Trade Organisation (WTrO).

Population

World Bank Figures: 1,726,470 (1999), 1,744,000 (2000), 1,760,392 (2001), 1,776,616 (2002), 1,792,744 (2003)
Other Sources: 1,992,960 (July 1995), 2,177,062 (July 2001 est.), 1,861,959 (July 2003 est.) 1,867,035 (July 2005 est.)

Area

11,720 sq. mls. (30,355 sq. kms.)

Density

153 per sq.km. (1995)

Highest Point

Mt. Ntlenyana 11,425 ft. (3,482 m.)

Lowest Point

Orange River 5,000 ft. (1,524 m.)

Neighbours

South Africa (surrounded by)

Life Expectancy

61 years (1995), total population:  48.84 years, male:  47.97 years, female:  49.74 years (2001 est.)
total population: 36.94 years, male: 36.76 years, female: 37.13 years (2003 est.)
total population: 36.68 years male: 36.86 years female: 36.49 years (2005 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate total: 86.21 deaths/1,000 live births, female: 80.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.), male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS

adult prevalence rate: 31% (2001 est.) 28.9% (2003 est.)
people living with HIV/AIDS: 360,000 (2001 est.) 320,000 (2003 est.)
deaths: 25,000 (2001 est.) 29,000 (2003 est.)

IRIN Plus News - HIV/AIDS Treatment Map: Lesotho - Updated: Sept 2004
Population: 1.8 million
HIV Prevalence Rate (%) 2003 End: 28.9
No. Of People living with HIV/AIDS: 630,000
No. Of People in need of ART: 56,000
No. Of People Currently On ART (Sep 04): 2,000
No. Of People on ART Public Sector: 1,400
No. Of People on ART in Non Govt Programmes: 600 (343 BMS)
No. Of People Exptd to be on ART (2005 End): 28,000
Front Line Drug Regimen: Lamivudine+Zidovudine+Levirapine or Efavirenz and Stavudine+Lamivudine+Nevirapine
HIV/AIDS Treatment Sites: 7
Global Fund 2 Year Approved Funding (Round 2: Approved 10-Oct-03): US$10,557,000.00
Total Funds Disbursed By The Global Fund: US$1,271,000.00
Total Funds Disbursed By The World Bank Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Programme (MAP): Nil
Total Funds Disbursed By PEPFAR: Nil
Source: Lesotho AIDS Programme Coordinating Authority (LAPCA) Ministry of Health, WHO, UNAIDS, BMS (Bristol-Myers Squibb)

Adult Literacy Rate

72% (1995), total population:  83%, male:  72%, female:  93% (1999 est.)
total population: 84.8%, male: 74.5%, female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

Ethnic Groups

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and others 0.3%

Languages

Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Religions

Christian 80% (Catholic 70%) The rest are divided amongst the various Protestant denominations and traditional beliefs 20%.

Type of Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

King

King Letsie III has no legislative or executive perogatives (crowned 7th February 1996)

Prime Minister

Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili (since 23 May 1998, re-elected May 2002)

Political Parties

Basotho Congress Party (BCP); Basotho National Party (BNP); Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD); Lesotho People's Congress (LPC); United Democratic Party (UDP); Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), and Setlamo Alliance; Progressive National Party (PNP); Sefate Democratic Party (SDP), All Basotho Convention (ABC), Basotholand African National Congress (Banc), Basotho Batho Democratic Party (BBDP), Basotho Democratic National Party (BDNP), National Independent Party (NIP - coalition partners of the ruling LCD), Lesotho Workers Party (LWP - partners of the main opposition party, the ABC).

Ruling Party

Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD)

Currency

Maloti (M,LSL )(100 lisente); South African rand (ZAR)
maloti per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000)

GDP

2006: US$1.4 billion. 2005 US$1.5 billion. US$276 (1992) US$1,029m (1995)
GDP: US$1.43 billion (2003) GDP: US$ 1.6 billion. (2004)
purchasing power parity - US$5.892 billion (2004 est.)
per capita purchasing power parity - US$2,700 (2002 est.)
per capita purchasing power parity - US$3,200 (2004 est.)

GNP

US$610 (1992) US$700 (1994) US$770 (1995)

Per Capita Income GDP per capita: US$ 2,420 (2002) Per capita GDP: US$550 (2003)
Population Below Poverty Line 49% (1999) Extreme inequality in the distribution of income. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.
Land Use arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2001) Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural Resources water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
Oil and Natural Gas production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) consumption: 1,500 bbl/day (2001) exports: NA (2001) imports: NA (2001)
Military Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 459,723 (2003 est.)
males age 18-49: 400,457 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: US$34 million (1999) US$32.3 million, 2.3% of GDP (2004)
Military - note: (In 1999 the Lesotho Government began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces.)
Economic Aid Received US$41.5 million (2000) ODA US$4.4 million
US$972.6 million (2002). Primary donors - World Bank, IMF, EU, UN, U.K., Ireland, U.S (2002)
Aid per Capita (World Bank): US$18 (1999), US$21 (2000), US$32 (2001), US$43 (2002), US$44 (2003)

Debt

Has the status of a 'Less indebted' nation.
World Bank Figures: US$515,400,000 (2000), US$406,100,000 (2001), US$431,900,000 (2002), US$508,000,000 (2003)
Other Sources: US$659m (1995) US$720 m (2000 est.) US$735 million (2002)

Major Imports

food, building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)
corn, clothing, building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2003)

Imports from

South African Customs Union 77%, Asia 14%, EU 8% (imports from South African Customs Union include goods that are imported from third countries)(2002 est.)
South Africa, Asia, EU (2003) US$661 million (2003)
Hong Kong 34.2%, Taiwan 33.9%, China 11.2%, Germany 9.2% (2004) US$730.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Major Exports

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
clothing, furniture, footwear and wool (2003)

Exports to

United States 70%, South African Customs Union 24%, EU 5% (exports to South African Customs Union include goods that are exported to third countries)(2002 est.)
South Africa, United States, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, EU (2003) US$450 million (2003)
US 96%, Canada 1.5%, Belgium/Luxembourg 1.1% (2004) US$484.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

We try to have each fact sheet up to date and as accurate as possible.
If you notice any mistakes, or have suggestions on items which could be added, please let us know by emailing to: suttonlink@dial.pipex.com

The White Fathers, Sutton Coldfield, 2 March, 2007

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