Lesotho’s Democratic Local Government Experiment

Abstract

The residues of Lesotho’s political past (party politics, inter-party confl ict and conflict over economic resources and their distribution) remain in force within Lesotho’s local government process. Despite commitment to decentralise and the promises for enhanced democracy and poverty reduction, the local government process resembles a rerun of an old film – same old actor and lines, and only a new scene. Our discussion focuses on the dynamics within these institutions, using the Thabana-Mahlanya community council in the Thaba-Tseka district. We argue that the institutions were dominated by myopic political party interests, and that in the short to medium term, the objectives of local government were severely compromised.

AFRICA INSIGHT Vol 42 (1) – June 2012