Which Way Lesotho? Some Reflections on the Political Geography Between Lesotho and South Africa.

Abstract

The Kingdom of Lesotho is at the Crossroads. Since the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 up to date there has been debate with regard to (lack of) necessity for Lesotho to become integrated with South Africa in order for Lesotho to have viability and sustainability. While the issue of integration seemed offensive during the apartheid rule in South Africa, democratization in 1994 has provided hope that integration is worthy of consideration and national dialogue in Lesotho. This paper uses desk-top methodology to address the debate on integration and/or incorporation of Lesotho and South Africa and concludes by pointing out that this debate is impeded from being conclusive because of its exclusive nature by failing to subject the issue to a national referendum. The paper is divided into four sections. Section one provides the background. Section two is the historical overview of the debate. Section three is the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of Lesotho’s incorporation/integration with South Africa. While four I is the conclusion.