The late Dr Ntsu Mokhehle has been remembered for his desire for freedom of Africans and his acknowledgement of education as the best weapon for attainment of eternal liberation. The crowd composed mainly of politicians from parties linked to Dr Mokhehle’s founding of Basutuland Congress Party (BCP) and other political parties in Lesotho gathered in Maseru on January 9 for his centenary ceremony led by a well-known pan-Africanist, Dr Motsoko Pheko.
news
Feb. 14, 2019
NKOATE THAMAE
5 min read
Mokhehle’s desire for liberation of Africans
The marking of 100 years of the life of Dr Mokhehle was organized by his political party, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), which he formed in 1997 when he dumped BCP after political conflicts within the oldest party in Lesotho he founded in 1952. Dr. Mokhehle was born at Ha Mokhehle in the district of Berea on December 26, 1918. He was the fifth out of 10 children from Cicerone Rapoto and ‘Mamaoba Mokhehle’s family. He died on January 6, 1999 after he stepped down as prime minister for five years.
He started his studies at Mokhehle Primary School in 1926, and a young man he was with passion for education, he never looked back until he graduated at Fort Hare University in South Africa where he obtained his Masters’ Degree in Sciences in 1949. According to Dr Pheko, who was a guest of honour, Dr Mokhehle was a man of courage, a fearless leader, “and above all he had an uncontrollable love for other people. He strived to achieve the highest education. He was a teacher of highest quality class after obtaining his degree in Bachelor of Science with distinction at Fort Hare University.”
Dr Pheko explained the character of Dr Mokhehle as a man who believed that “when you give a fish to a man, you are feeding him for a day but when you teach him how to fish, you are feeding him for life.” “It was his beliefs that were compounded by his education that contributed to the sharpening of his political leadership skills. As a result of his struggle to see African people liberated from the chains of colonialism, he was expelled from Fort Hare University in 1942 and thereafter from Basutholand High School in 1964 at the behest of British Colonialists to advance their own selfish political interests,” said Dr Pheko.
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Relating his name ‘Ntsu’ (Eagle) to the characteristics of the hunting bird, Dr Pheko said Dr Mokhehle was praised for his bravery, fearless, a visionary with eyes of determination to change the wheel of liberation for the betterment of all Africans without discrimination based on race. He said: “Mokhehle was very outstanding leader with his famous publications such as Makatolle, Mohlabani and many others which were published with the intention to keep Southern Africans informed, especially on the issue of land which he did not want to see falling in the hands of colonialists. He knew very well that a nation without educational skills can’t go anywhere. He was a first political leader in Southern Africa to attend all African peoples conference abroad in 1956. He was present at the formation of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1963.”
According to the leader of LCD, Mothetjoa Metsing, Dr Mokhehle is “the icon from which all of us have drawn our political heritage, especially those political parties which have a lineage from congress movement, including All Basotho Convention (ABC), Democratic Congress (DC), Alliance of Democrats (AD) and many others.” Metsing said even though as different political parties they might have conflicts due to special interests, Dr Mokhehle stands out to be the uniting symbol across their political divide. “After a long time, I had a chance to communicate with Ntate Thabane (Prime Minister Motsoahae Thabane) over a telephone to invite him to attend the centenary ceremony.”
Dr Thabane, Dr Pakalitha Mosisili (former prime minister and just retired leader of DC) and Monyane Moleleki, leader of AD, were not present at the ceremony but their political parties were visibly represented. Following on the footsteps of Dr Mokhehle’s philosophy, Metsing said, the LCD has proposed government of national unity (GNU) and establishment of truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) as mechanisms that could be used to seek lasting reconciliation, peace and justice for Basotho. He said: “As different political parties we need to have time to work together and without pointing a finger at anyone to come up with tailor made solutions to all problems facing Lesotho. Only if we are united that we can have opportunity to amend the constitution to come up with ‘our’ valuable document. “The TRC will help us open up about our wrongs, to iron out our wounds and find a common ground for our misunderstanding and conflicts of interests. We will have a chance to map our way forward and bury the past. That does not mean I cannot face criminal charges, but it must be within an environment of fair justice and conducive political situation,” hesaid.
According to Metsing, the GNU and the TRC, if Lesotho adopts them, would not be strange to Lesotho as most countries who had travelled the same path as Lesotho have adopted them before and found a lasting solution. Metsing said Lesotho could be a better place if all political leaders could adopt a new collective thinking based on famous Albert Arson’s quote which says: “you cannot resolve the problem with the same attitude that created it.” Advocate Kelebone Maope, former Lesotho Peoples’ Congress (LPC) and Lesotho’s Ambassador to the United Nations, after going through political problems for a long time, South Africa adopted two conventions as forums for political and economic solutions. The purpose, he said, was to transform South Africa in an inclusive and transparent manner which would remove class monopoly, address distribution of economy and land among the people regardless of colour of their race.
An LCD elder and former deputy prime minister Lesao Lehohla explained how Dr Mokhehle once responded to a suggestion by Dr Pheko. “When I was still minister of home affairs Dr Pheko visited my office and said to me ‘why are you sitting here yet some of Basotho are fighting for conquered Lesotho land in Free state?’ I had no answer. We had just entered the office. Our government was not yet stable, and the army had not yet adapted to the democratic dispensation. I had to approach Prime Minister Mokhehle who advised his cabinet that the matter must be handled with care.” Mokhehle is also known by his famous speech which he presented on his graduation day titled sinking ship (Sekepe se ea teba) where he articulated the suffering of Africans under the colonial system and how they can liberate themselves.
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