Thursday, May 18, 2017

Lesotho King Letsie III 'To Seek Help From His Elder Mugabe' On Elections - Report
Lesotho's king Letsie III is apparently in Zimbabwe to consult President Robert Mugabe, 93, on how best his country can manage elections to end the turmoil that has continued to characterise the mountain kingdom, a report says.

According to News Day, top government officials said that Lestie, who was on a four-day state visit to Zimbabwe, wanted to get advice from the nonagenarian on how his country could manage its polls.

Lesotho was set to hold its general elections on June 3.

"This is one of those visits where Lesotho wants to appreciate how best to end the turmoil that has characterised the kingdom and has seen it being on the SADC agenda on countless times. The King will take time to learn how to handle polls and seek help from his elder [Mugabe]," a senior government official was quoted as saying.

Lesotho plunged into a political crisis after a failed coup attempt in 2014, prompting the then prime minister Tom Thabane of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) to flee to South Africa, saying he feared for his life.

'Wise guidance and astute leadership'

Thabane recently returned home with two other opposition leaders, vowing to win back power.

In March this year, the mountain kingdom again faced a fresh crisis after parliament passed a vote of no confidence on Prime Minister Pakalithi Mosisili.

Zimbabwean state-owned media on Monday quoted Letsie as praising Mugabe for his "wise guidance and astute leadership".

"Your guidance and leadership in bringing back normalcy, stability and legitimacy to the monarch and other institutions will never be forgotten by our people... For all this, we can only say thank you," the king was quoted as saying.

Mugabe, on the other hand, said that the visit by Letsie was a "clear demonstration of the desire by Zimbabwe to maintain warm relations with Lesotho", said a report by the state broadcaster, ZBC.

The two countries shared a history that dated back to the days of the liberation struggle in which Lesotho played an important role towards Zimbabwe's independence, Mugabe said.

Source: News24

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