Lesotho From U to Z

Lesotho from U to Z

university (sekolo-kholo): The history of the National University of Lesotho can be traced back to 1945, when a Catholic University College was founded in Roma by the Roman Catholic authorities of southern Africa. The institution soon teamed up with others in Botswana and Swaziland to form U.B.L.S., the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. The present National University of Lesotho (Click here to visit their website) came into being in 1975 at the site of the former U.B.L.S., which was itself preceded by the Pius XII University College.
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visa (visa): Nationals of most Commonwealth countries may enter Lesotho without a visa. Those of a few countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, may not. Nationals of Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Africa and a few other countries do not require visas. All others are required to have a visa to enter the country. You'll need a multiple-entry visa in order to re-enter South Africa, if you will initially be going into Lesotho from the Republic of South Africa. It is advisable to check for the latest visa requirement information with the Lesotho representative in your country.
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water (metsi): Lesotho has no exploitable natural resources besides water, and thus little investment capital. Development has been hampered as a result. There is a lot of water, though, and Senqu, one of the largest rivers in southern Africa, has its source in Lesotho. Melting winter snows also provide ample quantities of water. Since water is precisely what South-Africa's industrial regions (Gauteng) need, and hard cash and electricity and clean drinking water and local jobs are what Lesotho need, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) was born.

websites (maqephe a moea)

wildlife (liphoofolo tsa naha): Lesotho is a natural paradise, but visitors should not expect the kind of plains game that roam in vast herds in so many national parks from Kenya to the Cape. Lesotho is a mountain Kingdom, and high altitudes support fewer but more specialised species. Often rare, even endemic, and always of great interest. Rhebok and Mountain Reedbuck are found in all the mountain ranges, and Eland still roam the Drakensberg. Baboons and jackals are commonly met on hikes and pony treks, but it is the various mongooses, meerkats, and rock hyraxes that offer the greatest interest.

There are several species of snake, including the tiny Berg Adder, which is very rare outside Lesotho. They are shy of humans, but it is best to be careful, especially not to tread on them inadvertently.

women (basali): Mosali (woman), 'mè (mother), mofumahali (lady, Mrs.) ngoanana (girl, maiden), mohatsa (spouse), ausi (sister), morali (daughter) are some of the words we use to talk about women. Women make up about 54% of the total adult population of Lesotho, but remain largely under-represented in the government and private job sectors, although, it must be said, Lesotho is one of only two countries where women actually have a higher literacy rate than men. In other words, in Lesotho more women can read and write than men! Here is a list of articles on women in Lesotho. I might just want to add that, on a personal basis, I have always been repulsed by a word -- yes, a word -- and an idea that we use in Lesotho to say that an unmarried woman is pregnant. We say, "So and so o senyehile" which literally translates into, "So and so has been spoilt", as in, "Not good anymore." Nothing similar applies to the guy who got her pregnant. I think that's awful, and we should cease using the word and attaching that particular idea to pregnant, unmarried women. Unless, of course, we start calling the guy who got her pregnat "bastard" (yes, I like "bastard". It has a nice ring to it) or something similar. The day we do that I'll tender my sincere apologies to all our national "bastards", and ask them to forgive me for not being aware of their "bastard" status.

women's associations (mekhatlo ea bo-'mè)

Basali Itekeng Women's Society, Box 955, Maseru, Lesotho
Boiteko Women's Association, Box 840, Maseru, Lesotho
Federation of Women Lawyers, Box 650, Maseru, Lesotho
Gender Central Planning Unit, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Box 630, Maseru, Lesotho
Gender and Development Research Program, Institute of Southern African Studies, NUL, Roma 180, Lesotho
Lesotho Business and Professional Women's Coop., Box 844, Maseru, Lesotho
Women in Business WIB, Private Bag A 197, Maseru, Lesotho

amaXhosa (maqhotsa): The amaXhosa are a southern African ethnic group who are mostly known as cattle herders. They live in beehive-shaped huts in and around the Eastern Cape (former Ciskei and Transkei), but can also be found all over South Africa. Like the amaZulu, they are part of the migration from the Congo Basin area in the 1500s. In the 1700s thay had a few clashes with the Boers; such clashes became more numerous as the latter increased in numbers and decided to expand further north and east. In the mid 1800s, a young girl named Nongqawuse and known as a prophetess had a vision from the ancestors. She was to tell her tribesmen that they must destroy all their cattle and plantations, and that fatter herds and stronger crops would spring from the earth to replace their temporary losses. As a result, the Amaxhosa died in their tens of thousands while many others fled to white-owned farms seeking food and work. Many therefore became dependant on the farming industry for their living. But they never lost their cultural roots and still wear traditional clothes. Like other black ethnic groups, the amaXhosa haven't yet recovered from the racial policies of apartheid.
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amaZulu (mazulu): The amaZulu are a southern African ethnic group of about 5 million people who live mainly in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The amaZulu believe they are the direct descendants of Zulu, who was the offspring of a Nguni chief near the Congo Basin area. They migrated south in the 16th Century, and settled in their present location. At one point, especially during the reign of King Shaka (1816-1828), they were a formidable military force to reckon with, and did not hesitate to increase their land more than a hundred-fold. The amaZulu are famous for their conflicts with Boer settlers and the British army in the 1800s. In the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879 they defeated British troops at Isandhlwana. Today they are known for their basketry and beadwork and as traditional farmers and cattle herders, and like other black ethnic groups, the amaZulu haven't yet recovered from the racial policies of apartheid.
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