THE CHIEFTAINSHIP IN LESOTHO: TO RETAIN OR TO ABOLISH?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/0256-8845/1780Keywords:
Chieftainship, relevance, legitimacy, local government, Lesotho Congress for Democracy, democratic consolidationAbstract
This article presents and analyses the perspectives of a number of politicians and academics in Lesotho concerning the relevance and role of chieftainship as an institution in the political system of the country. The study was conducted in response to attempts in 2005 by the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) government to devolve political power and the on-going debate in academic and policy circles on the value of the institution of chieftainship in democratising systems in Africa. Evidence from the field is presented relating to how chieftainship is perceived by politicians (usually but wrongly regarded as competing with the chiefs for political power) and academics in Lesotho, and also to how chieftainship can co-exist with elected councils to consolidate democracy. Chieftainship was found still to enjoy legitimacy among a large number of politicians and academics, and still to be relevant to the country’s political system, even subsequent to the establishment of the elected councils.
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