Lesotho's parliament will gather to discuss a motion to return land from South Africa on April 17, lawmaker Dr. Tsepo Lipholo told Sputnik on Saturday
JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2023) Lesotho's parliament will gather to discuss a motion to return land from South Africa on April 17, lawmaker Dr. Tsepo Lipholo told Sputnik on Saturday.
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a landlocked country and enclave surrounded by South Africa. It is located in the Maloti Mountains, home to the highest peaks in the southern part of the continent. The country gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966, and remained separate from South Africa as it had been a separate colony.
Lipholo, the leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement and the author of the initiative, said that his motion to have lands returned to Lesotho from South Africa was at an advanced stage.
"We believe that we are victims of South Africa who has decided to landlock us. We will further consult with the Commonwealth Consulting Committee, who will then consult South Africa through the land restoration committee let by Britain, Northern Ireland and the United States of America. We will be addressing the UN and the International Court of Justice," Lipholo told Sputnik.
According to the lawmaker, South Africa has been occupying 240,000 square kilometers (around 92,000 miles) of Lesotho's land unlawfully. Parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern and Eastern Cape and the entire Free-State provinces should be transferred back to Lesotho, he said.
The politician said he was confident that with the support of the government and opposition his motion will be passed.
In 1964, members of the Organization of African Unity (the forerunner of the African Union) agreed in the Cairo Declaration to respect inherited borders. South Africa joined the organization in 1994.
