LDF denies SA military base deal

The Lesotho Defence Force has refuted there are plans to establish a South African National Defence Force (SADNF) military base at Katse Dam to beef up security at the landmark water project, maintaining its bases within the country’s borders will remain under its sole control.

Katse Dam is a key component of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), a treaty-based agreement between Lesotho and South Africa. The LHWP, established in 1986, involves constructing a series of dams, including Katse, to harness water from the Senqu/Orange River for the mutual benefit of both countries.

The army’s assurance come after chiefs and non-state actors this week expressed concern over a draft of minutes from the second session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) summit between Lesotho and South Africa discussed progress in building a military post at Katse.  The meeting took place on April 22-23 in Maseru.

The meeting also addressed progress made in fixing the existing Oxbow military base, as agreed during the commission’s inaugural session in 2023, at which the BNC and LDF agreed to work together on planning these projects.

The meeting tasked the LDF to get a report from SANDF about these locations and show the two military bases for assessment before July 31, 2025.

According to the minutes, the BNC instructed the LDF to hurry up and finish the planning document by October 31, 2025.

In terms of logistics on how to manage and move supplies and people to be affected by these developments, the commission ordered logistics experts from the LDF to get training from the SANDF Logistics Training Centre.

The BNC also reportedly agreed that both countries will have regular meetings to help the LDF improve its logistics skills. Because of this, they recommended bringing in a team from SANDF to train a significant number of LDF logistics personnel in Lesotho.

The commission further instructed the Lesotho army to invite SANDF to do an assessment or gap analysis by May 31, 2025, to find the differences between where the LDF is now and where it needs to be, then plan and report the findings of this assessment.

The two countries also agreed to send a mobile training team to Lesotho no later than October 31, 2025, to help fill these gaps.

However, the LDF has denied that there are plans for SA to set up a military base at Katse.

But following the release of the minutes from the BNC summit in Maseru, non-state actors and traditional leaders expressed concern about the potential impact of SADNF’s presence on Lesotho’s sovereignty and security.

Moorosi Moshoeshoe, the founder and chairperson of Naka La Mohlomi, a non-profit organisation, said the establishment of a base in the country by the SANDF could threaten Lesotho’s sovereignty.

“We are committed to protecting our nation’s territorial integrity, and allowing the SANDF to establish a base in our country could threaten this. We can’t forget the terrible events of 1998 and the how South African forces killed Basotho and to this day, no one has been held accountable. This arrangement is deeply troubling as it reopens would that have not yet healed,” Moshoeshoe noted.

He further called on the government to hold public meetings to provide clarity on the agreement arrangement with the South African army.

The government owes the people of Lesotho an open and transparent discussion where stakeholders can be involved in order to fully understand the implications of allowing the SANDF to establish a base in the country, he urged.

Chief Leloko Mohalenyane, Area Chief of Thaba-Bosiu, also secretary general of Mokhatlo Oa Marena a Lesotho, an organisation representing area chiefs, expressed discontent with the arrangement between SA and Lesotho.

He said chiefs as community leaders had not been consulted, adding it would be inappropriate for the SANDF to have a base in an independent country with its own army.

Such arrangement would call into question Lesotho’s autonomy and could potentially undermine the authority and credibility of the LDF.

“Having another military to guard the water project between our countries would send a message that either Lesotho is incapable of protecting its own infrastructure or there is a lack of trust between the two countries. Neither of these situations is acceptable for an independent nation with its own strong, dedicated armed forces,” Chief Mohalenyane said in a telephonic interview with theReporter this week.

He also noted Basotho have the right to be consulted on major arrangements made on their land, as arising decisions can have a significant impact on their communities.

Chief Mohalenyane further explained that the arrangement could jeopardise the ongoing struggle for the return of the Basutoland, lost to South Africa during the colonial era.

If this arrangement is implemented, the decision could compromise current efforts to reclaim our rightful land from South Africa, as the presence of SANDF in Lesotho may be exploited to hinder or even negate our attempts to regain our land, Chief Mohalenyane added.

The minutes also indicated that during the initial meeting in 2023, the BNC and the Ministry of Defence agreed to create a committee to make it easier to make and carry out decisions about defence cooperation.

The BNC instructed the two defence forces to make sure the rules of procedure for the joint committee are ready and available by May 31, 2025.

The ministry of defence and the prime minister’s office were unreachable for comment.

The minister in the prime minister’s office, Limpho Tau, did not answer calls by theReporter this week.

For his part, LDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sakeng Lekola, reaffirmed that the Katse Base will remain under the LDF’s control.

“Katse Base will remain part of the LDF and will never at one day be a base for another military,” he asserted this week.

Lieutenant Lekola stated that even if the LDF may receive support for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of the Katse Base from South Africa, it will remain solely under the control of the LDF and will be manned by the Lesotho army around the clock.

“This does not mean that the two militaries cannot hold joint activities or meeting at the Katse Base or any other base, should an agreement be reached,” he said.

The LDF would maintain full sovereignty over its facilities while still allowing for cooperative engagement with other militaries when necessary, he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Lekola emphasised that cooperative arrangements between the two militaries do not signify a transfer of control over their respective bases, citing that the LDF occasionally hosts trainings at SANDF bases in South Africa.

“That does not mean that we have a base in South Africa, but rather that there are instances where the two militaries utilise each other’s facilities for specific purposes,” he indicated.