Lesotho’s political spotlight intensified in 2020 following the ousting of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, accused alongside his wife Maesaiah of murdering his estranged wife Lipolelo in 2017.
The crisis presented an opportunity for Lesotho to appoint its first female prime minister, Matsepo Ramakoae, a seasoned All Basotho Convention (ABC) politician.
Instead, the ABC chose former Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro on May 20, 2020, underscoring the nation’s struggle to achieve gender parity in leadership, despite commitments to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Gender and Development Protocol.
A Missed Opportunity for Gender Equality
Matsepo Ramakoae, a 66-year-old ABC founding member and Matsieng MP, emerged as a strong candidate for prime minister.
With experience as deputy finance minister (2012–2015) and a career in the civil service, she argued her qualifications rivaled Majoro’s, a former IMF staffer.
“I believe I have the qualities to be prime minister,” Ramakoae told The Guardian, emphasizing her neutrality in the ABC’s factional disputes and her appeal to international development partners.
Her candidacy could have marked a historic step toward fulfilling Lesotho’s 1997 SADC pledge to achieve 30% female representation in decision-making by 2005, a target later raised to 50% by 2015.
However, the ABC’s National Executive Committee, dominated by male leaders, selected Majoro, reflecting a broader pattern of gender exclusion.
Lesotho’s parliament saw women’s representation drop from 25% (30 seats) in 2015 to 23% (27 seats) in 2017, per Gender Links.
Only three of the ABC’s seven female candidates won constituencies in 2017, while coalition partners like the Basotho National Party (BNP) and the woman-led Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) failed to secure any seats for their 16 and 33 female candidates, respectively.
Systemic Barriers to Women in Politics
Lesotho’s failure to appoint Ramakoae highlights entrenched barriers to women’s political participation.
Teboho Lehloenya, former deputy speaker, pointed to “intimidation and violence” deterring women during elections, calling for urgent policy reforms.
The first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system disadvantages women, with parties like the ABC fielding only 8.7% female candidates in 2017.
In contrast, proportional representation (PR) systems yield higher female representation, with parties like HOPE achieving up to 100% women via PR in 2022.
The 2004 Local Government Election Act mandates a 30% quota for women in local councils, leading to 58% female representation in 2005, but this dropped to 40% by 2017.
Nationally, the Electoral Act of 2005’s 30% quota has not been enforced, and women held only 22% of cabinet posts in 2017.
Gender Links noted that even woman-led parties like RCL struggle, with cultural norms and patriarchal structures limiting women’s leadership.
Progress and Setbacks
Lesotho made strides in 2022, appointing Nthomeng Majara as its first female deputy prime minister and increasing women ministers from 22% to 33%, though the cabinet shrank from 36 to 15 members.
However, women’s parliamentary representation remains at 28%, and only 20% of cabinet posts are held by women, far below the SADC’s 50% target by 2030.
High literacy rates among women (88.29% vs. 70.07% for men) have not translated into political or economic empowerment, with men dominating major private sector roles.
Gender-based violence (GBV), with 86% of women reporting lifetime abuse and 40% of men admitting to perpetrating it, further hinders women’s political participation.
The 2008 Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act granted women equal legal status, but cultural stigmas and a “culture of silence” around GBV persist, per former Minister Thesele Maseribane.
Calls for Reform
Gender Links and the Federation of Female Lawyers in Lesotho advocate for stronger quotas, better enforcement, and measures to combat election-related violence.
The 2022 elections saw seven woman-led parties, up from one in 2017, but only HOPE secured a seat via PR.
Ramakoae’s rejection mirrors South Africa’s choice of Cyril Ramaphosa over Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in 2018, highlighting regional challenges in elevating women to top roles.
Activists urge Lesotho to align with SDG 5 and the Maputo Protocol, emphasizing women’s equal participation in leadership.
The 11th Parliament, with women like Majara and Finance Minister Adelaide Matlanyane, is expected to prioritize reforms addressing GBV, maternal mortality, and HIV disparities, which disproportionately affect women.
Without systemic changes, Lesotho risks falling further behind its SADC commitments.
