Lesotho MP charged with treason for accusing King of ceding sovereignty to South Africa
Lipholo, an opposition lawmaker and leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM), has in the past also demanded the return of several South African regions he claims rightfully belong to Lesotho.
A Lesotho Member of Parliament has been charged in court for accusing the country's monarch, King Letsie III, of ceding sovereignty to South Africa.
Dr Tshepo Lipholo, who appeared in court on Monday seeking bail, has also been charged with "undermining the dignity and reputation" of the Lesotho royal family after proclaiming himself the supreme leader of the landlocked nation.
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According to the BBC, Lipholo made the remarks between April and June 2025, with his charge sheet indicating he "uttered seditious words" and "incited public violence" by claiming that King Letsie III and the government had "signed Lesotho over to become the 10th South African province."
Lipholo, an opposition lawmaker and leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM), has in the past also demanded the return of several South African regions he claims rightfully belong to Lesotho.
According to Lipholo, regions such as the Free State, where the people of Lesotho (Basotho) live, along with parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape, historically belong to Lesotho.
The MP has maintained that the aforesaid territories were unlawfully taken by Afrikaner settlers during the 19th century and should be restored to Lesotho's control.
Lipholo's idea, which has already been discussed in Lesotho's parliament, is based on a 1962 United Nations decision that supported the right of the Basotho people to have their own country and make their own choices.
He has similarly proposed that the same motion be deliberated in the British Parliament, arguing that the UK should have fixed the border issue when it gave Lesotho independence in 1966, but didn't.
But South African officials say the plan to take back land doesn't have enough support in Lesotho and is unlikely to happen.
One major reason is the 1964 agreement by African leaders, known as the Cairo Declaration, which decreed that all countries should keep the borders they had when they became independent to avoid fighting between African nations.
Earlier this year, South Africa's Foreign Ministry said again that it supports the current agreement in place and has no plans to change its borders.
Lipholo, who remains in custody, was given until July 25 to file for bail.
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