Billy Ntaote
MASERU — The Premier of Free State Province Ace Magashule will unveil a memorial of victims of the 1982 December 9 and 1985 December 20 Apartheid army mass murders of Lesotho nationals and African National Congress (ANC) refugees on December 9 this year. Magashule said this at the close of his three day visit in Lesotho where he was accompanied by his Provincial Executive Council MECs.
“We are going to commemorate on December 9. We would be remembering heroes and heroines who participated in the struggle for liberation of South Africa. “We are saying backwards never, forward forever,” he charged with a clenched fist punching the air as he spoke. He said Basotho were a motivation on their struggle for liberation and commended Lesotho government’s efforts to protect the ANC liberation fighters.
As Magashule spoke, he recalled Lesotho’s former Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan’s famous speech in which he said, “Our people stayed here amongst Basotho and not as refugees as Jonathan said they were not refugees but Basotho like all my people and we’ve got to teach South Africans that South Africa belongs to the whole continent.”
He commended Basotho’s support in the liberation struggle as one of the frontline states against the Apartheid regime. “You told us not to despair and we are who we are today because of you. We fought for this freedom together, and this is all because of the Basotho and all others who fought for freedom,” he said. In 1982, Lesotho was attacked on December 9 by the South African Defence Force (SADF).
During the raid 42 people were killed at Ha Thamae village; 12 were Lesotho citizens and 30 were ANC refugees.
And in 1985 ahead of a military court that deposed Leabua Jonathan’s regime, SADF commandos raided houses on the outskirts of Maseru town and killed nine people who included Apartheid refugees. “I speak on behalf of Oliver Tambo and Leabua Jonathan and you should all know this country belongs to all of you. We should see it prosper together with South Africa, especially Free State.
“If we were to prosper alone in the Free State without Lesotho, then there would not be any peace,” said Magashule.
The remains of the refugues were laid to rest at the Kokobela graveyard at the Matsoatlareng village in Maseru West.
Some of the victims were recently exhumed and repatriated to their homes in South Africa.