Cape Town – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his
capacity as SADC facilitator to Lesotho, is expected in Maseru on Wednesday, to
attend the country's landmark post-elections national dialogue.
In a statement, the presidency said that the SADC Oversight
Committee, the SADC Council of NGOs and the United Nations were set to participate
in the two-day event to be held under the auspices of the Lesotho Council of
NGOs (LCN).
Invitees included opposition party representatives, parties
in government, heads of churches, the College of Chiefs, civil society
organisations, academics, media and the Independent Electoral Commission.
"The dialogue will facilitate discussion on, among other
issues, the complexities of the Lesotho electoral process; issues associated
with securing national peace, political stability, reconciliation and
transitional justice; pre-conditions for undertaking successful reforms, and
key considerations on the process, structures and leadership that should
accompany the reform process in the Kingdom," said the statement.
Long-term peace and stability
Ramaphosa was last in the mountain kingdom in August where he monitored progress following elections that resulted in Tom Thabane becoming
prime minister.
During Ramaphosa's August visit, the coalition government in Lesotho,
opposition parties, non-governmental organisations, religious leaders and the
College of Chiefs respectively expressed their commitment to a
multi-stakeholder dialogue directed towards long-term peace and stability.
Lesotho
plunged into a political crisis following a failed coup attempt in 2014,
prompting regional intervention.
In
March this year, the mountain kingdom again faced a fresh crisis after
parliament passed a vote of no confidence on
ex- prime minister Pakalithi Mosisili.
This
consequently paved way for the June 3 held election which saw Thabane winning 48 out of 120
parliamentary seats.
