The lamentation of Basotho women

Mamphanya Mahao, the widow of the deceased former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander, Maaparankoe Mahao, and Mamahali Mokhoro, the wife of the detained corporal Seboka Mokhoro, led this group. Although the heads of states that attended the SADC Double Troika Summit was only for invited guests, this did not stop these distressed women from travelling from Maseru to Gaborone to petition heads of states.

They submitted that petition titled “Plea to their Excellencies the leaders of SADC on the situation in Lesotho” to SADC executive director, Stergomena Lawrence Tax. They wanted Tax to convey to the heads of states the need to “address in earnest the plight our families and the country have been plunged into since May 2015”.