Basotho king, His Majesty Letsie III, has told Basotho living in South Africa to emulate King Moshoeshoe the first’s peaceful and diplomatic nature. The Basotho king also pleaded with South African based Basotho to plough back into Lesotho.
King Letsie III was speaking at the Heritage Day celebrations in Katlehong on the East Rand.
Hundreds gathered in Katlehong to celebrate their heritage with a spectacular display of Basotho tradition. Many were delighted at the opportunity to put on a show for their king.
While the mood was jovial, King Letsie III reminded Basotho living in South Africa of the situation back home.
“You see the conditions your fellow Basotho are living in at home in Lesotho; you see that Basotho are starving, you see that Basotho are destitute, you see that the economy is not doing well. My request is that you are able to, with your little pennies; assist our people living in Lesotho to escape this poverty.”
King Letsie III also pleaded with his subjects to live peacefully.
“You know as Basotho people, we are founded on the principal of peace. My request is that we live peacefully; we must live peace and speak peace.”
Attracting Basotho from all over Gauteng, the event was founded 24 years ago to bring the Basotho nation together. Event founder, Richard Ramakhatha, says they want to protect their language.
“We are jealous of our language; we want to protect our language so that we speak it correctly. We want the young ones to also speak it properly and also look how we do things as Basotho.”
The event saw various Basotho artists display their talent.
