Lesotho’s anti-corruption faith craters, SADC applause rings hollow
Afrobarometer Report reveals stark disconnect between international praise and domestic despair
RETHABILE MOHONO
MASERU – A damning new report has exposed a catastrophic collapse in public faith in Lesotho’s fight against corruption, creating a stark paradox as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) simultaneously ends its decade-long political oversight, hailing its “positive progress.”
The latest survey from Afrobarometer, a Pan-African research network, reveals that Lesotho has suffered one of the most dramatic declines in confidence on the entire continent. The data shows a nation whose citizens now overwhelmingly believe that reporting corruption is not only futile but dangerously likely to invite retaliation.
This crisis of confidence stands in jarring contrast to the diplomatic victory lap taken by the government this week following SADC’s decision to formally remove Lesotho from the agenda of its Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
The Afrobarometer findings paint a sobering picture of a nation’s eroded trust. In the 2016/2018 survey, Lesotho was a continental leader in the anti-corruption fight, with a remarkable 70 percent of Basotho believing that authorities would likely act on a corruption complaint if it were reported.
By the 2012/2023 survey cycle, that figure had imploded to a mere 27 percent – a staggering 43-point drop that places Lesotho well below the 34-country African average of 36 percent. The report notes the country’s shift from being a “continental example of optimism” to one of its least confident nations.
This despair is part of a broader regional trend, with neighbouring eSwatini recording a similar collapse, falling from 55 percent to 21 percent. Yet, Lesotho’s fall is particularly pronounced given its previously high standing. The decline highlights a growing chasm between the state’s institutions and the people they are meant to serve.
“The results raise urgent questions for Lesotho’s leadership,” the report implies, warning that if citizens believe speaking out is futile and dangerous, corruption will “thrive unchecked.”
The survey underscores the perceived perils of integrity. Across Africa, 72 percent of respondents believe ordinary people risk retaliation if they report corruption. In Lesotho’s context, this fear is a significant barrier to accountability, creating a culture of silence that allows graft to fester unimpeded.
This stands in sharp contrast to nations like Namibia, which recorded the strongest recovery in the survey – rising from 21 percent to 39 percent – demonstrating that public trust can be rebuilt when institutions demonstrate a genuine and strengthened response to corruption.
Even in Africa’s best-performing countries, Cabo Verde (57 percent) and Botswana (56 percent), a majority of citizens remain doubtful that reporting corruption will lead to official action, illustrating the pervasive nature of the challenge.
The release of the Afrobarometer report coincided with a major political development for Lesotho. After the 45th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, SADC announced it was removing Lesotho from its oversight mechanism, citing “positive progress” in its political and security landscape.
SADC specifically commended Lesotho for the passage and enactment of the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, the bloc called this a “significant milestone” in Lesotho’s long-running reform process, marking the end of a turbulent chapter that began in 2014.
That year, following years of political instability – including four changes of government between 2012 and 2020, the flight of a prime minister, and the murders of two army chiefs – Lesotho was placed under SADC’s direct supervision, a process facilitated by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The government has hailed SADC’s decision as a validation of its reform agenda and a hard-won diplomatic achievement. However, the move has been met with fierce criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups.
Critics argue that the constitutional amendments were rushed and lack legitimacy, failing to address the deep-rooted governance issues and culture of impunity that the Afrobarometer survey so clearly captures. They see SADC’s withdrawal not as a reward for genuine progress, but as a premature disengagement that leaves Basotho citizens more vulnerable than ever.
Together, the Afrobarometer report and the SADC decision highlight the two starkly different realities of modern Lesotho. On the international stage, the country is being lauded for passing legislative reforms and achieving a measure of political stability. Yet, within its own borders, its citizens are losing the last vestiges of faith in the state’s willingness to protect them from corruption and uphold justice.
This disconnect presents a profound challenge for Prime Minister Ntsokoane Matekane’s government. The diplomatic win of SADC’s exit must now be translated into tangible domestic gains.
Rebuilding the shattered confidence of the Basotho people will require more than constitutional amendments; it will demand demonstrable, forceful action against corruption at all levels, and ironclad protections for those brave enough to report it.
The road ahead is steep. Lesotho has been given a chance to stand on its own feet by its regional peers. But unless its leaders can bridge the cavernous gap between international perception and local reality, the nation’s hard-won stability may prove to be built on a foundation of sand, threatening a return to the very turmoil SADC’s oversight was meant to prevent.
The world may be applauding, but Basotho are waiting – and watching – for a reason to believe again.
