Your Majesty King Letsie III;

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili;

Your Excellency, former Prime Minister Thom Thabane;

Your Excellency, Dr Hage Geingob; President-elect of the Republic of Namibia;

Your Excellency, Dr Barnabas Dlamini, The Right Honourable Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland;

Your Excellency, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and the SADC Facilitator on Lesotho;

Your Excellency, Ambassador P Mphoko, Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, representing the Chair of SADC;

Your Excellency, Mr M Masisi, Vice President of the Republic of Botswana;

Heads of Delegations from sister SADC Member States;

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate;

Your Ladyship, the Chief Justice;

Your Lordship, the President of the Court of Appeal;

Your Lordship, the Mayor of Maseru;

Honourable Members of both the National Assembly and the Senate;

Leaders and Representatives of the Political Parties;

Traditional Leaders here present;

Members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Religious Leaders;

Members of the Media;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bomme le Bontate;

On behalf of the SADC family, I rise to congratulate the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho for the exemplary manner in which they worked together in the past few months to find peace, stability and security. Notwithstanding the political and security challenges that confronted the country in the past few months, the ordinary people of this great Kingdom did not despair. They did not lose hope because they fully understand that hope is a campus to lead them to prosperity and development.

The ordinary people of Lesotho have played their part, a part that is derived from and embedded in the country’s constitution. The part we speak of is their fundamental right to elect their own political leaders. This they did in a profound way on 28 February 2015 in an election that has been declared by all Election Observer Missions as peaceful, transparent, credible, free and fair.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

When Lesotho experienced political and security challenges around May 2014, SADC in its true fashion stepped in to assist a fellow member. It is therefore with a sense of admiration, pride and joy that we are here today, attending this august and grand occasion wherein we are witnessing a democratic and peaceful change of leadership.

As SADC, we want to assure the people of Lesotho of our commitment to walk with them in their quest for sustainable peace, stability and security. We need to continue to work together to uplift and improve the lives of our peoples through the creation of conducive conditions for a progressive developmental agenda, a developmental agenda that seeks to create jobs.

Hon Prime Minister Mosisili, we take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as Prime Minister of Lesotho. We reaffirm our commitment as a Region to work with you as you discharge your responsibility as Prime Minister of the Kingdom. 

Your Majesty, King Letsie III, Your Excellency, the Right Honourable Prime Minister and the people of Lesotho;

At this juncture, we wish to recall the decision of the SADC Double Troika Summit which met in Pretoria on 20 February 2015. That Summit having received a report of the SADC Facilitator and engaged the then Coalition Government, resolved that the Kingdom will need to initiate constitutional and security sector reforms.

In this regard, we reaffirm SADC’s readiness to assist the people and the Government of Lesotho on the required constitutional and security sector reforms. SADC member states collectively have the expertise and capabilities to share with their brothers and sisters in the Kingdom.

Ladies and gentlemen;

Considering that Lesotho has successfully conducted her elections, the SADC Observer Mission which has been in Lesotho since September 2014 will soon close down. The mandate of this Mission comes to an end on 31 March 2015 and a process to wind down has already begun.

We therefore take this opportunity to thank the SADC Facilitator, Deputy President Ramaphosa and the entire SADC Observer Mission for a job well done. Deputy President Ramaphosa and the SADC Mission in no small measure played a pivotal role to assisting to resolve the challenges facing Lesotho.

We equally take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Government of former Prime Minister Thabane and the people of Lesotho for the hospitality and support extended to the SADC Mission over the past few months.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish to refer to the African Union Anthem which I understand will be sung as we conclude this important and colourful ceremony. I just want to quote the first part of the Anthem:

“Let us all unite and sing together

To uphold the bonds that frame our destiny

Let us dedicate ourselves to fight together

For lasting peace and justice on earth”

This important and seminal Anthem goes on and I quote “Let us make Africa the Tree of Life”.

I want to believe that the ordinary people of Lesotho will say, let us make Lesotho the Tree of Life! And indeed, Lesotho has the possibility to become the Tree of Life to all its citizens.

Hon Prime Minister and all political party leaders in the Kingdom, the people of Lesotho are crying for peace and development. Please hear their cries!

I thank you.