Peter Sanders. The Last of the Queen's Men: A Experience. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press; Morija: Morija Museum and Archives, 2000. 175 pp. $24.95, paper, ISBN 978-1-86814-353-5.

Richard F. Weisfelder. Political Contention in Lesotho, 1952-1965. Roma, Lesotho: Institute of Southern African Studies, 1999. ix + 171 pp. $20.95, paper, ISBN 978-99911-31-23-8.

Reviewed by Marc Epprecht

Published on H-SAfrica (April, 2001)

'Decolonization in Lesotho' but the latest instalment of this post-colonial Students of the political history of Lesotho tragedy. will need to consult these two books. Both authors Sanders' book is a hybrid. In part it is a mem‐ were there in Lesotho to witness the tumble of oir of his life as a colonial ofcer in the dying days events and personalities that led to independence of British rule in . It also gives an insid‐ in 1966. Peter Sanders, as Chief Electoral Ofcer er view upon the political processes that resulted actually participated in those events in an ar‐ in the unexpected electoral triumph of the osten‐ guably decisive way. He helped negotiate the sibly conservative Basuto National Party (BNP) Westminster model of parliamentary election over the ostensibly radical Basutoland Congress that, in retrospect, enormously damaged the Party (BCP) in 1965. About a third of the book dis‐ country's political culture. This model of democra‐ cusses Sanders' subsequent work as a historian of cy was desired by almost all of the major political precolonial Lesotho. Sanders is best known for his actors in Lesotho. Yet it clearly exacerbated parti‐ biography of the founder of the nation, san and sectarian factions in the country to gave , and, with Mosebi Damane, for rise to debilitating and seemingly intractable compiling Sesotho praise poems about that foun‐ spasms of violence. The recent "results" (as Ba‐ dational period. An appendix of the book serves sotho sardonically refer to the bloody aftermath as a vigorous response to critics of his interpreta‐ of the 1998 elections and SADC intervention) were tion of those poems (Leroy Vail and Landeg White, above all, but also , the leader of H-Net Reviews the BCP and author of a highly romanticized 1965 campaign. He conducted extensive inter‐ polemic upon Moshoeshoe). views and closely monitored ephemeral political Sanders acquits himself well in all three sec‐ literature. More so than is usual in his discipline, tions. He acknowledges errors of judgement or Weisfelder wrote up his research with keen atten‐ approach by himself and by the British adminis‐ tion to history. This research is fnally available as tration in general. He is sympathetic to the anti- a book, revised and condensed from the disserta‐ colonial sentiments of many Basotho. But he tion. It sheds important light on the origins and makes a strong case that the British, including nature of political violence in one of the few himself, were trying to do their best as they ex‐ African nations where such violence can emphati‐ tracted themselves from a role which they had cally not be blamed on tribalism. only adopted in the frst place with great reluc‐ Weisfelder's strongest contribution is in his tance. "Best" in this context meant treating Ba‐ questioning some of the central myths of the his‐ sotho fairly when they did not always do so with toriography of the period. He brings out evidence each other, and listening carefully to the often of divided opinion in the Catholic mission, for ex‐ wildly shifting and irrational demands of Basotho ample. Citing his interviews with Leabua politicians. Jonathan and other BNP leaders, he makes it dif‐ Sanders' retrospective conclusion is that the cult to sustain the accusation that that party was a Westminster model of democracy and political in‐ creature of expatriate priests. By careful analysis dependence were not appropriate for Lesotho in of election statistics he shows as well that women 1966. Rather, the British should have insisted on did not on the whole vote "conservatively" by in‐ institutions that better refected Sesotho tradi‐ stinct but were acutely perceptive of strengths tions of governance. They should also have done and weaknesses of the rival party platforms and more to prevent the rise of segregation and personalities. Indeed, the evidence he presents of in . The latter prevented pigheadedness, shameless opportunism, and au‐ consideration of what was then and what still re‐ thoritarianism among the so-called radical or mains probably the only realistic strategy for po‐ mass parties should put to rest any romantic illu‐ litical stability and economic development in sions about the kind of democracy that would Lesotho: incorporation into a democratic South have followed had those parties rather than the Africa. BNP won in 1965. A weakness in Sanders' analysis, of course, is To my mind, two big gaps remain unad‐ that the British were instrumental in giving rise to dressed in this otherwise thorough account of the segregation and apartheid. Western corporations period of decolonisation. First, the infuential role and individual British subjects continued to reap of Paramount Chief during the crucial administra‐ big profts in a cozy lifestyle from South Africa tive reforms of the 1940s and in the formative even as well-intentioned minor ofcials struggled years of nationalist politics, was flled by a wom‐ in dusty colonial outposts to cope with the conse‐ an, Amelia 'Mantsebo Seeiso. Weisfelder, in a quences. Thus, while it is important to recall and longstanding tradition ('Mantsebo does not even to honour individuals like Sanders, the bigger pic‐ make Sanders' index, for example), does not in‐ ture forces us to question British integrity. vestigate what her actual role was in these years but relies instead on arguably sexist dismissals of Richard Weisfelder, by contrast, is an Ameri‐ her as a ruler. Neither on this, nor on other gen‐ can who came to Basutoland as a Ph.D. candidate der-related political concerns, does Weisfelder in political science. He followed the leaders of the diferent parties around the country during the

2 H-Net Reviews particularly engage with feminist political scien‐ tists or, for example, my own research. Second, many mysteries remain about the spate of alleged medicine murders in the 1940s and 1950s that fundamentally shook British conf‐ dence in their administration and that became one of the BCP's frst and most successful political axes to grind. To be fair, investigating such a sen‐ sitive (and indeed, ongoing) issue is perhaps an entirely new research project. That said, Weisfelder complements Sanders to make an important contribution, not just to the historiography of a small and apparently idiosyn‐ cratic country, but also to our understanding of the consolidation of racial capitalism in South Africa. Copyright (c) 2001 by H-Net, all rights re‐ served. This work may be copied for non-proft educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ tact [email protected].

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-safrica

Citation: Marc Epprecht. Review of Sanders, Peter. The Last of the Queen's Men: A Lesotho Experience. ; Weisfelder, Richard F. Political Contention in Lesotho, 1952-1965. H-SAfrica, H-Net Reviews. April, 2001.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=5091

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

3