Pace International Law Review Volume 23 Issue 1 Winter 2011 Article 4 January 2011 The Laws of Lerotholi: Role and Status of Codified Rules of Custom in the Kingdom of Lesotho Laurence Juma Rhodes University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr Recommended Citation Laurence Juma, The Laws of Lerotholi: Role and Status of Codified Rules of Custom in the Kingdom of Lesotho, 23 Pace Int'l L. Rev. 92 (2011) Available at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol23/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pace International Law Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BOUND EDITION- JUMA (DO NOT DELETE) 06/06/2011 8:19 PM THE LAWS OF LEROTHOLI: ROLE AND STATUS OF CODIFIED RULES OF CUSTOM IN THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO Laurence Juma I. INTRODUCTION The status of customary law in African societies is diminished by factors, most of which are generated by the machinery of the modern state.1 But its mantle, kept alive by neo-traditional scholarship and a commitment to multiculturalism in the post-independence era, has never- theless sustained an active discussion on its relevance to the future of law and the general administration of justice in African states.2 This notwith- standing, the reach of customary law in defining human relations and Associate Professor of Law, Rhodes University, Republic of South Africa; LLD., University of Fort Hare, Republic of South Africa; M.A., University of Notre Dame, USA; LL.M., University of Pennsylvania, USA; LLB., University of Nairobi, Kenya.