There’s been a jubilant atmosphere as a diamond tycoon and political maverick Sam Matekane on Friday took the oath as Lesotho’s new prime minister at a packed soccer stadium in the southern African kingdom’s capital of Maseru.
Bible verses and soothing church hymnals peppered his speech. But there was also serious business – Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s tone taking on that of CEO addressing a boardroom, in a sign perhaps of how he intends to run things.
“We have to uproot corruption and stop the rampant embezzlement of public funds,” Prime Minister Matekane said, adding “these things need to be done in order to restore the hope of our people and to solicit their buy-in as we prepare to launch the country into new horizons”.
Mr Matekane also said Lesotho’s wage bill was too big compared to investment in the country’s infrastructure.
He also talked about righting “historical wrongs to make Lesotho great again”, in a country where politics has been fractious for at least a decade, with a series of fraught coalitions and numerous leaders ousted for alleged corruption and bad governance.
By contrast, Mr Matekane promised his government would work towards peace, accountability and transparency, tackling these key areas in the first 100 days:
- Inclusive and sustainable growth
- Strengthening human capital
- Enabling infrastructure
- Strengthening national government to improve service delivery
- Climate change adaption
- Strengthening public sector management
The Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) leader becomes Lesotho’s tenth prime minister after his party won 56 legislative seats out of 120 after the October 7 polls – just six months after its inception.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country completely surrounds Lesotho, was one of the regional leaders attending the ceremony in the mountainous kingdom.
“The strong bond of our two nations is founded on family ties, shared language, history…our pasts are inseparable and our futures are also intertwined,” Ramaphosa said in his congratulatory speech.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, a successful businessman who won a historic election last year, was in attendance.
US President Joe Biden also sent a delegation to the ceremony.