Sanctioning Apartheid - KORA

SANCTIONS AGAINST SOUTH
AFRICA: LESOTHO'S ROLE
Introduction
James Cobbe
Lesotho is widely regarded as the SADC~
state most depen-
dent on South Africa, for obvious reasons of geography and
history? It is not necessary to recount in detail the well-
documented story of its history, economy, and politics that
produced this result. It will suffice to note that Lesstho is
physically an endave wholly surrounded by South Mcan
territory, that over half of Lesotho's national income is earned by
migrant workers in South Africa, and that Lesotho imports all its
electricity and petroleum products, around haK of its food, and
over half of its btal consumption goods from South Africa.
htho is a member of the Southern African Customs Union
(SACU) (with South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland) and the
Common Monetary Area (with South Africa and Swaziland;
informally hown as the Rand Area).
However, "dependence" is a very slippery concept, and the
bald statement that in a gross sense Lesotho is extraordinarily
dependent on South Africa does not td us anything about the
adual behavior of the Lesotho government, or the actual nature