Sanctioning Apartheid - KORA

Sanctias against Soufh Africa: Lesotho's Role
tions against South Africa, This should not be surprising,
because it is the one question to which the answer does appear
completely clear-cut. Lesotho will not. It cannot afford to, it
would be economic and political suicide for the government to
attempt to do so, and the new government stated very clearly in
1986 that it would not. The international community has always
accepted that kotho is a spedal case in so far as its relations
with South Africa are concerned. It is universally agreed that
economic and geographic realities leave Lesotho no choice but to
have, as far as possible, "normal" commercial and economic
relations with the Republic of South Africa, and it was widely
accept& during the latter part of Joi~athan's rule that the
existence of such relations in no sense reduced the legitimacy of
his govmunent's anti-apartheid credentials. The present
government does not, as yet, have as dearly established anti-
apartheid mdmtials as Jonathan was eventually able to acquire,
and indeed is regarded by some observers as "in bed with" the
South Africans. Certainly, it is true that the current Lesotho
Government has far better relations with Pretoria than Jonathan
did in the latter part of his rule. However, to a large extent this
may be a question of pragmatism and military insensitivity to
political concerns of those who do not have direct responsibility
for the governance of a country in a very &cult situation
Refugees seeking to join the ANC std aoss the Lesstho border,
at a rate of around 15 to 20 a month, and are shipped out by air
to destinations further north after fairly loose detention in
Maseru until a flight is available. On the other hand, some of the
pragmatism is a little extreme in public relations terms. The
South AErican Trade Mission in Maseru quite openly performs
full consular functions, and the South African Defense Force is
openly present in the country (in uniform) for certain purposes
[helicopter flights to villages in the mountains cut off by snow
and flooded rivers, construction of a military hospital for the
Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDP) in Maseru] for the first time
in many years. Furher, some incidents involving ANC members
within the contry raise serious questions about Lesotho's current
stance.
The assassination of ANC member Mazizi Maqekeza in his
hospital bed in Masem, where he was being treated for wounds