Kingdom of Lesotho

Queen Mother to be laid to rest on September 20

The Queen Mother, Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, the mother of King Letsie III of Lesotho, will be laid to rest on September 20 at the top of the mountain Thaba-Bosiu, outside Maseru, the royal family confirmed today. The Queen Mother died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack while attending a retreat for the catholic order of Saint Cecilia in Mantsoenyane outside Maseru.

The 62-year-old Queen mother was taken to Mantsoenyane Catholic Hospital where she was certified dead on arrival. Chief Mathealira Seeiso said the Queen Mother would be laid to rest on Thaba-Bosiu, the Basotho national shrine, where the founder of the Basotho nation King Moshoeshoe I, paramount chiefs and her late husband King Moshoeshoe II, were buried. Seeiso said it was not yet known whether the Queen Mother would be accorded a state funeral or a private royal family funeral.

Phakalitha Mosisili, the Lesotho Prime Minister, announced today to the Basotho nation that the royal family and the government were making arrangements for the funeral. Her sudden death has shocked many Basotho as she recently attended a number of public functions including the inauguration of the Bafokeng King in Rustenburg in South Africa and the birthday celebrations of King Mswati III in Swaziland, the chief said.

The ANC Wome's League sent its condolences to the Basotho nation saying "as the women of South Africa, we join the continent and the entire world in dipping our revolution suspect to the Queen's life". The league said in a statement today the Queen Mother was not just a mother of King Letsie III, but had had her own mission and responsibilities, which she executed well. "She was very active at the church and further provided many people, especially women, with a sense of hope in life.

"She will be sadly missed for her exemplary life style, which is a very rare phenomenon in modern society.

"We send our deepest condolences to the King, Royal House and the entire peoples of Lesotho. We wish to assure them that we fully share their sorrow, grief and loss," Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the league president, said. - Sapa