Saturday, June 5, 2010

Lesotho's people plead with South Africa to annex their troubled country


Thousands of people in an impoverished kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa, the Commonwealth seeks to influence attached to their country because it has bankrupted the HIV pandemic.

Moving to South Africa, the move to ensure that its borders before the World Cup, which starts on Friday, has prevented thousands of people crossing the Lesotho border.
"AIDS will kill us,''says the director Ntate Manyanye charity." Lesotho struggling for survival. We have a population of 1.9 million, but it may be as high as 400,000 AIDS orphans in the United States. Hope life has fallen to 34 We are serious. "

Ten days ago, several hundred people marched through the capital Maseru, and the statement delivered to the Parliament and the South African High Commission to request that their country is integrated into its giant neighbor, which is completely surrounded. "We have 30,000 signatures. Landlocked Lesotho is not just - this is South Africa's lock. We are a labor reserve for South Africa's apartheid regime. There is no reason for us to all the people in its existing cash and the army said,''Vuyani Tyhali, trade union and the initiator of Lesotho People of the Charter Movement.

Lesotho, two hours from Bloemfontein on the N8 end of the road, which is the largest country in the world - it is not located below 1400 m above sea level - and one of the most beautiful. The hills and valleys are peppered with the horsemen wearing conical straw hats and the traditional blanket fastened with giant safety pins. Rivers on the street, not vice versa.

But the idyll masks a harsh reality in Africa. Over the past 12 years, the valleys were flooded to create dams fed Johannesburg, 250 miles, with water. But a third of the dry wells. New diamond highly mechanized equipment has failed to absorb the thousands of redundant workers in South African mines. Although the textile industry - from his job more than 50,000 people - have collapsed.

Wages are low. Bloemfontein factory worker earns about 2,400 rands (£ 213) monthly maloti 700 (£ 63), in order to keep retrenching Chinese-owned textile plants in Lesotho.

Impact of AIDS - the immigrants - undermines the economy. Emergency developing countries, Lesotho is close to his death outnumbering births. A third of the population is HIV-positive.

In 1980, Lesotho is 80% of the grain it immediately. Now 70% of imports. The only real cash crop of marijuana grown between rows of maize in South Africa and the illegal asses. Drugs such as the lifeline for farming, the children fed and clothed him with a return name: bamatekoane Bana (children of marijuana).

Manyanye's charity, Sentebale was founded in 2006 Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, Lesotho High Commissioner in London, and the younger brother of King Letsie III. The work - including the night school for boys and ordinary people in a group activity in HIV-positive orphans - has kept alive the country strong. But morale is low. Taole Selloane volunteer, said: "Nurses and teachers are leaving the country because there is no future. You just see all the dying."

The argument, which include a constitutional monarchy is 10 Province of South Africa is compelling. Lesotho's children are taught that their nation, King Moshoeshoe I, founder of a Basotho people took to the Boers and the British 19th the end of the century. In fact, the British allowed to remain in the Kingdom of the Orange Free State Boers of the sea.

Many Basotho looked at South Africa's condolences to the government. African National Congress was established in 1912 by King Letsie II of Lesotho. During the fight against apartheid, ANC's armed wing of organized guerrilla units in their enclave.

But the government in Pretoria has a short memory. Last Tuesday, South Africa completed a temporary travel document recognized by the Basotho are used to develop the shuttle to and from the Free State. "There is no ability to Lesotho passport is made for five years," said Tyhali. "Thousands of people are doing the work piece is now forced to stay in Lesotho border illegally and face deportation or a step."

South Africa's Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa ago, the idea that Lesotho should be considered as a special case. "This is a sovereign country like South Africa. We have sent delegates to our neighbors - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho - before we can implement the passport rule. Going from Great Britain in South Africa, and not expected to use a passport?"

Some Basotho fond of their money or their own borders - even less than the chaotic 122-seat Parliament, which had sodas from the contested elections in the middle of next year's assassination attempts and strikes. A recent study by the African Union, noted "an internal threat conflict''at long recognized the serious problems of corruption and accountability. The report stopped short Lesotho match demand, but is indicative of economic integration in southern Africa.

Sekhobe Letsie, editor in chief, said Koung Makhalaneng Basotho are attached to the monarchy, not the politicians. "Maloti is a worthless currency. We do not even print it. We'll buy from Britain and there is an agreement to give it parity with the South African rand. Should be abolished. Lesotho has only survived this long because of apartheid. The day we got to our embassies and international aid. Now, when we ask for support for our educational system, to help people tell us that in South Africa.''

But her unemployed son of Seeiso, 26, has doubts about South Africa. "If you look at them, they have lost their traditions and roots. Basotho we are very fond of her identity. Thought you scared me to lose.''

Tyhali argues that any similarity between the concept of the United Nations for having a flagpole in New York or the Commonwealth and the African Union, becoming a member. He points out that in Japan, Cameroon play in the World Cup in Bloemfontein June 14, the sound of fans blowing over vuvuzela almost hear Maseru. But the Basotho, their worthless documents to travel (and the team who is ranked 152 in the world), is unable to attend.

He said the party's charter movement has broad support, because it does not endanger the monarchy. ''I doubt if the king is nothing jittering. People who are afraid of the politicians, afraid of losing his power base. We want our King. Check that the Zulus, King, she is very happy to be part of South Africa. The main thing is do we have one common identity documents in South Africa, so that everyone can come and go as they want,''he said.


www.guardian.co.uk

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