‘Return the land’ leader says his life is in danger
After 156 days in detention, threatening text messages have followed the MP home.
Tšoloane Mohlomi in Maseru
Land-rights activist and MP Tšepo Lipholo has sought police protection, saying he fears for his life after receiving what his party describes as persistent death threats sent via text messages.
Lipholo, an MP with the Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM), has been agitating to reclaim what he says are Lesotho’s former territories from neighbouring South Africa. This would include areas in the Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape.
He was arrested in July for what the government called “uttering seditious words”, inciting public violence, and harming the reputation of the royal family. The charges were later escalated to treason. In the weeks before his arrest, Lipholo had declared himself paramount chief of Basutoland – the country’s colonial name, saying the official king had sold the country to South Africa. His proclamations followed an unauthorised trip to the United Nations in New York in January 2025 to agitate for the return of the “lost” territories.
Lipholo was granted bail on medical grounds in early December, days after his story appeared on the cover of The Continent.
Police spokesperson Mpiti Mopeli declined to comment on whether Lipholo had been granted police protection. “We are not at liberty to divulge issues pertaining to Lipholo’s security, because in doing so we might potentially compromise the subject, so those details remain private and confidential,” he told The Continent.