Johannesburg -
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Maseru, Lesotho, ahead of the signing of an electoral pledge by the country's political parties, South Africa’s presidency said on Wednesday.
The pledge was a commitment by Lesotho's political parties to help create a climate conducive for the holding of elections scheduled for February 28 next year, spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement.
This was proclaimed by King Letsie III and gazetted on December 8, 2014.
Ramaphosa would then hand over signed copies of the pledge to the king.
A decision to hold elections in 2015 was made by the Maseru facilitation declaration, which was signed by all of Lesotho's political parties.
This was after the Southern African Development Community intervened in Lesotho following an attempted coup by the military on August 30, which resulted in Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane fleeing to South Africa, and its parliament being closed.
The attempted seizure of power was blamed on “renegade” Defence Force commander Tlali Kamoli, who had reportedly refused to step down from the military and was accused of a series of attacks on police and political rivals.
Ramaphosa would also participate in the commemoration service of the 42 South African and Lesotho citizens who were killed during a raid by the apartheid defence force on African National Congress safe houses in Maseru in 1982, Mamoepa said.
Sapa