Tshwane - Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke on Friday said he was glad that political leaders in Lesotho have welcomed his appointment as the special envoy of Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairman and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's to the mountainous kingdom.
"I have been informed over and over again that the leadership in Lesotho are very welcoming of my appointment, and are looking forward to receiving me. I will be going out to Lesotho next Friday," Moseneke told journalists after a meeting with Ramaphosa in Pretoria.
"I will be paying courtesies to His Majesty the King, to the Prime Minister of Lesotho, and indeed to, hopefully, the Cabinet, security structures, and various other structures of SADC that are already deployed to Lesotho, including a small military force there."
Moseneke said his team is "going out to try and find peace in the kingdom".
The mediation team consists of three deputy ministers: Enver Surty of basic education, Makgabo Regina Mhaule of international relations and cooperation, and Ellen Molekane of the department of state security.
Moseneke said Ramaphosa continues to play a mediation role in Lesotho, and the former deputy chief justice is representing him.
Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke said he was glad that Lesotho leaders have welcomed his appointment as SADC chairman.
"We are going out to try and facilitate constitutional amendments, and to return to normality. At the behest and the request of SADC, our president [Ramaphosa] being the one who plays the role, I am acting in his place and stead, to try and achieve those outcomes in relation to the Kingdom of Lesotho," said Moseneke.
Earlier on Friday, the presidency said Ramaphosa had made progress in the Lesotho peace facilitation process, a role he assumed when he was deputy president, under former president Jacob Zuma.
"The SADC (Southern African Development Community) Double Troika held on 24 April 2018 in Luanda, Republic of Angola, agreed that President Ramaphosa should continue to facilitate the political national dialogue and reform processes in the Kingdom of Lesotho since the President was appointed by the SADC Heads of State and Government as a SADC Facilitator, following the country’s security and political challenges in September 2014," the presidency said in a statement.
"His [Ramaphosa] facilitation produced a report with key recommendations (constitutional, security sector, judiciary, and public service and media reforms) which the government and people of Lesotho have committed themselves to undertake as they attempt to resolve their political and security challenges."
The Luanda Double Troika Summit endorsed the Lesotho Roadmap for reforms and urged the government of Lesotho to prioritise the constitutional and security sector reforms which must be completed by May 2019.