BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – His Majesty King Mswati III has congratulated His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho on reaching 60 years
of age.
The King said the Basotho are lucky to have a leader of the King’s calibre. His Majesty spoke during King Letsie’s 60th birthday celebration at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru.
His Majesty has also invited His Majesty King Letsie III to Eswatini’s 55/55 double celebrations taking place on September 6, 2023.
The King further praised Lesotho for the development taking place in the Mountain Kingdom and further called for peace and prosperity to prevail across the globe.
“Your Majesty, as you turn 60 years we wish to thank the Almighty God for guiding and keeping you with grace and we pray that He gives you more wisdom and many more years to come. Your leadership acumen has been recognised by many, including the African Union, which has entrusted you with the responsibility of being the AU nutrition champion,” he said.
His Majesty further said, this was a highly important role that champions the implementation of diverse policies and interventions to address malnutrition in all its forms through agriculture, food systems, and other areas. Furthermore, Botswana ‘s passion for youth development as Patrons of the Prince Mohato Award, which seeks to motivate the Basotho youth towards self-realisation and community work, is highly commendable.
“We do believe that it is for these, among many other reasons, that the people of Lesotho have turned to you to lead the way during the most challenging of times. They are lucky to have you as their leader,”
“We commend the development we see in Lesotho, which demonstrates a commitment by all citizens towards a shared vision aimed at improving their welfare and the general landscape of the kingdom,” said His Majesty.
In addition to that, he said the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Eswatini share much in common and date back many years to the days of King Sobhuza II and King Moshoeshoe II.
The two kings enjoyed a very close relationship, which deeply united the nations. One of Eswatini highways serves as a constant reminder of this bond, as it was named after King Moshoeshoe II by King Sobhuza II.
“We applaud the continued exchange visits that we have witnessed between the two Royal families, the Governments, and our peoples. Our two countries are also intertwined by a similar past as British protectorates and as partners in development.”
“We collaborate in several sectors, such as education, where we once pooled our resources with Botswana to establish our universities, previously known as BOLESWA. Your Majesty, to achieve the desired outcomes of development and prosperity for our people, which we know you are passionate about, a conducive environment needs to prevail.” said His Majesty the King.
The King also emphasised on peace and stability which must always reside among the nations and serve as the cornerstone for all our endeavours.
“We remain deeply concerned about the pockets of violence in different parts of the world, which are negatively impacting many lives and restraining global trade. We wish to urge dialogue and consensus building to resolve all our differences in order to avert conflict that often reverses the gains of our post-independence development,”, he said.
