Seriti sa Makhoarane Projects
2018/19: Endorsement of the Morija-Matsieng Heritage Tourism Project under the Economic Labs process.
The Lesotho Government through the Ministry of Development Planning, facilitated by Pemandu Associates, accepted over 350 project proposals from the private sector, of which 77 were endorsed for further support after careful vetting and a program of engagement to validate the viability of such projects. Of the 77 approved projects, ours was the only one which highlighted cultural heritage and community-based tourism.
2019: Feasibility Study for the Morija-Matsieng Heritage Tourism Project by Eco-Africa
Environmental Consultants Financed by the Ministry of Development Planning, the study was carried out by a team of consultants over a period of 8 months involving research in the core area of Makhoarane (Morija, Phahameng, Makeneng and Matsieng); a visioning workshop with 73 participants; followed by various stakeholder workshops including focused meetings with chiefs, local government council, business and artists/crafters during February - April; detailed compilation of draft reports and feedback sessions; followed by a validation workshop with 85
participants in November. The Final Report asserts that the Project is viable if only adequate resources are invested. The 7 volumes of the Report are available to download.
It might be noted that in mid-2021, the Ministry of Development Planning called all of the 77 project directors to a meeting at which it was announced that GOL funding for public infrastructure and detailed design would not be forthcoming because of the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of resources.
July 2020-June 2022 Heritage Mapping and Restoration Planning in Makhoarane Area
The Ministry of Finance through the Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) funded 12 young graduates to work with SSM, 7 in heritage mapping of the core areas of SSM as well as some of the outlying areas, while 5 were involved in restoration planning, a new area of study in Lesotho. As such, the latter were assisted by Masters students from the Technical University of Milan who came to Lesotho under the umbrella of Rise to teach the methodologies involved in restoring and/or re-purposing heritage structures at the Royal Village of Lerotholi at Makeneng, and at Morija, established in 1833 by Morena Moshoeshoe as the first centre of Christian mission and leadership development in Lesotho. Those involved in heritage mapping collected oral history, identified heritage and cultural sites of significance, and started laying the foundation for excursion routes and tours using local resource persons and service providers.
2021-2022: Workshops on Heritage Preservation and Restoration Architecture
An on-line series of workshops was held with30 participants from Makhoarane, Maseru and Roma during Aug/Sept 2021 in order to conscientize a range of professionals regarding the correct principles of preserving and restoring historic structures of significance. The following April, many of these same participants joined local builders (men and women) with skills in indigenous architecture, to practice what had been learned in the on-line workshops. These 22 were guided by two experienced heritage architects from Cape Town, with a focus on certain historic structures at Makeneng. Stabilization techniques were also taught. Assistance from Rise and the Italian Embassy Pretoria made this workshop possible. Later in 2022, the most damaged section of the external mud-brick walls of the old Morija Sesuto Book Depot was restored with assistance from the Italian Embassy Pretoria. The work was carried out by one of the apprentices involved in Restoration Planning, and three local women adept at indigenous methods of plastering.
2022-2023: Formulation of a Master Plan for the Royal Village of Lerotholi at Makeneng
Under the guidance of Khatleli, Tomane and Moteane Architects, with input from the Apprentices and Community, the basic elements of a larger plan for the Royal Village were put in place. These then serve as the basis for project proposals that have been circulated in order to attract external support.
2022-present: Research and Publishing
Detailed research involving key informants as well as archival sources led to the publication of Lerotholi Lekena Letsie in December 2023, compiled by ‘Maneo Sekata, one of the Heritage Mapping Apprentices. This Booklet (in Sesotho) is the first of its kind in that it gives a very useful and detailed overview of the life and significance of Paramount Chief Lerotholi (1892-1905), the grandson of Moshoeshoe the Great. Lerotholi was the great hero whose strategic leadership during the Gun War (1880-81) won back for Basotho a greater amount of internal agency after the imposition of magistrates from the Cape Colony. Also noteworthy is the fact that this is the first presentation of the Royal Village of Makeneng and its most significant architecture. A larger research project is currently under way by the SSM Coordinator, Stephen Gill, tentatively entitled Lerotholi's The Legacy: An Exploratory History of the Basotho. It will be published within the coming year.
