Political leadership and human security in Lesotho (1993 to 2020): An analysis

Abstract

For a country to enjoy sustainable development and human security it requires accountable and transparent governance that respects the fundamental human rights and rule of law, functional institutions, and successful service delivery. This study adopts a political leadership perspective to analyse human security in Lesotho from 1993 to 2020. The research explored the nature of political leadership in Lesotho in the period under review. Furthermore, it sought to understand the conceptualization of political leadership and human security concepts. In addition, it examined the linkage of political leadership and human security. The study argued that without effective political leadership in Lesotho, it would be difficult to overcome human insecurity. Lastly, it recommended ways to promote effective political leadership so as to foster human security. The research employed the qualitative research approach. It further reviewed literature and used Thematic Qualitative Analysis to analyse data to identify recurrent issues. The research focused on the research findings and discussions. It discovered that Lesotho has a political leadership deficit since 1993 to 2020 which is central to human insecurity. Finally, the research concluded that political leadership and human security are interconnected, imperative and interdependent concepts and without effective political leadership, human security is impossible in Lesotho.