Mantšebo (in full: Mantšebo Amelia 'Matšaba; 1902–1964) was the ruler of
Basutoland
Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), th ...
(present-day
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
) from 1941 to 1960, as the
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
for her stepson, the future
Moshoeshoe II
Moshoeshoe II (2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996), previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. ...
.
'Mantšebo was the first of the three wives of Seeiso, who was paramount chief from 1939 to 1940. She was elected regent a month after his death, becoming the only female ruler during Lesotho's colonial period. Her early years in power were marked by disputes over both the legitimacy of her rule and her guardianship of her stepson (Seeiso's heir). However, 'Mantšebo retained the regency for over 19 years, and laid the foundations for Lesotho's current
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
.
Early life
'Mantšebo's name at birth was Moipone Nkoebe. She was the daughter of Sempe Nkoebe, who was a chief in the
senior wife
Great Wife, otherwise appearing in West Africa as Senior Wife, is an honorific applied to contemporary royal and aristocratic consorts in states throughout modern Africa (e.g., Mantfombi Dlamini of eSwatini, who once served as the chief consort of ...
"), and bore him a daughter, Ntšebo (who was ineligible to succeed to the throne). Seeiso married twice more, and had one son each by his second and third wives. His son by his second wife, Bereng (the future
Moshoeshoe II
Moshoeshoe II (2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996), previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. ...
), became his heir when he acceded to the throne in July 1939.
Regency
Power struggle
Seeiso died on 26 December 1940. He had been ill for some time, and during his illness authorised his chief counsellor,
Gabasheane Masupha Gabasheane Masupha (26 December 1903 - 28 January 1941) was the Regent paramount chief of Basotho (modern Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Ma ...
, to act as paramount chief while he was incapacitated. As Seeiso's heir, Bereng, was only two years old, Gabasheane initially continued as acting paramount chief after Seeiso's death. In January 1941, however, a council of the leading Basotho chiefs (collectively known as the "Sons of Moshoeshoe") was called to elect a permanent regent during Bereng's minority. 'Mantšebo was one of two candidates, along with Bereng Griffith (Seeiso's half-brother). The council voted 44–23 in her favour, and she had the support of all but one of the principal chiefs. She was subsequently recognised as regent by the British Resident Commissioner, Edmund Richards, and the
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, British Cabinet government minister, minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various British Empire, colonial dependencies.
Histor ...
,
Lord Moyne
Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, Distinguished Service Order, DSO Medal bar, & Bar, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (29 March 1880 – 6 November 1944), was an Anglo-Irish politician and businessman. He served as the Br ...
.
Despite the council's ruling, Bereng Griffith and his supporters refused to recognise 'Mantšebo as regent, and sued her in the High Court of Basutoland (which had only been established in 1938). Bereng put forward an argument that traditional law and custom prevented women from functioning as chiefs. He also contended that Seeiso and 'Mantšebo had married under the levirate custom, and therefore, as his brother's widow, he was obliged to marry her. However, the presiding judge rejected both of those arguments and upheld the decision of the council, allowing 'Mantšebo to continue as regent. Bereng continued to agitate for power until 1949, when he and the former regent Gabasheane were convicted of muti murder and hanged.
Guardianship of Bereng
When 'Mantšebo was elected regent in 1940, she was also made the guardian of Seeiso's heir, her step-son Bereng. 'Mantšebo and Bereng's mother, 'Mabereng, were said to have "loathed each other thoroughly".Machobane and Karschay, p. 267. 'Mabereng and her supporters contrived to keep him away from the direct control of the regent, as it was feared that 'Mantšebo (or one of her allies) might have him killed. At one point, rumours of an assassination attempt meant the boy was hidden in a cave for two days. As Bereng grew older, however, 'Mantšebo began to have more of a say in his affairs. She arranged to have him raised in her own
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
faith, and rejected a plan to have him taught at a non-denominational government school, despite the strong objections of his mother (a Protestant), the Legislative Council, and the Resident Commissioner. This conflict over schooling resulted in "a full-scale war between the royal widows", which only ended when Bereng left Lesotho to continue his education in England.
Politics
'Mantšebo has been described as a "shrewd and willing" leader who was skilled in dealing with the British administration, but yet unable to develop an "alternative national agenda". She employed various tactics to frustrate colonial officials, including feigning poor health and affecting frequent bouts of "tears and histrionics". Internally, 'Mantšebo laid the foundations for Lesotho's current
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
. She agreed to consult the Basutoland National Council (the protectorate's legislative council) on certain matters, and supported the right to
freedom of association
Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membe ...
, allowing political organisations to hold public meetings without interference. Basutoland's "first modern political parties" were formed in the 1950s, during her regency. However, 'Mantšebo herself was not politically neutral, and came to "informally support" the Basutoland National Party, which was led by
Leabua Jonathan
Joseph Leabua Jonathan (30 October 1914 – 5 April 1987) was the second prime minister of Lesotho. He succeeded Chief Sekhonyana Nehemia Maseribane following a by-election and held that post from 1965 to 1986.
Early life and career
Born in Le ...
(a former advisor). By the late 1950s, she was facing increasing pressure to step aside and allow Bereng to assume the chiefship. Her intention was to remain regent until he had completed his university education and married. 'Mantšebo was eventually forced into "involuntary retirement" in March 1960.
Later life and legacy
'Mantšebo died four years after relinquishing the regency, as "an evidently depressed and broken-hearted lady". She was the only female ruler of Basutoland prior to independence, and in southern Africa Labotsibeni of Swaziland was the only other woman to rule for a comparable length of time. In his autobiography ''
Long Walk to Freedom
''Long Walk to Freedom'' is an autobiography credited to South African President Nelson Mandela. It was ghostwritten by Richard Stengel and first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education ...
'',
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
recalled a meeting with 'Mantšebo in which she chided him for his poor grasp of the
Sotho language
Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free Sta ...
, which he said made him "realise isparochialism".
Honours
In the
1946 Birthday Honours
The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire.
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new h ...
, 'Mantšebo was made an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE), "in recognition of the war effort of the Basuto Nation". The following year, during a deviation from a
royal tour
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
of South Africa, King
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
personally inducted her into the order in front of a crowd of thousands. His wife, Queen Elizabeth, and daughters, Princesses
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
and
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
, were also present for the ceremony.Royal Tour 1947 British Pathé. Retrieved 22 October 2016.