Mamohato Bereng Seeiso (née Princess Tabitha 'Masentle Lerotholi Mojela) (28 April 1941 – 6 September 2003) served as the

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Head of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

on three occasions: 5 June to 5 December 1970, 10 March to 12 November 1990 and 15 January to 7 February 1996.

Biography

'Mamohato was born at Tebang, located in the District of Mafeteng in what was then

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho, bordered with the Cape Colony, Natal Colony and Orange River Colony until 1910 and completely surrounded by South Africa from 1910. Though the Basot ...

. She was the youngest child of Lerotholi Mojela (1895–1961), Chief of Tsakholo. The princess was sent to study at Bath Training College of

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. A year after the death of her father, she married King

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. ...

. During her reign, she helped improve children's education in Lesotho. The Queen Mother died on September 6, 2003, of heart failure while at a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

retreat for the Order of Saint Cecilia at the Auray Mission in Mantsonyane.

Charity work and legacy

There is a hospital named for her, the Queen 'Mamohato Memorial Hospital. The queen, known as the "Mother of the Nation", created Hlokomela Bana ("Take Care of Children" in

Sesotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu languages, Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Ba ...

) in the 1980s to provide care and support for some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho. Hlokomela Bana works closely with principal chiefs to identify what support can be best provided to those who have lost their parents or are living with disabilities.

Family

She was the wife of King

and the mother of King

Letsie III Letsie III (born Mohato Bereng Seeiso; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Bereng Seeiso Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, so L ...

, Prince Seeiso and Princess Constance Christina 'Maseeiso.

Titles

*1941–1962: Tabitha 'Masentle Lerotholi Mojela. *1962–1966: HRH Princess 'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso. *1966–1996: HM The Queen. **5 June – 5 December 1970, 10 March – 12 November 1990, 15 January – 7 February 1996: HM The Queen Regent. *1996–2003: HM Queen 'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, The Queen Mother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamohato Of Lesotho 1941 births 2003 deaths 20th-century women regents 20th-century regents Female regents in Africa Heads of state of Lesotho House of Moshesh Lesotho women in politics Lesotho Roman Catholics African queen mothers African queens