Lesotho’s parliament has debated a motion to claim huge swathes of territory from its much larger neighbour, South Africa.
An opposition MP wants to declare Free State and parts of four other provinces “Lesotho’s territory”.
The people of Lesotho, called Basotho, lived in these areas until the 19th Century, when they were seized by Afrikaners – white South Africans.
Many Basotho still live in South Africa, especially in Free State.
The Sesotho language is one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, spoken by about four million people in the country, as well as the two million inhabitants of Lesotho.
“It’s time for what is ours to be returned to us,” Tshepo Lipholo, the MP behind the motion, told Lesotho’s parliament, speaking in Sesotho.
“History has a record of what was taken from our people and that people were killed in the process. It is time to correct that,” he said.
Parliament has adjourned until Thursday when the debate will continue.
In Mr Lipholo’s vision, Lesotho would grow from 30,000 sq km (11,600 sq miles) to around 240,000 sq km (93,000 sq miles).
He said that while this was an issue dating back many decades, he believed it was important to address in the present day because the land would help bring prosperity to the people of Lesotho.
He is the leader of the Basotho Convention Movement, which campaigned on the issue during last year’s election, gaining a single seat, which he holds.
Source: bbc.com
