Sam Matekane

Born on March 15, 1958, Matekane is the seventh of fourteen siblings.[6] He was born in Mantšonyane, then called British Basutoland, now Lesotho.[7]

Matekane attended primary school and completed Form C (Year 10).[8] For a short time, he became a heard boy and then moved to Maseru with distant relatives for studies. After completing Form C, he was sent to be an apprentice as a mechanic in South Africa. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship, he worked in the South African Mines. He returned to Maseru in his early 20s, where he sold wool and mohair, along with other goods, until forming his company.

Matekane is the founder and CEO of the Matekane Group of Companies (MGC), which was established in 1986 as a construction equipment sales business.[9] The business purchased old and damaged vehicles from the government, repaired and resold it back to the government. The Group has since expanded into fields such as mining, aviation, property development, as well as farming and has opened a hotel.

The companies growth was largely supported through government tenders, which have since had their legitimacy questioned, as allegations concerning favouritism and political corruption have come forward.[1]

In March 2022, several months before the 2022 Lesotho general election, Matekane founded a party called Revolution for Prosperity (RFP).[10] He positioned himself as the "protector" of the country's business community, the "messianic" leader that would bring stability to Lesotho politics, and the "sole businessman" in the country that could end "corruption" and bring Lesotho back from the recession it has been experiencing since 2017. Matekane said he would "Make Lesotho Great Again" by any means necessary.

During his electoral campaign, Matekane accused his opponents of no longer serving Lesotho's best interests. He was considered an outsider while campaigning and that status helped win the popular vote.[11] Matekane's RFP party finished five seats shy of an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Short of a simple majority to rule alone, Matekane formed a coalition government with two parties with less than 3 seats each in the assembly, the Alliance of Democrats and Movement for Economic Change.[12]

After his electoral win, Matekane outlined a 20-point plan to fight corruption and the M6.1billion Government Deficit within his first 100 days in office.[13] He plans to reverse the economic recession via austerity and job creation from international investors, and achieve what would normally be achieved in 20 years in his first term in office.[14]

As of 2023, Matekane's government has been criticized for a perceived failing to meet the proposed policy goals, as well as for a worsening homicide situation.[15][16]

In response to the murder of journalist and radio presenter Ralikonelo Joki, his government introduced a nationwide curfew on May 16 2023, banning residents from leaving their homes between 10pm and 04am.[17] This curfew has been criticized for its strictness and concerns have been raised over its effectiveness. [18]