On the Discourse this morning, we turn our attention on one of the most provocative and historically explosive claims to emerge in recent regional conversations, and it strikes at the very heart of Southern Africa's geopolitical borders. Professor Pali Lehohla, the former Statistician-General of South Africa, has publicly declared that South Africa "stole" the Free State province from neighbouring Lesotho. In recent statements, Professor Lehohla has argued that the land was stolen by British colonial forces and Dutch settlers before being inherited by successive South African administrations, a matter he insists remains entirely unsettled. This comes amidst a broader, highly charged national debate sparked by a motion in Lesotho's National Assembly seeking the official return of the Free State, alongside parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The land claim sits at odds with the African Union, which explicitly requires member states to respect colonial-era borders to avoid regional conflict. For a deeper look at his claims, Peter Ndoro spoke to Professor Lehohla

<p>On the Discourse this morning, we turn our attention on one of the most provocative and historically explosive claims to emerge in recent regional conversations, and it strikes at the very heart of Southern Africa's geopolitical borders. Professor Pali Lehohla, the former Statistician-General of South Africa, has publicly declared that South Africa "stole" the Free State province from neighbouring Lesotho. In recent statements, Professor Lehohla has argued that the land was stolen by British colonial forces and Dutch settlers before being inherited by successive South African administrations, a matter he insists remains entirely unsettled. This comes amidst a broader, highly charged national debate sparked by a motion in Lesotho's National Assembly seeking the official return of the Free State, alongside parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The land claim sits at odds with the African Union, which explicitly requires member states to respect colonial-era borders to avoid regional conflict. For a deeper look at his claims, Peter Ndoro spoke to Professor Lehohla</p>