2021-03-11 Thu

Moshoeshoe Day of Lesotho is celebrated on March 11 each year. The holiday honours King Moshoeshoe I who consolidated various Basotho peoples and created the foundation of present Lesotho. Moshoeshoe was born circa 1786. He was the son of a minor chief of a branch of the Koena clan. In the early 1820s, he formed his own clan and settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain with his followers. By 1822, he unified several Basotho groupings and became their king.

Moshoeshoe I died on March 11, 1870. He is considered the founder of modern Lesotho because he consolidated the Basotho peoples and protected his lands against the British and Boer invaders. To honour his contribution to the establishment of Lesotho as a single state, his death anniversary was proclaimed a public holiday.

Central Bank of Lesotho issued a 10 Maloti in 2010 which depicts King Moshoeshoe II King Letsie III, King Morena Moshoeshoe I along with the Coat of Arms and Basotho Hat on the obverse. The reverse depicts a bunch of Cosmos flowers.

Image Courtesy: banknoteworld.com