Women leaders and mediators are equipped to transform communities in Lesotho

In the mountainous region of Semonkong in Lesotho, Chief Mamohau Manaka joins a group of women community leaders deliberating on the role of women as mediators and peacebuilders in Lesotho.

Chief Manaka is a modern peacemaker, the head of her community, Ha-Lepai in Semonkong. When her husband, the previous chief, passed away in 2011, she stepped into leadership as her son was still too young to inherit the position. Now, over a decade later, she has become a respected voice against the violence that has long plagued her community.

"In my community, the most common form of criminality is violence against women," Chief Manaka reflects on the challenges facing Ha-Lepai. Her words carry weight in a country where over 86% of women and girls have experienced gender-based violence at some point in their lives. But she refuses to let these statistics define her community's future.

The transformation happening in this part of Lesotho isn't driven solely by policy papers or international declarations; it's championed by women like Chief Manaka, who are rewriting the rules of traditional leadership. "Women have certain traits about them that make them great mediators who can bring good resolutions," she observes, challenging long-held assumptions about women in positions of authority.

In another part of Lesotho, in Qeme, Hamantsebo is Masekhonyela Lethapa, Deputy Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum in Qeme, is one of the participants of the Peacebuilding Fund programme to empower women mediators and encourage communities to allow women to lead in peace negotiations. Lethapa shares her understanding of violence prevention. "Men and women are both victims and perpetrators of violence," Lethapa acknowledges, although she's quick to note that "women and girls face extraordinarily more violence." Her approach is hands-on: "As a community leader, I see it as my responsibility to protect women and girls. When there are problems in a family, where a woman or child is facing violence, I am one of those who will go in, take the alleged perpetrator before the royal council. If the issue warrants it, we take the perpetrator to the police."

This collaboration between traditional leaders and modern law enforcement represents a crucial shift. Constables Moqekele and Nthotho from the Lesotho Mounted Police Service emphasize that community support is essential for effective law enforcement. They've drawn clear lines in the processes: “Domestic disputes can go to traditional councils, but crimes, and cases involving children, must come directly to police trained to handle such sensitive cases,” says Constable Moqekele. Both Chief Manaka and  Lethapa are participants of the women mediators capacity building trainings implemented by She Hive Association in Semonkong, and Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN) in Hamantsebo. Both these programmes are coordinated by UN Women South Africa and supported by the UN in Lesotho’s Peacebuilding Fund programme. Chief Manaka's expressed her thoughts on the programme in Semonkong presented by She Hive Association. "We're so grateful for trainings of this nature that bring about a positive change in our communities, and we already see the improvements."

These improvements manifest in seemingly simple yet profound ways, such as as better communication between community members, increased willingness to discuss violence openly, and most importantly, a growing courage among women to speak up. "Our cultural norms have taught women to be shy about what people will say if they speak up about issues such as being abused. We are trying to encourage them not to back down and voice their experiences, and these dialogues have gone a long way to support us in this work,” explains Chief Manaka.

The impact of women's participation in peace processes is backed by compelling evidence. Studies show that peace agreements with women signatories have higher implementation rates and last longer. In Mali and Niger's border zones, women's participation in conflict prevention rose from 5 to 25 percent between 2020 and 2022, helping resolve over 100 conflicts about natural resources. Yet globally, women remain drastically underrepresented, making up only 7 percent of negotiators and 14 percent of mediators in formal peace processes worldwide in 2024.

"Lesotho's experience demonstrates that sustainable peace cannot be built without women's meaningful participation at all levels of decision-making. Through the UN Peacebuilding Fund, we're able to support programmes that equip women mediators and community leaders with the skills to prevent and resolve conflicts before they escalate into violence. What makes this work so powerful is that it recognizes women not just as victims of conflict, but as essential peacebuilders whose leadership strengthens entire communities," said Catherine Chegero, Programme Specialist for Women, Peace and Security.

Chief Manaka's story challenges these statistics at the grassroots level. As a woman chief commanding respect from the men who report to her, she embodies the change that formal peace processes still struggle to achieve. "When I speak to my people myself, they are very receptive and open," she notes, demonstrating that cultural barriers to women's leadership can be overcome when communities witness their effectiveness firsthand.

The work in Semonkong and Hamantsebo represents more than local progress. It is a model for how traditional structures can evolve to protect the most vulnerable while maintaining cultural identity. As Chief Manaka prepares to eventually pass leadership to her son, she's ensuring he inherits not just a title, but a transformed understanding of what leadership means: protecting all community members, especially women and girls, from violence.

"Women leaders need support and respect the same way as their male counterparts need," Chief Manaka insists. In Lesotho's mountains, this is not just an aspiration, it is becoming reality, one conversation, one intervention, one courageous act at a time.