His Majesty King Letsie III also Chancellor of the National University of Lesotho (NUL) on Thursday inaugurated the Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust (ATMDT) Value based leadership lecture in Roma.

The lecture which is the first to be hosted by NUL in collaboration with ATMDT served as a launch of series to be held in the country under the auspices of Moshoeshoe I Institute of Peace and Leadership.

The theme for the lecture was, “Integrity as a Value for Successful Leadership”.

In his remarks, His Majesty said last year he was invited by the university to launch the SeMoshoeshoe revival campaign to remind Basotho and help them to remember the principles anchored by King Moshoeshoe I.

He said that such principles are patriotism, national unity, leadership which he said should help them to uphold their values.

“Today I feel honoured to have been given the privilege to deliver inaugural speech of the first value based leadership lecture. This is most satisfying, and it shows the core mandate of SeMoshoeshoe thus public engagement by NUL in partnership with the outside community is being heeded,” he said.

His Majesty thanked Archbishop Makgoba for extending hand in helping the university to have series of lectures that highlights the role of leadership for Lesotho and Africa as a whole.

He said the challenge in Lesotho and Africa remains big, saying improved livelihoods for majority of people have not been met.

He noted that the blame for this state of affairs can be placed on leadership who been in position for over decade.

Moreover, he said value based leadership is recognising the values of servant leadership and not self-serving which he said should be motivation for doing the right things for the people.

He added that the timing for the lecture is right as next year they are celebrating 200 years of nationhood, saying it is imperative that as the 200 year old nation look back where they come from, where they are today and where they want to be in the next 200 years.

His Majesty expressed hope that with this lecture, they will begin to appreciate the values of  Moshoeshoe I including peace as they are relevant as they used to be.

Again, he said he hopes the lecture contributes to creating better leaders but also better citizens who will embrace these values in everyday lives.

“I hope that value based lecture series offer opportunity to work towards the Lesotho we want,” he emphasized.

In conclusion, His Majesty by invited all to join in this transformative journey of building value based that deliver ethical governance and political stability.

In his keynote address, Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela said integrity in leadership refers to leaders having strong moral principles, standing by own words, and doing the right thing, saying it is about leaders observing consistency and coherence in handling situations.

He said a leader with integrity is ethical in conduct, adding that he is a role model for his followers, they want to emulate his actions and adopt their way of doing things.

“Integrity thus results in developing transformational leaders; leaders who provide support to their followers to also become leaders in their own spaces, saying such leaders become successful in their functioning; and may be referred to as persons of substance, persons of integrity,” he said.

He stated that integrity is a highly valued trait since most followers look to their leader for cues on how to act in different situations. Since leadership is such a personal trait, anyone who talks about it, if what they say is to be of any value, must speak from their own personal experiences; personality; and abilities.

Lt. Gen Letsoela added that these experiences will inevitably have been limited in type, duration and circumstances.

On the other hand, he noted that in the military sense, ‘Integrity’ is a combination of the virtues of honesty, sincerity and unselfishness with all your subordinates within the system thus men and women placed under command.

“A leader with integrity must be selfless and ethical; should be of high moral standards and be exemplary in his conduct; he must lead under all situations. Their subordinates must always feel that their Commander means what he says. The leader should be consistent and coherent in the manner he reacts to situations,” he said.

“He should thus possess virtues of intelligence, vigour and bravery. Any man or woman, in any walk of life, who has most of these qualities I have just mentioned will inevitably be a successful leader”.

Lt. Gen Letsoela highlighted that integrity in a leader is more than just plain honesty; it means the oldest virtue of loving one’s neighbour in this case, knowing the man who works with you or under you as a composite system.

Furthermore, he said integrity is linked to successful leadership, saying the latter is a very personal matter, and if he were asked to define it, he would say it is a projection of personality. That being the case, a leader of moral integrity must have a personality to project, in the best interest of the organisation and its employees.

He emphasized that integrity is a very valuable part of leadership and should be expected of their leaders at all levels to demonstrate it in their daily endeavours in all spheres of their leadership influence. In fact, he said it should not be viewed just as a key element of leadership, but the very foundation of good successful leadership.

On the other hand, NUL Vice Chancellor Professor Isaac Fajana said this event is dedicated to celebrate integrity and education of Lesotho.

“I am happy as we launch this ATMDT that features the important lecture highlighting the importance of leadership and integrity,” he said.

He said leadership is not about position but about the integrity and compassion. “As leaders let us try to be the beacon of integrity for the development of Lesotho”.

Archbishop Makgoba also the Chancellor of University of Western Cape said what attracted him here is the love for land, love for people and values of founder King Moshoeshoe I.

He said he was proud that he can collaborate with NUL and has formed small clergies in this campus, noting that he has partnered with NUL which is the first across the border.

He said that the fund’s three core values are education, food security and social justice, saying the lecture falls within the education and promoting social justice.

He said he hopes this is the beginning of mutual relations with students, community and entire Basotho nation.

Present at the occasion were Ministers of Education and Training, Prof.  Ntoi Rapapa, of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Mr. Lejone Mpotjoane, Deputy President of the Senate Mr. Tsukutlane Au, UN Country Director, students, lecturers and NUL staff.

Source: LENA 07/12/2023