Malealea is a village in the Mafeteng district, roughly 80km from

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. T ...

in southern

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

. Located in the

Makhaleng Makhaleng is a constituency located in the Maseru District of Lesotho. Its population in 2006 was 21,269. Community Councils The constituency of Makhaleng includes the communities of:Lesotho Bureau of Statistics, 2006Village List * Makhalaneng * ...

valley, ca. 3 kilometers west of the mouth of Botsoela river. The village can be reached from Matelile over 7 km gravel road. The 2006 census counts 613 inhabitants in "Makhomalong (Malealea)" and "Letlapeng (Malealea)"

History

* Rock paintings show that the area was inhabited by the

San people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...

. * Between 1900 and the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the English Mervyn Smith opened a

trading station A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geograph ...

. * In 1986, the trading station was bought by Mick and Di Jones and gradually transformed into a lodge.

Development

The Malealea Development Trust is a community run non-profit that strives to address the health, educational and environmental challenges faced by the Malealea community. Alongside its work to promote community involvement in tourism, the trust executes various activities and interventions in the priority areas of 1) Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) 2) Health and Well-being 3) Education and Training 4) General Community Development which includes income generation and environmental management.

Culture

Music

The neo-traditional band Sotho Sounds are from Malealea. They perform regularly at Malealea Lodge.

References

Populated places in Mafeteng District {{Lesotho-geo-stub