Khabele Matlosa
Biographic Data
| ID | 307676 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Khabele Matlosa |
| GIVEN NAMES | Khabele |
| FAMILY NAME | Matlosa |
| SIGNATURE | MATLOSA K |
| AFFILIATIONS | African Union Commission |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4185-593X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Relevance of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy for Lesotho
Lesotho’s protracted history of political instability and authoritarian governance between 1970 and 1992 has entrenched a culture of violence, the effects of which continue to undermine peacebuilding efforts under the current democratic dispensation (1993–2025). The novelty of this paper lies in its illustration of the utility of transitional justice in situations of political instability that are not characterised by large-scale civil wars or vi…
The Causes and Impact of Famo Music Gang Violence in Lesotho
Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession
There is strong evidence that we have entered into a democratic recessionwhere the quality of democracy is being reversed around the world.As the organisations responsible for running elections, election management bodies (EMBs) are at the fulcrum of the challenge of protecting democracy.This article introduces the special issue on 'Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession' which aims to consider the emerging cha…
Global trends and impact of democratic recession
Globally, democratisation momentum has shown a decline in the last two decades. This article contributes to the existing knowledge on the significance of democracy noting its intrinsic, instrumental, and constructive value, and how democratic recession tends to negate these values. The article identifies deep-seated structural drivers and above-the-surface superstructural triggers of democratic recession, highlighting their trends, manifestations…
Elections in Africa During Covid-19
Conventional wisdom conceives of COVID-19 narrowly as a global health crisis requiring a medical response with a view to ensure health security. A holistic approach characterises COVID-19 as a major crisis that require a response that safeguards democracy. With the onset of COVID-19, African countries have either proceeded with elections or postponed them. Each option has come with challenges for democratisation, peace and stability. Furthermore,…
Pouring Salt into the Wound
International election observation in Africa is in crisis. This crisis manifests in various ways, including lowering of standards from democracy promotion to 'peaceocracy'; strategic interest bias; progress bias; low-tech methodologies; dominance over citizen observer groups; and contradiction of verdicts of election observation missions with court judgments. The crisis characterizes the wound of international election observation. The onset of t…
Pondering the culture of violence in Lesotho
Lesotho's politics is characterised by a pervasive culture of violence that has historically wreaked havoc on society. At the heart of Lesotho's culture of violence lies the historical trend of militarisation of politics and politicization of the military. The political elites often enlist support of the security establishment with a view to tilt the balance of forces in their favour against their opponents. The security establishment, on its par…
The State of Democratisation in Southern Africa
Southern Africa has experienced highs and lows in its efforts towards democratisation. Following political independence of Southern Africa states, the germination of democratisation was a rather slow process. A brief period of multi-party democracy introduced through pre-independence elections quickly dissipated and was replaced by one-party, one-person and, in some instances, military regimes. This era also coincided with the height of the Cold …
The pains of democratisation
The recent and increasingly prevalent phenomenon of power-sharing in Africa raises questions about its value for state legitimacy, especially as far as elections are concerned. While there are various circumstances that may give rise to power-sharing, comparative insights from the case studies in this article highlight two trends: first, power-sharing following protracted violent conflicts that have been resolved through negotiated settlement; an…
Identity, Diversity and Electoral Violence
The Tension Between Militarisation and Democratisation in West Africa
While there has been some progress in West Africa towards shedding the dark history of militarism that spanned the 1960s-1980s and embracing democratisation, militarism still lingers, remaining a ghost that has haunted the democracy project that began in the region in the 1990s. Thus, West Africa has faced enormous challenges in its quest for democratisation. One of the biggest of these has been the militarisation of politics and of society at la…
The Military in Lesotho
As an institution of state, the military in Lesotho was marred by controversy and steeped in intrigue from the start. For much of the post-colonial period the military was used as a politicised and partisan tool, which even seized power and governed in its own name. The current problem, as this brief history aims to demonstrate, is essentially two-pronged. It involves putting in place structures, mechanisms and philosophies designed to promote th…
Democracy and Conflict in Post-apartheid Southern Africa
The article examines the process of political change in the small southern African kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland. After an overview of the post-colonial political and economic history of the two states, the author analyses the pressures for, and resistance to, political liberalization and shows how moves in this direction have failed to assauge internal conflict, and indeed, have in some respects exacerbated such conflict. The intervention of…
Multi-Partyism Versus Democracy in Southern Africa
Africa and changes in superpower relations
Pouring Salt into the Wound
International election observation in Africa is in crisis. This crisis manifests in various ways, including lowering of standards from democracy promotion to 'peaceocracy'; strategic interest bias; progress bias; low-tech methodologies; dominance over citizen observer groups; and contradiction of verdicts of election observation missions with court judgments. The crisis characterizes the wound of international election observation. The onset of t…
The Military in Lesotho
As an institution of state, the military in Lesotho was marred by controversy and steeped in intrigue from the start. For much of the post-colonial period the military was used as a politicised and partisan tool, which even seized power and governed in its own name. The current problem, as this brief history aims to demonstrate, is essentially two-pronged. It involves putting in place structures, mechanisms and philosophies designed to promote th…
Elections in Africa During Covid-19
Conventional wisdom conceives of COVID-19 narrowly as a global health crisis requiring a medical response with a view to ensure health security. A holistic approach characterises COVID-19 as a major crisis that require a response that safeguards democracy. With the onset of COVID-19, African countries have either proceeded with elections or postponed them. Each option has come with challenges for democratisation, peace and stability. Furthermore,…
Democracy and Conflict in Post-apartheid Southern Africa
The article examines the process of political change in the small southern African kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland. After an overview of the post-colonial political and economic history of the two states, the author analyses the pressures for, and resistance to, political liberalization and shows how moves in this direction have failed to assauge internal conflict, and indeed, have in some respects exacerbated such conflict. The intervention of…
The State of Democratisation in Southern Africa
Southern Africa has experienced highs and lows in its efforts towards democratisation. Following political independence of Southern Africa states, the germination of democratisation was a rather slow process. A brief period of multi-party democracy introduced through pre-independence elections quickly dissipated and was replaced by one-party, one-person and, in some instances, military regimes. This era also coincided with the height of the Cold …
Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession
There is strong evidence that we have entered into a democratic recessionwhere the quality of democracy is being reversed around the world.As the organisations responsible for running elections, election management bodies (EMBs) are at the fulcrum of the challenge of protecting democracy.This article introduces the special issue on 'Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession' which aims to consider the emerging cha…
Pondering the culture of violence in Lesotho
Lesotho's politics is characterised by a pervasive culture of violence that has historically wreaked havoc on society. At the heart of Lesotho's culture of violence lies the historical trend of militarisation of politics and politicization of the military. The political elites often enlist support of the security establishment with a view to tilt the balance of forces in their favour against their opponents. The security establishment, on its par…
Africa and changes in superpower relations
Multi-Partyism Versus Democracy in Southern Africa
Democracy and Conflict in Post-apartheid Southern Africa
The article examines the process of political change in the small southern African kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland. After an overview of the post-colonial political and economic history of the two states, the author analyses the pressures for, and resistance to, political liberalization and shows how moves in this direction have failed to assauge internal conflict, and indeed, have in some respects exacerbated such conflict. The intervention of…
The Military in Lesotho
As an institution of state, the military in Lesotho was marred by controversy and steeped in intrigue from the start. For much of the post-colonial period the military was used as a politicised and partisan tool, which even seized power and governed in its own name. The current problem, as this brief history aims to demonstrate, is essentially two-pronged. It involves putting in place structures, mechanisms and philosophies designed to promote th…
Identity, Diversity and Electoral Violence
The Tension Between Militarisation and Democratisation in West Africa
While there has been some progress in West Africa towards shedding the dark history of militarism that spanned the 1960s-1980s and embracing democratisation, militarism still lingers, remaining a ghost that has haunted the democracy project that began in the region in the 1990s. Thus, West Africa has faced enormous challenges in its quest for democratisation. One of the biggest of these has been the militarisation of politics and of society at la…
The pains of democratisation
The recent and increasingly prevalent phenomenon of power-sharing in Africa raises questions about its value for state legitimacy, especially as far as elections are concerned. While there are various circumstances that may give rise to power-sharing, comparative insights from the case studies in this article highlight two trends: first, power-sharing following protracted violent conflicts that have been resolved through negotiated settlement; an…
The State of Democratisation in Southern Africa
Southern Africa has experienced highs and lows in its efforts towards democratisation. Following political independence of Southern Africa states, the germination of democratisation was a rather slow process. A brief period of multi-party democracy introduced through pre-independence elections quickly dissipated and was replaced by one-party, one-person and, in some instances, military regimes. This era also coincided with the height of the Cold …
Pondering the culture of violence in Lesotho
Lesotho's politics is characterised by a pervasive culture of violence that has historically wreaked havoc on society. At the heart of Lesotho's culture of violence lies the historical trend of militarisation of politics and politicization of the military. The political elites often enlist support of the security establishment with a view to tilt the balance of forces in their favour against their opponents. The security establishment, on its par…
Elections in Africa During Covid-19
Conventional wisdom conceives of COVID-19 narrowly as a global health crisis requiring a medical response with a view to ensure health security. A holistic approach characterises COVID-19 as a major crisis that require a response that safeguards democracy. With the onset of COVID-19, African countries have either proceeded with elections or postponed them. Each option has come with challenges for democratisation, peace and stability. Furthermore,…
Pouring Salt into the Wound
International election observation in Africa is in crisis. This crisis manifests in various ways, including lowering of standards from democracy promotion to 'peaceocracy'; strategic interest bias; progress bias; low-tech methodologies; dominance over citizen observer groups; and contradiction of verdicts of election observation missions with court judgments. The crisis characterizes the wound of international election observation. The onset of t…
Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession
There is strong evidence that we have entered into a democratic recessionwhere the quality of democracy is being reversed around the world.As the organisations responsible for running elections, election management bodies (EMBs) are at the fulcrum of the challenge of protecting democracy.This article introduces the special issue on 'Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession' which aims to consider the emerging cha…
Global trends and impact of democratic recession
Globally, democratisation momentum has shown a decline in the last two decades. This article contributes to the existing knowledge on the significance of democracy noting its intrinsic, instrumental, and constructive value, and how democratic recession tends to negate these values. The article identifies deep-seated structural drivers and above-the-surface superstructural triggers of democratic recession, highlighting their trends, manifestations…
Relevance of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy for Lesotho
Lesotho’s protracted history of political instability and authoritarian governance between 1970 and 1992 has entrenched a culture of violence, the effects of which continue to undermine peacebuilding efforts under the current democratic dispensation (1993–2025). The novelty of this paper lies in its illustration of the utility of transitional justice in situations of political instability that are not characterised by large-scale civil wars or vi…
The Causes and Impact of Famo Music Gang Violence in Lesotho
Politics (14 works) · Law (13 works) · Political science (13 works) · Economics (12 works) · Democracy (11 works) · Political economy (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Development economics (10 works) · Law (7 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (6 works)