The annual Moshoeshoe Walk is back again and organisers have called on Basotho to take in the 14th edition of the expedition to be held from the March 12 to 14 2020.
Initiated in 2007, the Moshoeshoe Walk commemorates the legacy of the founder King of Basotho, who brought together people of different tribes to form one peaceful nation of Basotho. It starts at Menkhoaneng, Moshoeshoe’s birthplace and ends at Thaba Bosiu, his renowned fortress. The primary objective of the walk is to re-kindle the spirit of unity among Basotho as it is embodied in the legacy left by its founder by Moshoeshoe I.
Event organizer Thabo Maretlane, says this year’s chapter of the walk, aptly themed ‘the walk of purpose’, will have a different twist to it, as it will for the first time involve the handing over of five schools to selected communities along the route.
“The schools have been built courtesy of the generosity of our sponsors, Ramela and Associates and Manti Sehloho Construction which are both based in neighbouring South Africa. We will also hand over 1000 pairs of school shoes to learners at these schools.
“The adoption of the slogan is in line with the position we adopted for the first time last year. The slogan for last year’s walk was about the national constitutional and security reforms that that the country is currently grappling with,” Maretlane told theReporter this week.
He said they are looking forward to people from all walks of life taking part in the historical walk, which has over the years attracted participation of people from neighbouring countries and beyond.
“This is a great opportunity for charity and coming together to get to know one another. As a matter of fact, we are promoting unity which is one of the teachings of Morena Moshoeshoe, which has interestingly also been embraced by other nations such as South Africa and Swaziland.”
With the inaugural walk having attracted only 50 participants, the event has grown so much that a whopping 1000 people joined in last year.
Maretlane says this helps boost both tourism and the economy of the country as the people who are staying around route from Menkhoaneng to Thaba-Bosiu get various opportunities to sell their wares.
