New Lesotho Regime Takes Office; 60 South African Rebels Ousted

This small kingdom’s new Military Council was sworn in at the royal palace Friday, and at least 60 members of the African National Congress guerrilla group were deported in a bid to remove strains with neighboring South Africa.

Maj. Gen. Justin Lekhanya, head of Lesotho’s 1,500-man paramilitary force and the man who overthrew the autocratic prime minister, Chief Leabua Jonathan, on Monday, took the oath of office as chairman of the new six-member council. The brief ceremony took place before King Moshoeshoe II and Chief Justice Tofik Cotran.

The swearing-in took place as about 60 refugees of the African National Congress, the principal black nationalist movement pledged to overthrow Pretoria’s white-dominated government, were flown out of Lesotho to Zambia, government sources said. Reporters were not able to watch the airlift of the refugees. The military has stationed soldiers around the country’s two airports.

The refugees are apparently the first batch of about 140 people whom South Africa has demanded be expelled.

Pressure by S. Africa

South Africa imposed a crippling economic squeeze on Lesotho on Jan. 1, accusing the former regime of harboring guerrillas.

On Wednesday, Lekhanya appealed to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar to help with resettlement of the refugees in countries that are “willing and able to provide them with a safe haven.”

He said that Lesotho will not hand any refugees over to South Africa, but that they had to leave this country to ease the emergency created by Pretoria’s strangling security clampdown on the border.

The new military rulers have also released five prominent opposition leaders detained by Jonathan last week for having talks with South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha.