Property
All land vested in the Basotho Nation, allocated as leases under the Land Act 2010
Land is vested in the Basotho Nation and held in trust by the King. Private interests take the form of leases granted under the Land Act 8 of 2010, administered by the Land Administration Authority. Allocation in rural areas involves chiefs and Community Councils, and the 2010 Act notably allowed women to hold allocated land in their own right.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Land Administration Authority registers leases; Land Courts within the High Court hear disputes.
Governing law
- Land Act 8 of 2010 — leases; Land Administration Authority
- Land Administration Authority Act 9 of 2010
- Deeds Registry Act 12 of 1967
In practice
There is no freehold in Lesotho. Every private interest is a lease from the nation, and the 2010 Act's removal of the bar on women holding allocated land was one of the more consequential gender reforms in Southern African property law.