Lesotho held its first ever local government elections on 30 April 2005. The elections were a major step towards institutionalising grassroots democracy through direct and active involvement of Basotho in their own governance >>

Each Community Council is composed of between nine and 15 elected councillors and a maximum of two chiefs who are nominated by the gazetted chiefs in that Community Council area. Community Councils perform a range of functions as specified in the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act. In the interim phase, due to the immediate challenges posed by inadequate resources and capacities, Community Councils access staff and other resources from District Councils >>.

The thrust of local government, as envisaged by the Government of Lesotho, is to improve service delivery and bring services closer to the people . >>

Section 42 under part IV of the Local Governments Act 1997 gives every Council powers to “make, adopt with such modifications as circumstances may require, from time to time, such by-laws not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, as may be authorised or required by the LGA, or appear to the Council to be necessary for the purpose of this exercise of its powers and the discharge of its duties under the LGA, and to amend, vary or rescind any by-law so made”.

The Council may make by-laws in respect of all or any of the following matters:

•  land and property, including the regulation and management of places for public recreation
•  public health and sanitation
•  itinerant vendors, including supervision of licenses, regulation or prohibition of the sale of any article in any specified place
•  thoroughfares, including the cleaning, watering and lighting of streets and use of and regulation of traffic in streets and thoroughfares including the weight and speed of vehicles and bridge, road or street or any place where such use may be attended with danger to the public, or may be likely to damage such bridge, road or street
•  the prevention, abatement, supervision and regulation of obstructions, encroachments, projections and other interference
•  the abatement of nuisance, including the regulation and control of the operation of loud speakers, amplifiers and other instruments automatically producing or reproducing sound
•  the payment of any allowance to councillors.