The Honourable Pontšo 'Matumelo Sekatle was born on 26 May 1957. She pursued her primary education at Quthing Primary and obtained her Standard 7 Certificate in 1970. She then proceeded to Mopeli Secondary School where she did her Junior Certificate from 1971 to 1973. From 1976 to 1977, she was at Masitise High School where she obtained Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (C.O.S.C).
She later enrolled with the National University of Lesotho (NUL) from 1978 to 1982 where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration and Political Science. Dr. Sekatle then proceeded to the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom where she obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 1984. In 1996 she was conferred a PhD at the University of Natal .
Dr. Sekatle served at NUL as a Graduate Research Assistant from 1982 to 1984 and as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies from 1984 to 2001. In July 2001 Honourable Sekatle was appointed to the Upper House of Parliament, Senate where she served as Cabinet Minister responsible for Health and Social Welfare.
In May 2002 she was elected to the National Assembly, representing Qacha's Nek Constituency. In June 2002 she was appointed Cabinet Minister responsible for Local Government. Her portfolio includes Lands, Housing, Chieftainship and Urban and Rural Development.
At NUL, Dr. Sekatle taught courses in the following areas; African Politics, Development Administration, Public Enterprises, Local Government, Rural Development and Comparative Politics. She was Faculty Tutor from 1984 to 1991, External Examiner at the Institute of Extra Mural Studies (IEMS) of NUL from 1988 to 1991, External Examiner at the Lesotho Institute of Public Administration and Management (LIPAM) from 1996 to June 2001, External Examiner for Masters Degree, University of Durban – Westville and at University of Namibia in 2000. She was Head of Department – Department of Political and Administrative Studies and member of University Senate, National University of Lesotho, from 1998 to 2001.
Dr Sekatle has been a Director on the Boards of the following organizations: UNESCO Lesotho, Center of Specialisation in Public Administration and Management (CESPAM) and the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC). She was Deputy President of the African Association of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) from November 1998 to November 2001 and Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) from 2003 - 2005. She is presently an ordinary member of CLGF.
Dr Sekatle has been a member of several associations and organizations. From 1988 to 2001 she was a member of the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA). In 1986 she became a member of the African Association of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) and was Deputy President from 1998 to 2002. She is presently the First Patron of AAPAM.
Her political participation is as follows; she is a member of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the Deputy President of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy Women's League (LCDWL). Honourable Sekatle has produced a number of publications including researched papers, journal articles and dissertations in the areas of Local Government and Comparative Politics. She also has several unpublished papers. Honourable Sekatle has attended and participated in a number of conferences where she presented papers on Public Administration and Political Science. |
