LESOTHO: ANACLETTA KEISO MATASHANE-MARITE, NOMINEE FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000553

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR G/IWI (ANDREA BOTTNER) AND AF/S

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: ANACLETTA KEISO MATASHANE-MARITE, NOMINEE FOR
SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE


SIPDIS

REF: STATE 126072


1. Embassy Maseru is proud to nominate Ms. Anacletta Keiso
Matashane-Marite for the 2008 Secretary's Award for
International Women of Courage. As instructed REFTEL, we will
also send this nomination by unclassified e-mail.



2. The following is Ms. Keiso's official nominating information:

Name: Keiso, Anacletta
Surname: Matashane-Marite
Job Title: National Coordinator, Women in Law in
Southern Africa
Date of Birth: 07/07/1964
Country of Birth: Lesotho
Citizenship: Lesotho
Address: 23 Mots'oene Rd, Industrial Area, Maseru
105, Lesotho
Telephone: +266 5885-7042
Email: matashanemarite@yahoo.com
Passport Number: RA671117

Justification:

For the last 15 years, Mrs. Keiso Matashane Marite has served as
a tireless and outspoken advocate of women's rights and has led
the liberation of Lesotho's women. Her courage and incomparable
strength led her to break the national silence on women's rights
in a predominantly patriarchal society in which women's issues
are often considered a source of conflict and kept out of public
discourse.

Mrs. Matashane-Marite first came to the forefront of the battle
for gender equality in Lesotho as part of the Women in Law in
Southern Africa (WLSA) organization. She immediately focused
her research work on projects addressing the legal and social
status of women in modern Lesotho. The work of her research
team served as a catalyst for Lesotho's recent policy and legal
reform in the field of gender and human rights.

Mrs. Matashane-Marite is well known for her travels to remote
mountain areas to reach out to marginalized women in Lesotho to
present key legal and socio-economic principles to women who
otherwise would not have known their rights. These pressing and
culturally sensitive issues include the inheritance rights of
women, sexual violence, and child custody laws.

While advocating for women's rights, Mrs. Matashane-Marite has
addressed various fora including the U.S. Embassy Maseru Women's
Month Conference in March 2007. She has worked as a consultant
on gender issues with organizations such as the World Food
Program (WFP),the Southern Africa Development Community's
(SADC) Gender Unit, Gender Links, and the Electoral Institute of
Southern Africa (EISA).

She has authored a number of works concerning critical legal as
they pertain to women. Her publications include:

- Inheritance in Lesotho; Co-authored with P. Letuka, L. Mbatha,

M. Mohale, and M. Mamashela (WLSA, 1994)

- Widowhood, Inheritance Laws, Customs, and Practice in Southern
Africa (The Role and Concept of Heir: A Case of Confusion);
Co-authored with P. Letuka (WLSA, 1995)

- Beyond Inequalities: Women in Lesotho; Co-authored with P.
Letuka and B.M. Morolong (WLSA & SARDC, 1997)

- Sexual Violence in Lesotho: The realities of Justice for
Women; Co-authored with Chaka-Makhooane, Letuka, Majara,
Matela-Gwintsa, Morolong and Sakoane (Morija Lesotho, 2002)

- A Critical Analysis of Women's Access to Land; Co-authored
with Dingake, Aphane, Gwaunza, Bbuku-Chuulu, Mvududu, White, and
Andrade (WLSA, 2001)

- Lobola: Its Implications for Women's Reproductive Rights;
Co-authored with Mvududu, Joseph, Letuka, Kaunda, Tembo, Hlanze,
Chileshe, and Nzira (WLSA/Weaver Press, 2002)

- Gender and Elections in Lesotho: Perspectives on the 2002
Elections; co-authored with P. Letuka and M. Mapetla (EISA
Research Report 4, 2004)

It is due to the years of groundwork laid by women such as Mrs.
Matashane-Marite that Lesotho has made recent breakthroughs such
as the passage of the "Married Persons Equality Act." Before
the passage of this act in late 2006, married women were
considered legal minors and were not permitted by law to enter
into legally binding contracts. They could not own land and had
no access to the services of financial institutions without

MASERU 00000553 002 OF 002


their husbands' or male relative co-signing documents to
demonstrate legal consent. The passage of this act removed
these blatantly discriminatory legal provisions, and Mrs.
Matashane-Marite's work was key to this victory for Lesotho's
civil rights environment.



3. Embassy Maseru thanks G/IWI for its consideration, and would
be happy to provide any additional information on Ms.
Matashane-Marite's background.
NOLAN