Joseph Leabua Jonathan (b. 30 October 1914 – d. 5 April 1987) was the first Prime Minister of Lesotho. He held that post from 1965 to 1970, and then as unelected Tono Kholo (a Sesotho translation of prime minister) until 1986 when the military overthrew his government. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of the Heads of Government of Lesotho Political Parties ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Born in Leribe, Jonathan was a minor chief, like many others a great-grandson of the polygamous King Moshoeshoe I. His name "Leabua" means "You people are talking" a riposte made by his father Chief Jonathan Molapo when villagers suggested the boy should be named after his "real" father, an Indian trader, from whom it was alleged he had inherited his straight hair. Categories: Stub | Districts of Lesotho ... Royal Standard of the King of Lesotho This page lists Paramount Chiefs and Kings of Lesotho. ... King Moshoeshoe I Moshoeshoe (1786?-1870) was born at Menkhoaneng in the Northern part of present-day Lesotho. ...

He worked as a mine induna at Brakpan and then, following a riot against his ill treatment of miners, in local government in Basutoland from 1937 and was a member of delegations to London that sought self-government in Basutoland. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization. ...

He converted to Catholicism and in 1959 founded the Canadian Catholic missionary backed Basutoland National Party (BNP, renamed Basotho National Party at independence), which won a slim majority in April 1965 elections on a minority vote. Leabua lost his seat and had to stand for election in a safe seat later. He took office as Prime Minister on 7 July 1965. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Basotho National Party is a conservative political party in Lesotho, founded in the 1959 as the Basutoland National Party by Leabua Jonathan. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ...

Soon after Basutoland gained independence in 1966 as Lesotho, executive power was transferred from the King to the Prime Minister. Jonathan's government established full diplomatic relations with South Africa in 1967. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first post-independence elections were conducted in January 1970. The results gave Jonathan's Basotho National Party (BNP) 23 seats, while the opposition Basotho Congress Party (BCP) won 36. At first accepting the election defeat he came under pressure from Chiefs Peete Peete and 'Maseribane; and paramilitary leader Fred Roach to retain power. Consequently, he declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution, and jailed opposition leaders. The election was annulled and Lesotho was ruled by decree. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Basotho Congress Party is a pan-africanist and left-wing political party in Lesotho, led by Ntsukunyane Mphanya. ... ...

An attempt to have himself declared king was quickly scotched by the enraged senior chief Leshoboro Majara.

Despite Lesotho's economic dependence on South Africa and the government's official policy during the 1970's of dialogue with its neighbor, Jonathan repeatedly criticized the South African government's policy of apartheid, and declared his support for the prohibited African National Congress (ANC) when he learned the Lesotho Liberation Army was being trained by the Pan Africanist Congress (ANC's rival). During the late 1970's, Jonathan, aware of the truth, nevertheless accused the South African government of supporting the Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA), an armed faction of the Basotho Congress Party (BCP), which was by that time conducting a campaign of violence in the country. The South African government denied these claims. The cancellation of elections, after an opposition boycott in 1985, increased the hostility of the LLA, which launched a number of attacks on BNP targets late in that year. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The African National Congress (ANC) is a centre-left political party, and has been South Africas governing party (in a coalition) since the establishment of majority rule in May 1994. ... This article is about the year. ...

On 20 January 1986, a military coup led by Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya deposed the Jonathan government. He was placed under house arrest in August 1986 and died of a heart attack on 5 April 1987 at the age of 72. January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Retired General Justin Metsing Lekhonya (born April 7, 1938 in Thaba-Tseka, Lesotho) was the prime minister, defense minister and chairman of the military council of Lesotho from January 24, 1986 until May 2, 1991. ... In justice and law, house arrest is the situation where a person is confined (by the authorities) to his or her residence. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ...