Sam Matekane is Lesotho’s businessman-turned-prime minister, whose rapid entry into electoral politics brought him to office in October 2022. On 21 October 2026, the Southern African Development Community elected him incoming chairperson of its Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, adding a regional security responsibility to his national leadership role.
His election concerns the Organ’s leadership arrangement, rather than SADC’s overall chairpersonship. It follows a career built first in private enterprise and then through the Revolution for Prosperity party, which became the largest party in Lesotho’s parliament at its first general election.
Who is Sam Matekane? Sam Matekane is Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, a businessman and politician serving as Lesotho’s prime minister since October 2022. He founded Revolution for Prosperity and previously built the Matekane Group of Companies. In October 2026, SADC elected him incoming chair of its politics, defence and security Organ.
What SADC elected him to do
The SADC summit announcement identifies Matekane as the incoming chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. The decision was taken at a virtual extraordinary summit on 21 October, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Matekane completes the Organ Troika alongside its current chairperson, Eswatini’s King Mswati III, and outgoing chairperson, Malawi’s President Arthur Peter Mutharika. “Incoming” is the important designation: the announcement does not describe Matekane as replacing the current Organ chair immediately.
The Organ sits within SADC’s regional peace and security framework. The organisation’s peace, security and governance overview connects that work to political stability, law enforcement cooperation, human security and responses to transnational crime.
The same summit approved Treasure Thembisile Maphanga as deputy executive secretary for regional integration. Her Secretariat appointment is separate from Matekane’s elected political role. One concerns programme oversight; the other places a national leader within the Organ’s political leadership structure.
From Mantšonyane to private enterprise
Matekane was born on 15 March 1958 in Mantšonyane, in Lesotho’s Thaba-Tseka district. He is 68 as of 22 October 2026. The Lesotho Ministry of Defence’s profile identifies him as a Mosotho businessman and politician and supplies that birth date.
BIOGRAPHY
Who Is Sam Matekane? Lesotho’s PM and His New SADC Role
Oct 22, 2026
Oct 22, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
Sam Matekane is Lesotho’s businessman-turned-prime minister, whose rapid entry into electoral politics brought him to office in October 2022. On 21 October 2026, the Southern African Development Community elected him incoming chairperson of its Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, adding a regional security responsibility to his national leadership role.
His election concerns the Organ’s leadership arrangement, rather than SADC’s overall chairpersonship. It follows a career built first in private enterprise and then through the Revolution for Prosperity party, which became the largest party in Lesotho’s parliament at its first general election.
Who is Sam Matekane? Sam Matekane is Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, a businessman and politician serving as Lesotho’s prime minister since October 2022. He founded Revolution for Prosperity and previously built the Matekane Group of Companies. In October 2026, SADC elected him incoming chair of its politics, defence and security Organ.
What SADC elected him to do
The SADC summit announcement identifies Matekane as the incoming chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. The decision was taken at a virtual extraordinary summit on 21 October, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Matekane completes the Organ Troika alongside its current chairperson, Eswatini’s King Mswati III, and outgoing chairperson, Malawi’s President Arthur Peter Mutharika. “Incoming” is the important designation: the announcement does not describe Matekane as replacing the current Organ chair immediately.
The Organ sits within SADC’s regional peace and security framework. The organisation’s peace, security and governance overview connects that work to political stability, law enforcement cooperation, human security and responses to transnational crime.
The same summit approved Treasure Thembisile Maphanga as deputy executive secretary for regional integration. Her Secretariat appointment is separate from Matekane’s elected political role. One concerns programme oversight; the other places a national leader within the Organ’s political leadership structure.
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From Mantšonyane to private enterprise
Matekane was born on 15 March 1958 in Mantšonyane, in Lesotho’s Thaba-Tseka district. He is 68 as of 22 October 2026. The Lesotho Ministry of Defence’s profile identifies him as a Mosotho businessman and politician and supplies that birth date.
His route to prominence was business rather than a long sequence of elected offices. According to his RFP party biography, he established Matekane Transport and Plant Hire in 1986, the enterprise from which the Matekane Group of Companies developed. Its activities expanded into sectors including construction-related services, mining, aviation and property development.
The party also records the launch of the Sam Matekane Foundation in 2020 and its community and pandemic-related assistance. These activities formed part of his public identity before he sought national office. They help explain the business-and-philanthropy background from which he entered politics, while remaining distinct from an assessment of his government’s performance.
How a new party reached government
Matekane founded Revolution for Prosperity in March 2022. The party contested the general election on 7 October that year, only months after its formation.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s election record records RFP winning 56 of the National Assembly’s 120 seats. That made it the largest party, but left it short of an outright majority. It reached a coalition agreement with the Alliance of Democrats and the Movement for Economic Change.
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The result was a substantial breakthrough for a new political organisation. It also meant Matekane’s path to power depended onparliamentary cooperation. Winning the largest number of seats and being able to form a government were connected but separate steps.
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ inauguration account confirms that he was sworn in as Lesotho’s tenth prime minister at Setsoto Stadium on 28 October 2022, succeeding Moeketsi Majoro.
The responsibilities behind the business reputation
At his inauguration, Matekane discussed attracting investment, the country’s dependence on Southern African Customs Union revenue and the need to combat corruption. Those were statements of government priorities, rather than evidence that the problems had been resolved.
His commercial success also brought questions about the relationship between private enterprise and public office. A contemporary Mail & Guardian and Newsday Lesotho profile examined his construction, mining and aviation interests. It reported his response that he had no government contracts and rejected the suggestion of a conflict of interest.
The distinction remains useful when reading his biography: business experience explains his background, while his political record must be judged through public decisions and their results. His new SADC designation adds another institutional responsibility rather than replacing that national accountability.
Key dates in Matekane’s public career
Family information
Sam Matekane FAQs
What is Sam Matekane’s full name?
SADC identifies him as Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane. He is widely known as Sam Matekane.
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How old is Sam Matekane?
Born on 15 March 1958, he is 68 as of 22 October 2026.
Which country does he lead?
He is prime minister of Lesotho. He entered office in October 2022.
What political party did he establish?
He founded Revolution for Prosperity, commonly abbreviated RFP, in March 2022.
What was his career before politics?
He built a business career associated with the Matekane Group of Companies, spanning transport-related activities and sectors including mining, aviation and property.
Has he become SADC’s overall chairperson?
No. The 21 October announcement elects him incoming chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, a distinct position within SADC.
