Editing Maseru (section)

==History==
Maseru was founded by the [[British Empire|British]] as a small police camp in 1869, following the conclusion of the [[Free State–Basotho Wars]] when [[Basutoland]] became a British protectorate.<ref>Britannica,[https://www.britannica.com/place/Maseru Maseru], britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019</ref><ref name="ankomah">{{cite journal|title=Lesotho: Africa's Best Kept Secret|author1=Baffour Ankomah |author2=Khalid Bazid |journal=New African|date=May 2003}}</ref><ref name="hansenvaa">{{cite book |author1=Karen Tranberg Hansen |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn%3Anbn%3Ase%3Anai%3Adiva-103 |title=Reconsidering Informality: Perspectives from Urban Africa |author2=Mariken Vaa |publisher=Nordic African Institute |year=2004 |isbn=91-7106-518-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/reconsideringinf00hans/page/n179 180] |url-access=limited}}</ref> Maseru is located at the edge of the "conquered territories" relinquished to the [[Orange Free State]] (now the [[Free State (province)|Free State]] province of South Africa) as part of the peace terms. It was located {{convert|24|km|mi}} west of [[Basotho]] King [[Moshoeshoe I]]'s stronghold of [[Thaba Bosiu]], the previous ''de facto'' capital. A bustling market town soon grew around the area.<ref name="olivier">{{cite book|title=Touring in South Africa: The Great SA Road Trip Guide|author1=Willie Olivier |author2=Sandra Olivier |year=2005|publisher=Struik|pages=116|isbn=1-77007-142-3}}</ref>

Maseru initially functioned as the state's administrative capital between 1869 and 1871, before administration of Basutoland was transferred to the [[Cape Colony]]. During their rule between 1871 and 1884, Basutoland was treated similarly to territories that had been forcefully annexed, much to the chagrin of the [[Basotho]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of the British Empire|editor-last1=Olson|editor-first1=James S.|editor-last2=Shadle|editor-first2=Robert S.|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1996|pages=118|isbn=0-313-27917-9}}</ref> This led to the [[Gun War]] in 1881 and the burning of many buildings in Maseru.<ref name="cities" /> In 1884, Basutoland was restored to its status as a [[Crown colony]], and Maseru was again made capital. When Basutoland gained its independence and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966, Maseru remained the country's capital.<ref name="hansenvaa" />

Prior to Lesotho's independence, Maseru had remained relatively small; it was contained within well-defined colonial boundaries and had little room for growth, while the British had little interest in developing the city. After 1966 Maseru experienced rapid expansion: its area increased around sevenfold, from around {{convert|20|km2|sqmi}} to the current area of {{convert|138|km2|sqmi}}, due to incorporation of nearby peri-urban villages to the city proper.<ref name="cities" /><ref name="hansenvaa" /> The annual population growth rates remained around 7% for several decades, before tapering off to around 3.5% between 1986 and 1996.<ref name="hansenvaa" />

After the [[1998 Lesotho general election|1998 parliamentary elections]] in Lesotho led to suspicions of vote fraud and a [[South African intervention in Lesotho|military intervention by South Africa]], much of the city was damaged by riots and pillaging.<ref>{{cite news|title=It All Went Wrong|newspaper=The Economist|volume=349|issue=8087|date=September 26, 1998|pages=49}}</ref>  The cost of repairing the damage done to the city was estimated at two billion [[South African rand|rand]] (US$350 million),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/190136.stm|title=Lesotho billed for South African intervention|work=BBC News|date=1998-10-09|access-date=2008-04-14}}</ref> and until almost 2008, the effects of the riots could still be seen within the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=onlineletters_archive&ArticleId=303580|title=Straw men|work=Mail & Guardian Online|date=2007-03-15|access-date=2008-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603160855/http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=onlineletters_archive&ArticleId=303580|archive-date=2012-06-03|url-status=dead}}</ref>