In the early hours of 9 December 1982, racist South African Defence Force (SADF) commandos crossed the border into Lesotho. Their target was a cluster of houses on the outskirts of Maseru where members of the African National Congress (ANC) were believed to be in hiding. Meeting no opposition from Lesotho's tiny 2 000-man paramilitary force, they blasted their way through numerous homes.
By morning, 42 people were dead, 30 of them believed to be members of the ANC. The remaining victims were Lesotho residents, including five women and two children. Their mission accomplished, the members of SADF returned across the border to South Africa without incident.
"The target were ANC residences, including the Moscow house, which were apparently being used as a transit camp for 'terrorists' to and from South Africa", according to the apartheid SADF communications. There were more than 11 500 South Africans staying in Lesotho at that time, most of whom were registered as refugees.
With the Maseru raid, the apartheid government wanted to shock other neighbouring states where the ANC had a presence especially in Mozambique, which was believed to be the main rear base for ANC insurgent operations.
Among the widely known ANC members based in Lesotho, was Chris Hani, labelled as the 'most wanted' ANC chief in Lesotho and a reputed member of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and his wife, Limpho Hani, who was the secretary of the ANC Women's League in Lesotho. The aim
