By Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU – The outgoing Secretary-General of the Lesotho Red Cross Society (LRCS) Kopano Masilo has achieved a significant milestone becoming the first Mosotho to be appointed the Head of Delegation, Pretoria Cluster Delegation for Southern Africa by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Having served for a period of six years as the LRSC Secretary-General, Masilo has recently received an upward mobility to head the cluster office in Pretoria.
He brings a wealth of experience to this position having worked for and joined the IFRC family for some time and having previously been involved in the civil society space for an extended period.
Asked what this feat means to his career development, he said that being the head means his mandate has been extended.
In this new role, Masilo oversees five countries including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.
As the Head of Delegation, one of his duties involves representation of the organization on the international stage, fostering relations and providing support to the countries under his purview. During the disasters, such as floods, droughts, Masilo’s duty is to facilitate initial support in the form of funds or technical support to the five countries falling under the mandate of his office.
He deems this position with “pride” to being the first Mosotho to head it.
This appointment, he said, “provides Basotho an opportunity to contribute immensely in international space”.
Masilo added: “It is a symbol of pride that Lesotho has got a talent that can serve on the global stage”.
The newly appointed Pretoria Cluster Delegation said he hopes his new responsibility also inspires young Basotho professionals to realize their full potential and achieve their best.
During his tenure, he had led the LRCS to responding to various humanitarian crises in Lesotho including in healthcare services, disaster responses, first-aid training, blood donation drives, youth development programmes, advancing the HIV/AIDS education amongst others.
This humanitarian organization was also active during the height of the COVID-19 and had provided lifeline solutions to schools and police by supplying portable water tanks, mounting sanitation facilities as well as distributing personal protective equipment.
His Majesty King Letsie III is the patron of the LRCS.
IFRC is the world’s leading humanitarian network and it supports local Red Cross and Red Crescent action in over 191 countries bringing together more than 16 million volunteers to lend a hand in Humanitarian challenges.
