View source for Mohale's Hoek

{{Short description|Capital of Mohale's Hoek District, Lesotho}}
[[File:Mohales Hoek, Lesotho - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Street in Mohale's Hoek]]
[[Image:LS-Mohale's Hoek.png|right|225px|Location of Mohale's Hoek in Lesotho]]
'''Mohale's Hoek''' is the capital city of [[Mohale's Hoek District]] in [[Lesotho]]. It had a population of approximately 40,040 in 2016.<ref>Lesotho Bureau of Statistics, [http://www.bos.gov.ls/Census_Pre_Results_2006.htm Census Pre Results] 2006.</ref>

==History==
'''Mohale's Hoek''' had first been inhabited by the [[Bushmen|San]] who were found there by the [[Phuthi people|Baphuthi]] around 1795. The Baphuthi settled in [[Kubake]], the small mountain fortress shaped like a castle, near the present [[Likuena High School]] while some settled at [[Thaba-Ts'oeu]]. [[Chief Moorosi]] of the Baphuthi is said to have been there during the journey to this new home. They later settled below the foothills of [[Thaba-Linoha]], north of the present Bethesda mission and the area was later called [[Maphutseng]], which simply means the plural of a certain variety of a pumpkin. In singular it is Lephuts'e. This was found in plenty on the fertile bank of Maphuts'eng River. Some Baphuthi inhabited the area bordering [[Senqu River]], [[Morifi]] and across the river into what is now [[Quthing]]. After 1824, the area was inhabited by [[Mohale]], the younger brother of [[Moshoeshoe I|Moshoeshoe]] around the 1830s.

On expansion of Moshoeshoe's kingdom into southern Lesotho, [[Moshoeshoe I|King Moshoeshoe]] sent his brother [[Mohale]] to administer the area where the Baphuthi and [[Basotho]] enjoyed a rather fragile friendship. After living for a while at [[Lifateng]], Mohale established a substantial village at the place now known as [[Old Hoek]] (the present day [[Ha Ts'epo]] village) a few kilometres north of the present town. This village was destroyed in 1867 during the [[Seqiti War]] and was subsequently abandoned. In the year after the proclamation that made Lesotho British territory, an assistant commissioner was appointed to administer what was then called [[Cornet Spruit District]] - after the [[Makhaleng River]]. This would make Mohale's Hoek the second oldest of all the district headquarters towns in Lesotho, except that the town was completely destroyed during the [[Gun War]] of 1880. Southwest to the town near the St Patrick's Cathedral are the [[Motlejoeng caves]] which were used by the celebrated cannibal, Motlejoa during the [[Lifaqane]]. 
The town moved from Old Hoek to the present location because of a certain businessman of an English descent PB Jandrell.

==Climate==
{{Weather box
| width       = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location    = Mohale's Hoek (1981–2010)
| Jan high C = 28.3
| Feb high C = 27.7
| Mar high C = 25.6
| Apr high C = 22.1
| May high C = 18.9
| Jun high C = 15.8
| Jul high C = 16.2
| Aug high C = 18.8
| Sep high C = 22.6
| Oct high C = 24.2
| Nov high C = 26.1
| Dec high C = 27.6
| Jan low C = 14.5
| Feb low C = 14.1
| Mar low C = 11.8
| Apr low C = 8.4
| May low C = 4.7
| Jun low C = 1.3
| Jul low C = 1.1
| Aug low C = 3.7
| Sep low C = 7.1
| Oct low C = 9.8
| Nov low C = 11.6
| Dec low C = 13.4
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 110.0
| Feb rain mm = 94.9
| Mar rain mm = 96.4
| Apr rain mm = 57.2
| May rain mm = 20.6
| Jun rain mm = 16.8
| Jul rain mm = 8.9
| Aug rain mm = 26.4
| Sep rain mm = 31.1
| Oct rain mm = 68.5
| Nov rain mm = 80.3
| Dec rain mm = 98.4
| unit rain days = 0.5 mm
| Jan rain days = 10
| Feb rain days = 9
| Mar rain days = 10
| Apr rain days = 6
| May rain days = 3
| Jun rain days = 2
| Jul rain days = 1
| Aug rain days = 2
| Sep rain days = 3
| Oct rain days = 7
| Nov rain days = 8
| Dec rain days = 8
| source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organization]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=1332
|title = World Weather Information Service
|publisher = World Meteorological Organization
|access-date = 18 August 2024}}</ref>
}}

==See also==
*[[St. Camillus Centre]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Wikivoyage-inline}}

{{Commons category}}
{{Coord|30|09|S|27|28|E|region:LS_type:city|display=title}}

{{Camptowns of Lesotho}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mohale's Hoek| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Mohale's Hoek District]]


{{Lesotho-geo-stub}}