Much like The Kalahari Incident six years previously, the apparent crash and recovery of a UFO in the Kingdom of Lesotho in September 1995 is surrounded by legends and accusations of a hoax. However, it does appear to fit a pattern of clandestine operations regarding the recovery of extraterrestrial technology by the South African military.

The site of the apparent crash was within the farm boundaries of a South African citizen, but within the land of Lesotho, an independent nation from South Africa, which borders it on all corners. That the South African military take a serious approach to UFO sightings has been known since the 1950s. And many of these sightings are classified as ‘Top Secret – Not To Be Divulged’. Perhaps that is why, like the Kalahari Incident, the basis for the following encounter comes from the piecing together of allegedly leaked documents.

Before we look at this most fascinating case, check out the short video below. It is an apparent UFO sighting off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope. It was filmed on 19th September 2003. As always, make of it what you will.

A “Dull Explosion” And “Blinding Flashes!”

According to farmer, Peter Lachasa, at around 9:15 pm on the evening of 15th September 1995, a “strange sound” from the sky overhead disturbed the serenity of the night. It also disturbed his cattle and livestock who were now making their fright known through a cacophony of cries. Before he had a chance to take a look outside, a “dull explosion” rang out. It was then that Lachasa ventured out to investigate.

Several neighbors of Lachasa had already made their way down to his property by the time he opened the door. They had been watching the strange light in the sky for some time. According to them, the object began to descend slowly towards the Lesotho foothills. However, it would explode upon hitting the ground “giving off a series of blinding flashes”.

The small group, led by Lachasa, would head towards the impact site. As they approached it, all could hear an “electronic humming” noise which was clearly emanating from the crippled craft. It was a dull grey metallic color although any further details were hard to examine as there was an “intense heat” which radiated in all directions. So intense was the heat, in fact, that several patches of dry grass began to burn. He wasn’t sure if he could see an occupant moving or not, but Lachasa had a sudden urge to inform the authorities in case there were any survivors.

No External Damages

By the time he arrived at the Leribe Police Department, it was a little after 10:20 pm. Lachasa would speak with the officer on duty that evening, Sargent Thobo. He would state that a “strange aircraft” had crashed on his farm. Furthermore, there could be injured crew. And it was frightening his cattle, so he required the police to remove the metallic ruin.

After several moments Thobo, along with Constable Nandi, would follow Lachasa back to his farm to investigate. Their report would state that a “large round disc-shaped object lay within the boundaries of Mr. Lachasa’s farm”. They would estimate the object was around sixty feet in length and around ten feet high. They would confirm the color to be “dull grey”, while also stating they could see no windows or portholes. Nor could they see anywhere to indicate a point of entry or exit from the mysterious craft.

Despite the ruinous appearance at the scene, the craft itself didn’t appear to the officers to have any significant external damage. Unsure what to do, Thobo would radio into the police switchboard. He would receive orders to return to the station and prepare a report immediately, which he did. Around an hour later, shortly after midnight, an official internal report went from the police to a Lesotho government official. They would authorize a report to go to the South African intelligence department.

It would appear a covert operation to recover the craft was already underway.

Securing The Area

According to apparent South African military reports, they would receive correspondence from the Lesotho Ministry of Defense at seventeen minutes past midnight. The location given was on the land of a cattle and livestock farmer around eight miles to the west of Leribe, near the Madibamatso River. They would at first confirm no other military or civilian aircraft were in the area. Aside from an Air Force Puma helicopter which performed routine aerial patrols of the South African/Lesotho border, no other craft was airborne.

Two Alouette rescue helicopters would receive orders to fly to the location. At a little after 1 am, Captain Manie Louw would report back to the base. He would state that around 400 square meters of land was “engulfed in fire”. However, the crashed craft – a “disc-shaped metallic object” – was completely undamaged and intact. He would also state, though, that his sight was hampered by the fact it was night, and by the thick smoke rising from below. Louw would receive instructions to maintain a patrol of the immediate area.

In the meantime, an effort was underway to secure the area on the ground. A “sterile area” of around a mile would go into effect in all directions of the crash site. At some point between 2 and 3 am, the South African Military Intelligence had taken over the response. By 3:47 am, the entire area would be secure and on lockdown. Soldiers on the ground received permission to use lethal force if required to maintain this security. By 5:55 am on the morning of the 16th September, the Foreign Technology Recovery Unit arrived on site.

The Ludoritz Incident

The incident in September 1995 is far from the South African military’s first experience with apparent cosmic visitors. According to respected UFO researcher and author, Timothy Good, an incident on 18th June 1977 didn’t end so favorably. He would write of the encounter, told personally to him by a trusted South African military source, in his book ‘Above Top Secret’.

According to Good, two South African Air Force pilots, each with multiple years of experience in the air, were taking their Mirage F1CZ jets through a routine military patrol flight. It was a little after 10 am, and the two jets were clearly visible on the radar screens at the military control tower. After a radio to base at 10:48 am, however, the two jets became silent. They didn’t respond to calls from the control tower. Both jets were still visible on the radar screens, though. And lack of communication aside appeared to be working normally.

Particularly unnerving for those present was the evidence to all in the control tower that the two pilots were each attempting to communicate something to them. According to Good, “the radio call button was being pressed but no transmission could be heard”.

Then, at 11:15 am, both Mirages vanished from radar somewhere over Ludoritz. Despite a huge military search launching almost immediately, and with perfect weather conditions, neither pilot or their planes surfaced. It is highly likely, each pilot’s respective family would receive a fabrication of their death, such as their loved one died in a “training accident”, for example.

If there is, as some researchers suggest, an increased UFO and even alien presence in South Africa, perhaps it is worth looking back at the stories in its long history to understand why.

“Humanoids With Some Reptilian Aspects!”

If the leaked military documents concerning the 1995 Lesotho incident are genuine, three occupants were inside the craft. And what’s more, all were alive. According to the reports, all three would travel to a top-secret “research unit” at Swartkop Air Force Base in Pretoria. There, they would undergo an extensive medical examination. They would then move to “Delta-Level” – an apparent highly-secured underground facility. Here they would undergo further, more specialized tests.

Perhaps what is interesting is one particular line that states the occupants were “humanoids with some reptilian aspects”. As outlandish a notion as this is to some, perhaps it is worth remembering the lectures of Credo Mutwa. A controversial person, Mutwa is largely considered one of the last “wise-men” with a connection to the “secret knowledge” of ancient times. He also speaks of a “reptilian alien race” who came to Earth in antiquity. They would rule over humanity as “gods” and walk among them for thousands of years. However, after a time, they would retreat into the shadows, and continue to rule covertly through “puppet kings and rulers”. It is from these claims that such researchers as David Icke formed their theories of the reptilian conspiracy.

Many of the cave art of the areas in and around Lesotho also reflects this apparent visitation in the distant past. Much of the artwork features “non-human entities” that look remarkably similar to descriptions of aliens in modern times. Furthermore, much of African mythology contains numerous references to entities from another world. Even today, as we have examined before, many researchers believe there is a distinct “extraterrestrial presence” in South Africa. Perhaps the Lesotho Incident is evidence of such a presence.

The short video below is a short news piece on UFOs in South Africa.