Teyateyaneng is a town located in the district of Berea in Lesotho. Usually abbreviated to T.Y., Teyateyaneng takes its name from the two twin rivers which run on the north and the South. Both rivers lead to the Mohokare, or the Caledon River which forms the western boundary with South Africa. They are both named for their vast quantities of sand which means rapid dipping of feet as one crosses them, leading to both names which may well suggest that this is a 'place of quick sands'. Teyateyaneng is also the camptown for the district of Berea. In 2005 it had a population of 75,115.
Geography
Teyateyaneng is located about 40 kilometers north east of the national capital of Maseru on the Main North I highway, a road that runs parallel to the South African border leading to the northern town of Butha-Buthe. The city is situated on a high plateau at about 1600 meters altitude.
History
Teyateyaneng was founded in 1886 as the capital of Berea by then Chief Gabasheane Masupha, one of the sons of the nation's founder King Moshoeshoe I. The town is the birthplace of many famous Basotho including the late former Prime Minister Dr. Ntsu Mokhehle, renowned musicians Tshepo Tshola and Sechaba 'Fatere' Litabe, and more recently; accomplished broadcasters such as J-Tagg Tsiame.
Economy
Teyateyaneng has several retail businesses and carpet-producing and tapestry factories, though with little industrial activity overall, perhaps owing to its close proximity to a larger Maseru. The town has remained the country's athletic, art and entertainment capital with many events being setup here regularly.
Sports
Football
The Lioli Football Club is one of the country's biggest football brands. The club was founded and is based in Teyateyaneng since 1934. In 1985 the team won the national league championship for the first time, but the club's most successful era was in the 2010s when it won league championships in 2009, 2013, 2015, and 2016. The club also won the Lesotho Independence Cup in 1984, 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2016, as well at the Top 8 Cup numerous other times in the modern era. The team also came second in the league two times in row in the 2016–17, and 2017–18 seasons. Unlike many other growing western lowlands towns that have seem an emergence of privately owned clubs over the years, the people of Teyateyaneng have rallied behind the club through the years, taking pride in the iconic identity of the club whose name is synonymous with the town's founding Chief Masupha's regiment "Lioli", named after the red hawk. The club arguably boasts the largest active fan base in Lesotho's premier league today.
Cricket
The town has proven to be an athletic powerhouse of Lesotho over the years, producing prolific footballers who have represented Lesotho internationally at different levels. In the late 1990s as the country revived the Cricket sports, Teyateyaneng further produced many players who rose through high school competitions to represent the country at all levels since. Earlier players included the likes of all-rounders Ts'epo 'Muso, Seisa Tsiame, and Ts'epo Lephema among others, before another generation of players such as Leokaoke Lebona, batsman Thabang Mafereka, and pace bowlers Ian Osler and Thabiso Mohapi emerged. Other sporting disciplines are played at a school level, but football and cricket remain the town's largest sporting quotes.
Points of interest
Teyateyaneng as a district capital has multiple schools, a district referral hospital and several recreational and tourism facilities such as hotels, lodges and cafes. The town is also surrounded by several rock caves with cave paintings of the Khoi San tribes that once occupied the place centuries ago before the Basotho people migrated south to settle in the Mohokare River valley, before ultimately becoming an organized state with inhabitants going further to occupy the mountainous terrain to the east and the south of what is the present day Lesotho. The town's friendly close-knit community is always willing to accompany tourists on many hiking trails at request. The town is much closer to the country's eastern highlands compared to many of its lowlands neighbours and offers interesting mountain side settlements and cattle posts hiking trails in the east.
