In December 1982, South African Defence Force 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 00-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.

It was a horrific incident that tore families apart took many loved ones. It’s said, wounded minds take longer to heal than wounded bodies, many people witnessed their loved ones murdered before their eyes. The whole population was traumatized by grief and shock.