Seate Community Council COE

Seate is a rural community council located in the Mokhotlong District of Lesotho, centered around the village of Mapholaneng. With a population of around 13,000, Seate operates within the broader system of community councils that form Lesotho’s third tier of local government. Community councils in Lesotho are responsible for a variety of local development functions, including natural resource management, rural roads, water supply, burial grounds, and local planning. 

The Seate Community Council COE refers to Seate’s participation in the Centre of Excellence (COE) programme, run by Gender Links to mainstream gender into local government. Seate joined the COE process in June 2013, with a council composition of 13 women and 14 men.  Through a multi‑stage process (including stages 4 and 5), Seate conducted workshops on gender concepts, transformative leadership, conflict resolution, and gender planning. The goal of this process is to institutionalize gender equality in Seate’s governance, ensuring that development planning, budgeting, and decision-making reflect the different needs and priorities of women, men, youth, and marginalized groups.