Pretoria — The South African Government has noted the announcement of a coalition by a number of political parties which took part in the Lesotho National Assembly elections held in May.

Lesotho's King Letsie III on Thursday named opposition leader Tom Thabane as Prime Minister after the May polls saw the ruling party defeated. The appointment of Thabane, a former foreign minister, came after outgoing Premier Pakalitha Mosisili accepted defeat.

"The South African Government extends its sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Thomas Thabane on his election. In this regard, the South African Government wishes to reaffirm its desire to further enhance its strong relations with the Kingdom of Lesotho," the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement on Friday.

It said the South African government further reiterated its commitment "to continue working with the government and the people of the Kingdom of Lesotho with a strong emphasis on devising mechanisms and processes to ensure rapid development in existing and new bilateral projects for the mutual benefit of the two countries".

South Africa remained committed to regional integration and sees the Kingdom of Lesotho as a strategic partner in the pursuit of development as aligned with the principles of the African Union and New Partnership for Africa's Development.