In confirming the Lesotho’s Prime Minister’s request, SADC Executive Secretary Stagomena Tax, was quoted on BBC Orgy Brown programme , as saying, “I can confirm that, they have requested a stabilising military force, but such decision to send a force is made by the decision-making structures, and that is the Summit… However, with regard to this request, there are a number of issues which have to be looked into; legal requirements, the mandate, budget, operationalization and other logistics”. This was a stunning contradiction by the Executive Secretary to the head of government. In a sense, Tax is raising alarm bells that the current political environment in Lesotho is not yet conducive for military intervention otherwise why will she come up with such conditions? It would appear that the Premier requested military intervention, but SADC want certain tests to be passed to justify his (PM) request. In fact, the SADC Communique of Friday the 15th September 2017, paragraph 7, appears to set these conditionalities, to the effect that, Chiefs of Defense and Security were mandated to conduct assessment first, before any determination on the PM’s request, regarding the requirements and appropriate size of the contingent could be made. The issue of budget while important and operationalisation of these forces also critical, I will focus on the SADC Mandate and the International legalistic approach to legitimate interventions.