Lesotho head of state bowing out amid a bloody scandal
Deeper allegations of plotting his wife’s murder rock kingdom’s president, write Samkelo Mtshali and Sifiso Mahlangu
LESOTHO Prime Minister Tom Thabane has vowed to end his second reign as leader of the mountain kingdom at the end of July, citing old age.
Thabane has been in and out of the government for nearly 40 years. He has been a civil servant, a member of parliament and he has held several cabinet portfolios over the years.
But his first stint as prime minister was shortlived. His coalition government lasted just two years, toppled by an attempted military coup in 2014 that forced him into exile, and back into the opposition.
Thabane has been implicated and charged for the June 2017 murder of his first wife, Lipolelo, alongside his current wife, Maesaiah Thabane.
Lipolelo was shot dead at close range on the side of a road while returning to her home in Maseru.
At the time of her death, she was fighting divorce proceedings, even though she had been living apart from her husband for five years.
Two years earlier, during her husband’s first term, she had won a court battle to continue to be recognised as Lesotho’s first lady.
A court overturned an instruction Thabane had given to the government to cancel Lipolelo’s spousal benefits and offer them to Maesaiah instead.
Earlier this month, Maesaiah, was arrested and spent a night behind bars after she had been charged with Lipolelo’s murder. She is out on bail while her husband has also been charged with Lipolelo’s murder.
The couple have denied having any involvement in a plot to kill Thabane’s estranged first wife.
The police say Maesaiah, 42, hired eight assassins to murder 58-year-old Lipolelo, who was going through a bitter divorce with Thabane.
After the killing, the police said the “hit men” were unknown and at large.
But in December, police officials informed Thabane that telephone records were leading investigators to him.
“Mr Thabane’s phone records show that he was in contact with one of the assailants on the night of Mrs Thabane’s death,” Deputy Police Commissioner Paseka Mokete said on Thursday.
Mokete said investigators had determined that Maesaiah had hired the assailants.
Last week, the 80-year-old Thabane announced on state radio that he would be resigning as prime minister at the end of July, citing old age as the reason for opting to step down from what has been a second stint at the helm of the mountainous kingdom.
Announcing his exit, Thabane told Lesotho’s two million citizens that he had served them with diligence.
“I’ve worked for a peaceful and stable Lesotho. Today, at my age, I have lost most of my energy and I hereby retire as prime minister, with effect from the end of July,” he said.
According to news station Al Jazeera, Maesaiah had fled Lesotho for South Africa early last month.
She went into hiding before eventually handing herself over to the Lesotho Police at the beginning of this month.
Sources, who are known to Independent Media, say Maesaiah “took cover” in Sandton’s posh Michaelangelo hotel.
Although the hotel refused to confirm if she stayed there, Maesaiah’s Facebook page was full of pictures taken at the hotel in the past.
In the middle of this month, reports said Maesaiah had been picked up on the Lesotho and South Africa border after an arrangement had been reached between her lawyer and the tiny mountain kingdom’s law enforcement agencies.
Journalist, Katlego Pitso had been covering the Thabane family for years. Pitso, who also covered the 2017 elections in Lesotho, spoke to Independent Media about the day Lipolelo Thabane died.
“Mma Thabane was killed two days before the president’s inauguration. It was strange that he didn’t want to postpone it.
“I went to the State house, Thabane was sitting with the party’s principals. Dressed in a yellow golf shirt he came to greet me. Seemingly undisturbed by the passing of his ex.
“There seemed to be little or no pain over the passing of his wife. All he wanted to speak about was the inauguration. It was awkward,” Pitso said.
“I have been covering the Thabanes for a long time and learnt in 2016 that Lipolelo wanted to take Thabane and Maesaiah to court.
“In the family passages, it was known that Lipolelo knew of Thabane’s skeletons but no one ever spoke about it.
“There has always been rumours that Thabane and his wife knew more than they were saying about his wife’s passing,” Pitso said.
Last Thursday, Tom Thabane was charged with allegedly acting in “common purpose” in his former wife’s murder.
While he was expected in court the following day, he did not appear after leaving the country and heading to South Africa for a medical appointment.
“The prime minister is going to be charged with the murder. The police are preparing directives and he will probably be charged tomorrow,” said Lesotho Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete last week.
Thabane has since sought immunity with Lesotho’s high court set to decide whether Thabane can claim immunity from charges related to Lipolelo’s murder.
Earlier this week, Thabane fumed at members of Lesotho’s parliament who had ridiculed his reason for opting to resign due to old age, stating that he should instead be commended for opting to step down, unlike some African leaders.
Thabane’s detractors in the party want him gone as soon as next week.
Although originally set to step down voluntarily, Thabane finds himself pressed to leave office before Easter. Joining the state’s case against Thabane and his wife will be their former helper Makhatlhiso Moshoeshoe who will testify against the Thabanes.
Lepolelo’s family asked for privacy and declined to comment.