Maesaiah Thabane, Lesotho prime minister's wife, charged with murder

05 February 2020 - 09:07 By Reuters
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Lesotho prime minister Thomas Thabane with his wife, Maesaiah Thabane, at the funeral of his first wife, Lipolelo Thabane.
Lesotho prime minister Thomas Thabane with his wife, Maesaiah Thabane, at the funeral of his first wife, Lipolelo Thabane.
Image: SUPPLIED

Lesotho police have charged prime minister Thomas Thabane's wife with the murder of his previous spouse, the SABC reported on Tuesday.

Police last month issued a warrant of arrest for Thabane's wife, Maesaiah, after she failed to turn up for questioning in connection with the murder of Thabane's then-estranged wife Lipolelo on June 14 2017.

Maesaiah turned herself in on Tuesday, according to media reports.

Lipolelo was shot days before Thabane was sworn in as leader of the mountain kingdom. The couple were involved in divorce proceedings at the time of Lipolelo's death.

Thabane and Maesaiah married two months after the murder.

Thabane last month announced his intention to resign, but gave no reason.

Lesotho is one of the world's poorest countries and has one of Africa's highest levels of HIV/Aids prevalence.


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