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Agence France-Presse

Lesotho police have charged first lady Maesaiah Thabane with murder for her alleged links to the brutal 2017 killing of the prime minister’s previous wife.
Maesaiah Thabane, 42, was in custody after she came out of hiding and turned herself in to the police earlier on Tuesday.
“She has been charged with murder alongside eight others who are in Lesotho and South Africa,” deputy police commissioner Paseka Mokete said, adding that investigations had been “satisfactorily completed”.
He said police had a “strong case” against the first lady, who was unable to appear in court on Tuesday due to logistical reasons.
The eight other accused will also be summoned by the police.

Maesaiah Thabane went missing last month after being summoned as part of an investigation into the killing of Lipolelo Thabane – Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s estranged wife.
The couple was involved in bitter divorce proceedings when she was gunned down outside her home in Lesotho’s capital Maseru in June 2017, two days before her husband’s inauguration.
Lesotho PM Thomas Thabane to resign as police probe wife’s murder
New evidence surfaced in early January, when a letter from Lesotho’s police chief was made public alleging that communication records from the day of the crime picked up the prime minister’s mobile number.




















View this post on Instagram



















'Me MaEsaiah Thabane during a surprise visit to support the hawkers/informal businesses at the Maseru bus stop. 29 May 2017.
A post shared by ' Me MaEsaiah Liabiloe Thabane (@firstladythabane) on Aug 5, 2017 at 4:24am PDT



Thomas Thabane, who is now 80, has since bowed to pressure and offered to resign at a date not yet disclosed. He has also been questioned by the police over the killing.
But his current wife vanished when the police called her in to testify last month, prompting the issuing of an arrest warrant.
The prime minister’s press attaché did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the murder charge.


The murder of 58-year-old Lipolelo Thabane sent shock waves through the tiny mountain kingdom, which is ringed by South Africa and has a long history of political turmoil.
Senior members of the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party have accused the prime minister of hampering investigations into the killing.
South Africa court issues arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma
Thabane last month said he would leave office on the grounds of old age but gave no time frame for his departure.
Hundreds of opposition supporters marched through the streets of Maseru on the day the prime minister was quizzed by police, demanding he step down with immediate effect.
Maesaiah Thabane was picked up on the border with South Africa following an arrangement between her lawyer and the police.


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Africa

First lady of small African kingdom Lesotho charged in murder of PM’s ex-wife

Lesotho police have charged Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s wife Maesaiah Thabane (pictured) with the murder of his previous spouse. Photo: Instagram

FILE PHOTO: Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae Thabane arrives to address the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Lesotho PM Thomas Thabane to resign as police probe wife’s murder

Thomas Thabane, prime minister of Lesotho, addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Photo: Reuters

South Africa court issues arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma

Former South African President Jacob Zuma pictured in court in October. Photo: DPA

Former South African President Jacob Zuma pictured in court in October. Photo: Reuters

News

World


Lesotho PM’s wife had been in hiding after shooting death of the previous first lady
The two women had battled each other in court over who should be the legitimate first lady



The two women had battled each other in court over who should be the legitimate first lady.


South Africa

Crime

First lady of small African kingdom Lesotho charged in murder of PM’s ex-wife

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Lesotho PM’s wife had been in hiding after shooting death of the previous first lady The two women had battled each other in court over who should be the legitimate first lady

Lesotho PM’s wife had been in hiding after shooting death of the previous first lady

The two women had battled each other in court over who should be the legitimate first lady