Lesotho's PM Thabane a No-Show at Court for Wife's Murder

A. Kriesch/Deutsche Welle
The murder trial gripping Lesotho began on June 14, 2017, when Lipolelo Thabane, the estranged wife of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, was shot dead in her car on her way home.
21 February 2020
allAfrica.com
By Jerry Chifamba

Cape Town — Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has failed to appear in court to face charges of murdering his estranged wife Lipolelo Thabane in 2017.

Earlier police said they were unsure of his whereabouts. But an aide and Thabane's son says the 80-year-old leader is receiving treatment in neighbouring South Africa, reports EWN.

Lipolelo was shot dead two days before Thabane became prime minister in 2017, at a time the couple had been embroiled in bitter divorce proceedings.

The murder case was brought back to light when Lesotho's police chief Holomo Molibel released a public letter that said communication records from the day of the crime registered Thabane's mobile phone in the area surrounding the crime scene.

His current wife Maesaiah Thabane has already been charged with the murder and is out on bail.

Both Maesaiah and Thomas Thabane, who married two months after Lipolelo's killing, have denied any involvement in her death.

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