Lesotho’s First Lady on the run for over two weeks

Lesotho’s First Lady Maesaiah Thabane is wanted over the 2017 death of her husband’s ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane. On June 14th 2017 Lipolelo Thabane was killed by gunmen outside her home near Maseru, the capital of Lesotho.

The killing of Lipolelo Thabane occurred two days before Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s inauguration for a second term in the tiny Southern African Nation. Her death came two years after a court ruled that she was the lawful first lady and entitled to benefits.

Thomas Thabane married his current wife some two months after Lipolelo was killed.

Mr Thabane’s daughter from his first marriage has alleged that Maesaiah, wife number three, had a hand in the death of Lipolelo, wife number two. 

The supposed motive was  she wanted to be the official first lady but was being blocked by the high court ruling in 2015, which ruled that Lipolelo would retain that role until she divorced Mr Thabane, a process she was drawing out in order to keep the perks of office. 

Investigations have revealed that the Prime Minister called the victim with a different number before the murder.

Neither the prime minister nor his wife, Maesaiah, have commented publicly on allegations of their involvement in the murder.

Police on Friday obtained an arrest warrant for the first lady after she didn’t report to them.

The Commissioner of the Lesotho police force Holomo Molibeli is presently being put under pressure for an early retirement in order for the investigation to stop. The High Court is expected to hear commissioner Molibeli’s  application that stops the prime minister from advising Lesotho’s King Letsie III from sending the police official into early retirement as this might affect the case against the prime minister. 

Molibeli said the Prime Minister wants him out in a bid to stop the murder investigation and recommend a new commissioner “to immunise himself from criminal investigations and prosecution, thus thwarting the rule of law.”

The police commissioner in recent weeks successfully challenged efforts by the prime minister to send him into suspension and forced leave.