Thomas Thabane faces calls to step down after allegations of possible involvement in murder of ex-wife

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Lesotho’s prime minister announced on Saturday that he had deployed troops in the streets to “restore order”, and accused unnamed law enforcement agencies of undermining democracy.

Thomas Thabane is under pressure to step down after police said they suspected him of a hand in the murder of his estranged wife in 2017, a case that has thrown the country into political turmoil.

In an address on public television, Thabane, 80, said he had “deployed the army to take control of this situation and take necessary measures against these elements in alignment with the security orders and restore peace and order”.

“This is to avoid putting the nation in danger,” he said.

A highly placed government source said the army had arrested the police commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, his deputy, Paseka Mokete, and another senior police officer.

“The general informed the prime minister that he has arrested Holomo, Mokete ... They are temporarily detained at Makoanyane barracks,” the source told AFP in the capital Maseru.

Thabane said he was surprised that some “institutions entrusted with maintaining order and adhering to law are busy tarnishing the very principles” of the country’s stability and democracy.

He said the army would also help to enforce a 24-day coronavirus lockdown in the country, which has so far not recorded a single case.

Lesotho PM requests immunity from charge of murdering wife Read more

TThe murder accusations against Thabane were made after communications records from the scene of his estranged wife’s murder included his mobile phone number.

His order deploying the army comes a day after the constitutional court set aside his decision in March to suspend parliament for three months. That move came after the national assembly passed a bill barring him from calling fresh elections if he loses a no-confidence vote hanging over him.

Thabane also ordered the security forces and intelligence service last month to investigate rivals within his All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, whom he accused of plotting to topple his government.

Citing his advanced age, Thabane had offered to step down from office by 31 July when the allegations of his possible involvement in the murder of his then estranged wife first emerged earlier this year.

His accused of “common purpose” in the killing of Lipolelo Thabane, 58, whom he was in the process of divorcing.

The murder of the prime minister’s wife two days before his inauguration sent shockwaves through the kingdom of 2.2 million people.

Thabane’ current wife Maesaiah Thabane, 43, whom he married two months after Lipolelo’s death, is considered a co-conspirator and has already been charged.

The prime minister’s ABC rivals are pushing for his early departure and have teamed up with the opposition with the goal of forming a coalition government.

Lesotho has a long history of political turmoil. It has been more than a decade since a prime minister served a full five-year term in the landlocked country, which is surrounded by South Africa.