Four years after her death, Lesotho’s former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has been charged with the murder of his wife, Lipolelo Thabane.
According to the police, Thabane (82) arranged a team of eight assassins to shoot and murder his wife on June 14, 2017. Statements report the job was worth over $150 000 with Thabane paying a deposit of $20 000 upfront. Reports further state that, Thabane and his second wife Maesaiah (43), whom he married two months after his estranged wife’s death, ‘wanted the deceased dead so that [Maesaiah]… could assume the position of first lady.’ once appointed as Prime Minister.
This decision came after Lipolelo won a court battle that ensured that she retained her first lady privileges until legal separation. Lipolelo also reportedly contested the divorce, considered as another motive behind her brutal murder. Thabane and Maesaiah were spotted seated together at Thabane’s inauguration just two days after Lipolelo’s death. The two are also said to have been cohabiting at the time of the killing. Both denied any involvement in the deceased’s death, yet Maesaiah was charged last year but released on bail, and Thabane stepped down as Prime Minister.
Both Thabane and Maesaiah were charged for the murder of Lipolelo Thabane, the attempted murder of Thato Sibolla, who happened to be with the deceased at the crime scene, and with malicious damage to property (Lipolelo’s automobile) at a preliminary court interview at the High Court of Lesotho on Tuesday, November 30. The case is scheduled to be heard next year from 8-10 March.