South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a high-level delegation to Lesotho to assist the mountain kingdom forge ahead with its troubled transition to democracy following elections held in 2017, the presidency said on Thursday.
According to the high office, South African Deputy State Security Minister Zizi Kodwa is leading the delegation whose mandate is to help Maseru consolidate its fledgling transition which has been rocked by the assassination of Prime Minister Tom Thabane’s first wife, Lipolelo, in June 2017.
The killing took place two days before Thabane’s inauguration. Reports allege that there had been an argument between Lipolelo and Thabane’s second wife, Maesaiah, as to who would be entitled to be called the First Lady.
Ramaphosa’s move to send Kodwa to Maseru comes amid tensions and reports that Thabane is now willing to step down following the persistent accusations that he had a hand in Lipolelo’s killing two years ago.
His ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, and the country’s opposition, have applied pressure on Thabane to leave office over the allegations.
A cellphone number allegedly linked the premier and his second wife to the murder case, the Lesotho police said.
Maesaiah Thabane appeared in court on Wednesday in connection with the killing. The hearing was, however, postponed to a later date.
NM/jn/APA