Lesotho Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane Resigns Over Murder Allegation

Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane announced on Monday his resignation, the long-awaited epilogue of several months of a political crisis caused by his implication in the assassination of his former wife in 2017.

“I have decided to announce to you personally that I am leaving my office as Prime Minister of Lesotho. I wanted you to hear it from the horse’s mouth, “Thabane told reporters from his residence.

However, the head of the government did not specify whether his withdrawal was immediate.

In power for almost three years, Thomas Thabane, 80, has been challenged since justice suspected him of being linked to the assassination of his ex-wife in 2017, a few days before taking office.

Pressured by his own party, the All Basotho Convention ( ABC ) and his government coalition, the Prime Minister resisted for a long time and had so far pledged to leave office only “by the end of July”.

But his supporters officially removed his confidence from him last week in the National Assembly and proposed the appointment of a new head of government, the current finance minister Moeketsi Majoro.

The appointment of Mr. Masoetsa was officially approved on Monday by the Council of State and should be validated by the Parliament when it resumes its work on May 22.

Landlocked in the middle of South Africa, Lesotho has known since its independence in 1966 an unstable political history, punctuated by military coups.