The government of Lesotho announced Tuesday that it has dropped charges against former prime minister Tom Thabane and his wife, Maesiah, in connection with the murder of Thabane’s former wife, Lipolelo Thabane. The Lesotho Times reports that lead prosecutor Gareth Leppan withdrew the charges because a key witness in the…
Prime Minister Tom Thabane of Lesotho resigned on Tuesday, making good on public statements he’s made for weeks that promised he’d step down before summer amid allegations he is implicated in the 2017 murder of his former wife. Moeketsi Majoro, the country’s finance minister, is expected to be sworn in…
Prime Minister Tom Thabane of Lesotho is expected to address the small southern African kingdom on Monday, following tensions over the weekend that saw Thabane deploy the military in what he claims was a move needed to restore order. Thabane’s address will follow emergency consultations with Jeff Radebe, an envoy…
Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane, due to faces charges Friday in connection with the murder of his former wife, has fled the country for South Africa, according to a press statement. Reporters with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said both Thabane’s attorney and the police were surprised by the move,…
Lesotho’s parliamentary meetings have been suspended indefinitely in what many views as a move to protect Prime Minister Tom Thabane – at odds with the ruling All Basotho Convention – from a no confidence vote. The National Assembly had its final meeting on Monday, while Thabane called a meeting of…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission in Lesotho has come to an end, with ceremonies on Tuesday that marked the closing of the mission. The event included a parade and awards ceremony, attended by dignitaries including South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who was representing President Cyril Ramaphosa….
There are ominous trends in Lesotho, where Prime Minister Tom Thabane has vowed to implement long-delayed reforms but finds himself mired in internecine political battles that add to the small southern African kingdom’s instability. Last week, defense minister Sentje Lebona resigned – the second minister to do so, and one…
In Lesotho, the Southern African Development Community’s peacekeeping forces will leave in November as planned despite the appeals from Prime Minister Tom Thabane for a three-month extension. The SAPMIL force has served a year in Lesotho, which includes a previous extension of an original mandate that ran through May. The…
Citizens of Lesotho say they welcome the role the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has in supporting the country’s reforms and want their security forces to step back from political involvement, but they appear disillusioned about democratic elections after years of upheaval. The findings come from polling research done by…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has extended the mandate of the Preventive Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL) peacekeeping troops from May until November 2018, the 16-nation body said in a communiqué released Tuesday. The SADC decision came during a summit in the Angolan capital of Luanda attended by Prime Minister Tom…
The Angolan leader of a peacekeeping operation deployed to Lesotho in late November by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said he’s pleased with the progress to date. Matias Bertino Matondo, head of Preventive Mission in Lesotho (SAPMIL), told Angop that the political climate was tense when he arrived with…
A delayed peacekeeping operation in Lesotho is set for an official deployment launch on Saturday, according to the Southern African Development Community. The SADC said forces from neighboring countries continued to arrive head of the deadline, which was originally set for November 1 but changes to the mission, including the…
Peacekeeping troops are headed for Lesotho ahead of a November 1 deadline set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for a 1,000-strong force to assist in stabilizing the small kingdom. The SADC peacekeepers include 250 members of the Namibian Defence Force, according to the country’s international relations minister. Netumbo…
The Southern African Development Community’s has decided to send 1,000 military, police and other personnel to stabilize the political situation in Lesotho, an effort expected to cost an estimated USD$6.7 million. Most of the budget for a mission approved Friday is devoted to security forces, while about 13 percent will…
In Lesotho, Prime Minister Tom Thabane said he was firmly in control of the nation as he confirmed the shooting death of the defense force commander in an episode with echoes of the political power struggle of recent years. Thabane held a press conference to discuss the Tuesday shooting of…