The former prime minister of Lesotho, Tom Thabane, paid hitmen a deposit of R400 000 to kill his estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, who was murdered in 2017.
This was according to a report from AFP, which had seen a police affidavit on Wednesday saying the former leader had done so. The payment was a first instalment of an overall payment of nearly R3 million, according to AFP.
According to AFP the affidavit stated that Thabane and his new partner, Maesaiah, had conspired to have Lipolelo killed so that Maesaiah could become First Lady. Lipolelo had been killed two days before Thabane was inaugurated for his second term as Lesotho’s prime minister in 2017.
Phone records have also pointed to Thabane’s involvement in the plot to have his former partner killed. Furthermore, one of Lipolelo’s alleged killers has turned state witness.
Thabane resigned as prime minister last month, with his alleged ordering of the murder of Lipolelo casting a shadow over his premiership.