President Cyril Ramaphosa’s envoy Jeff Radebe and his delegation have arrived in Lesotho to meet with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
They will brief Mnangagwa on the latest situation in Lesotho. Mnangagwa is currently the Chairperson of SADC’s organ on politics and defence.
Last Saturday, the envoys held talks with stakeholders in Lesotho after concerns were raised about political tension that led to Prime Minister Tom Thabane deploying the military in the streets of Maseru.
Tensions in the country escalated after Thabane was charged with the murder of his late former wife Lipolelo Thabane.
In the video below, SABC News reports Lipolela has been shot dead:
Last week, political parties in Lesotho agreed on a dignified and secured retirement for Thabane.
The murder case has stunned citizens of Lesotho and plunged the country, which has experienced several coups since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, into political turmoil.
Though small and with a population of not more than two million, Lesotho’s political upheavals often draw in its bigger neighbour, South Africa, for whom the kingdom’s mountains are an essential source of running water.
In 1998, at least 58 people and eight South African soldiers died and parts of Maseru were damaged in a political stand-off and subsequent fighting.
The video below outlines how Thabane failed to appear in court in February where he was meant to be formally charged:
