The office of Lesotho’s Prime Minister Tom Thabane has refuted some media reports claiming that he has fled his country. In a short statement, it says the Prime Minister has left for South Africa in the early hours of Friday morning for urgent medical care.
Thabane was expected to appear in court on Friday to face murder charges, but was a no show.
Watch video on Tom Thabane’s failure to appear in court on charges related to the murder of his ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane:
He’s accused of plotting the assassination of his estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane.
The current First Lady, Maesaiah Thabane, has also been charged with the murder.
Tom Thabane has skipped the country. Do we have an extradition treaty with the rural mountain Kingdom of Lesotho?
— Sentletse (@Sentletse) February 21, 2020
South Africa will again have to deal with the reports that Lesotho’s Prime minister Tom Thabane is in South Africa. Thabane had agreed that appear before the magistrate today but failed to do so.
— Sophie Mokoena (@Sophie_Mokoena) February 21, 2020
SABC Foreign Editor Sophie Mokoena says the case has put political pressure on Thabane.
“If he’s facing these charges, he can’t continue to be the Prime Minister. We were told by very reliable sources that there’s an attempt to ensure that the Deputy Prime Minister, Monyane Moleleki, is being installed as the Prime Minister and one of the leaders of the party, (Samonyane) Ntsekele becomes the Deputy Prime Minister.”
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