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Lesotho’s Prime Minister resigns amid his estranged wife’s murder saga


Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has bowed to pressure and resigned, ending months of political uncertainty gripping the kingdom since he was accused of participating in his estranged wife’s murder.

Thabane’s political rivals having piling pressure on the Prime Minister to step down over allegations that he had a hand in the shooting to death of his wife Lipolelo Thabane in 2017.

COALITION DISBANDED

His coalition was disbanded in parliament last week and he had been expected to resign by May 22, 2020 when a new government is due to be installed.

“I decided to personally come and inform you that I am stepping down as the Prime Minister of Lesotho,” Thabane told his supporters of his Abia home constituency.

The 80-year-old did not state when he would officially quit and clarified that he would remain the leader of his ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party for the time being.

FORCED RESIGNATION

“It is rather difficult to part ways with something that you have been accustomed to and leave people behind, but we all have to leave at some point,” he said.

Thabane whose elected term of office is due to end in 2022, had in January set himself a target of leaving office by July 31, 2020 because of his advanced age.

But Lesotho has been plagued by political instability since the start of this year, when police found Thabane’s mobile number in communications records from the crime scene of his estranged wife’s murder.

The alleged evidence prompted rivals from within and outside Thabane’s party to demand his immediate resignation.