Keiso Mohloboli
The body of a 43-year-old Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Lance-Corporal was retrieved from a Lithabaneng dam on Thursday by the police.
Police spokesperson Clifford Molefe confirmed the tragic incident but would not reveal the name of the deceased soldier because his next of kin had not been informed.
According to Senior Inspector Molefe, the late soldier comes from Mafeteng district and was staying in Tsoapo-le-bolila Maseru. Senior Inspector Molefe would not say where the soldier was based “for professional reasons”.
“It is true that the police retrieved the body of a 43-year-old man who was later identified by his colleagues in the military, who also said he held the rank of Lance-Corporal.
“However, I can’t give out his name before his next-of-kin are informed. Police investigations surrounding the circumstances of his death are in progress,” Senior Inspector Molefe said.
Meanwhile, according to a source who lives not far away from the crime scene, a white truck without registration plates allegedly parked near the dam on Wednesday afternoon. The source said two men then took a “large plastic bag” from the back of the van, threw it into the dam and drove away.
“The men were seen by several residents throwing the big black plastic bag into the dam and driving away. I was not around myself but at work at the time, and only came to know about it when people began talking about it after the body was retrieved from the dam by the police on Thursday,” she said.