’Marafaele Mohloboli
THERE is so far still no trace of the remains of the three men believed to have been thrown into Mohale Dam after they were strangled to death by some army officers last May.
The Lesotho divers resumed the search for the remains on Monday last week after the exercise was last month temporarily suspended due to cold weather conditions and need for more equipment to improve the effectiveness of the operation. On Tuesday, a team comprising seven South African divers from the Free State and Durban, joined the local divers, bringing with them high technology spotting devices and cameras. An additional 12 divers from South Africa are also expected to soon join the operation.
Police spokesperson Inspector Mpiti Mopeli said no setbacks are expected while the prospects of finding the remains are good with a larger team, additional equipment and favourable weather conditions. “We are hoping that the operation will lead to the location and retrieval of the remains,” Insp Mopeli said.
On how much in terms of resources has the government set-aside for the search, Insp Mopeli said resources will be provided on need basis. “We can’t say for sure how much the government has allocated or is expected to spend due to the nature of the exercise. There can be unforeseen developments, for example, the purchase of the equipment earlier on, government will cater for the needs to ensure a successful mission,” Insp Mopeli said.
The search followed a court order that facilitated actions to retrieve the remains of Lekhoele Noko, Molise Pakela and Khothatso Makibinyane who were waylaid by some soldiers after they were released from police custody following their arrest over a shooting incident that took place at the Maseru border post on 13 May 2017.
A vendor and an army officer died in that shoot-out.
Following the disappearance of the trio, their families approached the High Court seeking intervention in tracing the whereabouts of their missing sons, insisting they wanted them found dead or alive. As investigations unfold, nine soldiers were arrested and all confessed that they tortured and killed the trio before throwing their bodies into Mohale dam. All the nine murder suspects were separately taken to the dam on different days to ensure that they did not connive to deceive the investigation team. They all pointed to the same location as where they had dumped the bodies.
The suspects are Sergeant Lekhooa Moepi (43); Captain Mahlehle Moeletsi (50); Lance Corporal Mahlomola Makhoali (32); Private Nthatakane Motanyane (24); Brigadier Rapele Mphaki (47); Motšoane Machai (39); Liphapang Sefako (48); Nemase Faso (28) and Private Tieho Tikiso (28).