Puseletso Putsoa
MURDER accused Paolosi Patrick Lekhooane (41) of Ha-Fose in Mohale’s Hoek, who was handed over by the Lesotho police to their South African counterparts on Wednesday, has made a brief appearance before the Ladybrand Magistrates’ Court, where he was formally charged.
The case was postponed to 5 February 2026 for a formal bail application and for Lekhooane to apply for South African Legal Aid.
The Thursday proceedings attracted a large audience from Ladybrand, a community still reeling from the brutal crime committed in 2024.
Lekhooane is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Thatho Ratlalane-Noe (44), of Manyatseng near Ladybrand, in November 2024. Police allege that he sexually abused and violently assaulted the deceased before fatally stabbing her with a pair of scissors.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), Ladybrand police responded to a murder complaint at Manyatseng on 11 November 2024 at around 3pm. Upon arrival, officers encountered Ratlalane-Noe’s 12-year-old daughter, who led them to her mother’s body lying in a bedroom with fatal stab wounds. A pair of scissors was found next to the deceased.
A murder case was subsequently opened, leading to investigations that eventually traced the suspect to Lesotho.
It is alleged that after killing his girlfriend, Lekhooane fled to Lesotho in the deceased’s vehicle. Reports further indicate that he later set the vehicle alight and attempted to take his own life by drinking poison. He was hospitalised in Lesotho and later arrested by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) in July 2025.
Lekhooane remained in Lesotho Correctional Service custody until last week, when the LMPS handed him over to SAPS Interpol for extradition.
The LMPS said the suspect was traced following a joint investigation with SAPS, highlighting growing cooperation between Lesotho and South Africa in combating serious cross-border crimes.
The South African extradition team was led by SAPS Pretoria Interpol under the command of Warrant Officer William Matenche Tumedi, with support from a Free State SAPS delegation led by Brigadier CJ van der Merwe of the Serious and Violent Crime Unit and Brigadier Du Preez from Legal Services.