Mohalenyane Phakela

THE case in which musician Lele Khesue was accused of raping a three year-old toddler has taken a new turn. The singer has been let off the hook and his brother, Sekonyela Khesue, is now the main suspect in the matter.

Last year when the story first broke out, Lele was arrested and dragged before the Berea Magistrates Court for raping the toddler in Ha Foso, Berea.

However, on 16 July 2018, the case stalled after the Chief Prosecutor, Advocate Lesaoana Mohale, sent the case back to Mabote Police Station saying the information in the docket was insufficient.

“There are certain issues that are missing from the information tabled before the court so I have asked the investigators to work closely with the parents to get missing information,” Adv Mohale said at the time.

Last Thursday, Acting Police Spokesperson Senior Inspector Rantoane Motsoetla told the Sunday Express that Lele’s younger brother Sekonyela had been arrested and he was now the main suspect in the case.

“Lele’s younger brother (Sekonyela) was arrested on 18 June 2019 regarding a rape case which occurred in Ha Foso around this time last year,” Senior Inspector Motsoetla said.

Sekonyela is also a musician who shot to fame with his 2017 hit song, Robaletsa, which was nominated for the Song of the Year accolade at that year’s Ultimate Music Awards. He is often mistaken for his older brother Lele because their sound is similar.

Even when he was arrested and dragged to the courts last year, Lele said he was innocent, adding he was performing outside Lesotho when the alleged rape incident took place.

He said he had never seen the child until the allegations were made against him and it was clear that “someone” was out to tarnish his image.

“I will not get into the details and my whereabouts on the day (of the alleged rape) as they are part of the investigations which will be revealed in court. What I can boldly say is that I am not guilty. I had not seen the child or her parents before until we met in court on 16 July 2018.

“I do not drink or smoke and I always spend most of the time on my own because I do not want to get into trouble with anyone. Any experts can be brought in to investigate the matter and they will realise that I am innocent. I have never committed any crime or ever been summoned by the area chief for misbehaviour.

“Two years ago I worked with an NGO in their campaign against the abuse of children and women so I know everything about abuse and there is no way I could commit such a crime.

“I learned that while I was at Mabote Police station there were women from a political party who were chanting outside and therefore it is clear that someone has an agenda to tarnish my image. No wonder why there is so much hype around it. I worked hard to be where I am today.

“Being in that cell was the worst experience I have ever heard and God help me I will overcome this challenge,” Lele said at the time of his arrest.