• suspect stabbed fellow woman several times with knife,
• accused the now deceased of killing her husband with a bolt of lightning.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

POLICE have arrested a 22-year-old Tlokoeng woman for allegedly murdering a 40-year-old woman from the same village.

According to Assistant Police Spokesperson, Sub-Inspector ‘Mareabetsoe Mofoka, the murder occurred on 13 January 2021 and the suspect was arrested that same day.

Sub-Inspector Mofoka said the suspect accosted the now deceased woman and accused her of using occult powers to kill her husband with a bolt of lightning.

The suspect husband is said to have died after being struck by lightning on 29 December 2020.

Cases of lightning killing or injuring people and livestock are common in Lesotho during the rainy season which runs from late October to April in southern African countries.

Despite this being a relatively common phenomenon, the suspect accused the now deceased woman of causing her husband’s death.

“On 13 January 2021, at about 1:30pm, the suspect, 22-year-old woman, bumped into the now deceased 40-year-old woman in Tiping village of Tlokoeng,” Sub-Inspector Mofoka said.

“The suspect then accused the now deceased of killing her husband with lightning on 29 December 2020. The suspect proceeded to repeatedly stab the other woman with a knife. The woman was rushed to a hospital in the district but died on the way.”

Sub-Inspector Mofoka said the suspect had been arrested and was still in custody. She said the suspect will appear in court as soon as the police had concluded their investigations.

This latest killing of woman by another bucks the usual trend where it has generally been men murdering women and children.

However, the woman’s murder only serves to cement Lesotho’s unsavoury reputation as one of the leading countries when it comes to homicide, femicide and other violent crimes.

A United Nations Global Study on Homicide puts Lesotho high up the rankings alongside countries like El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Venezuela with high homicide rates.

Middle-aged man arrested for allegedly raping minor

In another case of violent crime, a Ha-Ts’iu, Quthing man is currently in police custody awaiting trial for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl.

According to Sub-Inspector Mofoka, the suspect- Sibusiso Kokoane (45)- met the victim on 2 January 2021 at about 4am while she was walking home from a local bar in Ha-Ts’iu village.

“The suspect allegedly dragged the minor into a nearby bushy place and raped her. While raping her, he beat up and promised to kill her if ever she reported the rape to anyone,” Sub-inspector Mofoka said.

Although there are no statistics, officials say rape is among the leading violent crimes in the country.

A 2020 Netflix documentary on some of the world’s most dangerous prisons in the world revealed that most prisoners in Lesotho are convicted rapists.

Some local women’s rights groups have called for tougher sentences to punish rapists and deter would-be offenders.

Police officer up for armed robbery

A Maseru-based police officer is set to appear at the Maseru Magistrates’ Court on 28 January 2021 on armed robbery charges.

The officer, Mpho Seka, was arrested on 14 January 2021 for an armed robbery which allegedly occurred in Ha-Foso, Maseru, that same day.

According to Sub-Inspector Mofoka, Seka was part of a gang of armed robbers who broke into an unnamed businessman’s premises and robbed him of M51 750 on 14 January 2021.

Sub-Inspector Mofoka said Seka had been suspended from the force ahead of his trial.