Maseru, LESOTHO
Lesotho Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane, on
Tuesday lauded himself for "voluntarily" agreeing to resign after he
was accused of having a hand in the 2017 murder of his estranged wife.
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| Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane. |
The
premier has bowed to pressure to step down and announced July 31 as his
official resignation date, citing advanced age.
He
appeared in court on Monday for allegedly acting in "common purpose"
in the killing of 58-year-old Lipolelo Thabane, with whom he was in the process
of divorcing.
The
matter was deferred to the High Court, where he is expected to be formally
charged on a date that has not yet been decided.
Thabane's
All Basotho Convention (ABC) party has asked him to leave office "immediately"
and nominated chairperson Sam Rapapa as his successor.
During
an address to parliament on Tuesday, Thabane complained about the lack of
praise for his decision to retire early.
"I
had hoped that this parliament would set a record today of someone stepping
down by cutting short their tenure," said Thabane, aged 80.
"Not
many people would do that but I am doing it, and instead of being given a pat
on the shoulder, I get insults," he added. "I don't understand you
people."
Lipolelo
Thabane's murder sent shockwaves through Lesotho - a tiny landlocked nation of
2.2 million with a history of political turmoil.
She
was gunned down outside her home in the capital Maseru just two days before her
husband took office.
The
accusations against her husband came after communications records from the
scene of the murder included Thabane's mobile phone number.
His
current wife Maesaiah Thabane, 42, whom he married two months after Lipolelo's
death, is considered a co-conspirator in the murder case.
She
has already been charged with murder and is out on bail.
Thabane's defence
lawyer has argued that his client should be granted immunity from prosecution
for as long as he remained in office.
The prime minister has yet to comment on the
accusations. He maintains that he decided to resign due to "old age".
"I am my grand-kids' grandfather," he
told parliament. "Not yours."
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