Prime Minister of Lesotho, Thomas Motsoahae Thabane looks on during the closing ceremony of the 37th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government at The OR Tambo Building in Pretoria on August 20, 2017. (Photo by GULSHAN KHAN / AFP)
Lesotho’s Tom Thabane deploys army to ‘restore law and order’
Prime Minister Tom Thabane says he is deploying the army into Lesotho streets to “avoid putting the country in danger”.
Prime Minister of Lesotho, Thomas Motsoahae Thabane looks on during the closing ceremony of the 37th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government at The OR Tambo Building in Pretoria on August 20, 2017. (Photo by GULSHAN KHAN / AFP)
Lesotho’s embattled Prime Minister Tom Thabane has deployed the army into the country’s streets.
The mountain kingdom is – much like South Africa – also under COVID-19 lockdown and a state of emergency was declared on Wednesday. This is despite being one of over a dozen countries not to report a single case of the novel virus.
Lesotho places measures to restore order
The military’s deployment into the country’s streets, however, seems to not be related to curbing the spread of the pandemic.
In an address made on national TV, Thabane said he has “deployed the army to take control of this situation and take necessary measures against these elements in alignment with the security orders and restore peace and order.
“This is to avoid putting the nation in danger,” he said.
Tom Thabane
The move by the 80-year-old has been widely criticised, with some going as far as labelling it “martial law”.
Worrying Millitary Movements in Lesotho following a rather complex Prime Minister’s statement warning against people using apparatus of government like courts of law to do stabilize the country! @AfricanPerspec1 @SABCNews pic.twitter.com/WIU1teDQXd
— Rapelang Radebe (@ntateRaps) April 18, 2020
Tom Thabane acts against “terrorism acts”
Thabane is himself facing legal action stemming from his alleged involvement in the 2017 murder of his first wife Lipolelo, which he has dismissed as a plot to oust him from his seat as Prime Minister.
He accused members of his All Basotho Convention of plotting a coup against him.
“I therefore order security bosses to investigate these terrorism acts and ensure that legal action is taken against those leading this campaign,” said Thabane.
Lesotho closed its borders before any cases of the novel coronavirus were recorded.
The sovereign kingdom – located between the South African provinces of Free State, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal – has also instructed its citizens stuck in the Republic to stay put and not return.
Lesotho’s lockdown is expected to be lifted in the coming week.
“However, the lockdown is still expected to end on the 21st April 2020. The extension of the lockdown will be decided by government after assessing the general situation surrounding the pandemic,” a statement issued out by the Prime Minister’s office reads.
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