CAPE TOWN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Thursday called for calm in Lesotho following the killing of Lipolelo Thabane, wife of Prime Mister-elect Tom Thabane.
"South Africa calls on law enforcement authorities to expeditiously investigate the crime and bring the perpetrator/s to justice," said Nelson Kgwete, spokesperson of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Lipolelo was killed on Wednesday night just two days before the inauguration of her husband. The motive for the killing remains unknown.
"The South African government conveys its deepest condolences to the Thabane family during this difficult time of mourning," Kgwete said.
Lipolelo's killing has raised fears of continued political instability in Lesotho.
Thabane, who won the general elections on June 3, will replace outgoing Prime Minister Pakalithi Mosisili who took power following a failed coup attempt in 2014.
The elections, declared as largely peaceful and democratic by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), were more than three years ahead of schedule due to a successful vote of no confidence against Mosisili.
The coalition government, led by Mosisili of the Democratic Congress (DC) party, has recently fragmented, and Parliament in March voted in favor of replacing Mosisili with Monyane Moleleki, whose Alliance of Democrats party split from the DC last year.
Also on Thursday, South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also a SADC facilitator, reiterated his view that the holding of democratic elections in Lesotho underlines the determination of the people of the region and the continent to ensure good political and economic governance.
Ramaphosa will pay an official visit to Maseru on June 16 to join regional and international leaders in the inauguration of Thabane.
Ramaphosa has been mandated by the SADC to convene a multi-stakeholder dialogue forum to build consensus for the implementation of SADC decisions, including the constitutional and security sector reforms in Lesotho.
Lesotho, completely landlocked by South Africa, is one of the world's poorest countries and its economy is heavily dependent on its neighbour, to where it exports water and hydroelectric power. Enditem
