Court Martial to proceed against mutiny suspects

Staff Reporter

MASERU – The Martial Court has been given the go-ahead by the High Court to try the three members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) who face mutiny charges.

The trio include Major Pitso Ramoepane, along with Captains Boiketsiso Fonane and Litekanyo Nyakane.

The three officers are accused of the mutiny that allegedly occurred at the Ratjomose Military Barracks on September 05, 2017.

The alleged mutiny resulted in the fatal shooting of the former army commander Lieutenant General Khoantle Mots’omots’o on the same day.

Two other senior army officers, Colonel Tefo Hashatsi and Brigadier Bulane Sechele were also allegedly killed in the shoot-out by Mots’omots’o’s bodyguards.

High Court judge, Justice Ts’eliso Monaphathi on Monday shot down Ramoepane’s application to stay the proceedings of the Court Martial, saying the court could competently try the three accused.

Proceedings before the Court Martial were postponed on January 10 after Ramoepane had filed his application before the High Court.

Major Ramoepane and his co-accused are tried by a six- member panel that comprises among others the court  president Brigadier Mabote Sekoboto and the court’s judge advocate, retired Justice Matanzima Winston Maqutu.