Top post for ''Maesaiah victim

(MENAFN - The Post) MASERU – In a stunning turn of events, Thato Sibolla, the key witness and also victim in the Maesaiah Thabane's murder trial, has landed a top diplomatic post.Sibolla started her new job as consular at the Lesotho High Commission in Pretoria a few weeks ago. Selimo Thabane, former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's son, has also been appointed to a mission in South Africa.Sibolla has been living in exile in South Africa, under Amnesty International protection, since she fled the country in 2019 when the police started to question ''Maesaiah in connection with the murder of Lipolelo Thabane. She was with Lipolelo, Thabane's wife, when they were attacked by gunmen in Ha Masana in June 2017.Lipolelo died from gunshot wounds while Sibolla was injured and spent several weeks in hospital. In 2019, Sibolla briefly returned to Lesotho after ''Maesaiah was arrested and charged with Lipolelo's murder and her attempted murder. She however fled again when the former First Lady was controversially granted bail.Sibolla told the media then that she didn''t feel safe as long as ''Maesaiah was out on bail. Sibolla is regarded as a star witness in ''Maesaiah's trial.She could also be a key witness if Thabane is charged with Lipolelo's murder as the police have indicated. Last night, police sources told thepost that Thabane might join ''Maesaiah in the dock in the next few days because the Director of Public Prosecution has approved that he be charged with Lipolelo's murder and the attempted murder of Sibolla.Sibolla, who has a permanent position at the Ministry of Law and Justice, confirmed that she has been deployed in Pretoria but could not reveal her position because she doesn''t have approval from the government.Her appointment has caused consternation in some quarters that believe that it could be linked to ''Maesaiah's trial and the impending charges against Thabane. Sibolla however said she doesn''t believe there is a link between the two.Teboho Mapetla, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the appointment of Sibolla and Selimo Thabane but said she could not give specific details.Asked if Sibolla's appointment would not interfere with the ''Maesaiah case, Mapetla said it was not her place to answer such questions. ''I cannot answer the question of whether Ms Thato Sibolla's appointment will interfere with her testifying as a witness in a court or any reason for her appointment,'' Mapetla said.''I am not the appointing authority, that is the preserve of the cabinet. We as the Foreign Affairs Ministry only get instructions from the office of the Government Secretary about who is appointed and where they are assigned to.'' The motive for Sibolla's appointment remains unclear. As a civil servant, she can be deployed to a foreign mission.But given her centrality in the upcoming murder case against ''Maesaiah and Thabane, Sibolla's appointment is curious by its timing.Diplomatic positions, by their nature and tradition, are political appointments driven by the ruling political parties. Several sources told thepost that as early as December last year the All Basotho Convention (ABC)'s deployment committee had prepared a shortlist of candidates for the diplomatic missions.That list, the sources said, was approved by the party's working committee before it was submitted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.The sources however said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's office rejected that list and came up with their own. Staff Reporter Like this:Like Loading...MENAFN25052021000229011070ID1102134631