MASERU-The murder trial of two Lesotho Defence Force members accused of the 2014 killing of Lisebo Tang took a dramatic turn this week when Atlehang Kamoli, son of incarcerated Retired Army Commander Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, took the witness stand in their defence.
The charges stem from a shooting incident on May 9, 2014, at Ha Leqele, Maseru, in which Tang was fatally wounded and a man, Tšepo Jane, was injured. The accused, Private Selone Ratšiu and Lance Corporal Tjekane Sebolai, also face charges of attempted murder and malicious damage to property after bullets allegedly struck Jane’s vehicle.
Testifying before Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane, Kamoli recounted that on the night in question, he and his father were alerted to gunfire near their home by a neighbour, Captain Limo, who was also a member of the army. When they arrived at the scene, they found a vehicle riddled with bullet holes, splattered blood, scattered alcohol bottles, and two injured occupants, a man and a woman.
According to Kamoli, his father instructed him to fetch a vehicle so the injured could be rushed to hospital. “The woman, who was complaining of hip pain, was helped into the back seat. The man managed to get in on his own,” he said.
Accompanied by one of the accused, Private Ratšiu, Kamoli transported the injured to Makoanyane Military Hospital, leaving behind Sebolai and Corporal Kopano Matsoso, who were on duty at the scene. At the hospital, doctors immediately attended to the woman, whom Kamoli recognized as Tang, having grown up with her in Ha Leqele. He later learned that the injured man was Jane.
Kamoli told the court that during the hospital visit, Jane remarked that what had happened was “nonsensical” and expressed regret that it occurred at Kamoli’s home. “I told him he should focus on getting help first,” Kamoli recalled. He added that he never saw Jane again after the incident. Although he had wanted to reach out, he said he was told Jane was in Bloemfontein and feared his family’s reaction given the high-profile nature of the incident and his father’s military role.
Following Kamoli’s testimony, the defence called Corporal Matsoso, who was initially charged alongside the accused in 2014. Matsoso was acquitted in 2020 after the court ruled there was no evidence linking him to the alleged offences.
The prosecution alleges that the accused soldiers fired shots at Tang and Jane, killing Tang and injuring Jane, before damaging Jane’s vehicle by gunfire. The defence maintains that their actions on the night in question do not amount to criminal conduct.
The case, now more than a decade in the making, continues to grip public attention due to its ties to senior military figures and the political climate at the time of the shooting. Proceedings are set to continue before Chief Justice Sakoane, with further defense witnesses expected to testify in the coming days.
