Kabelo Masoabi
LESOTHO is facing an escalating crisis of gender-based violence (GBV), marked by a disturbing rise in the killing of women, most often at the hands of their intimate partners.
Recent police statistics and court cases paint a grim picture of a country grappling with widespread violence against women, prompting renewed calls for urgent and coordinated national action.
According to the Police Child and Gender Protection Unit, an estimated 86 percent of women in Lesotho have experienced some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime. Even more alarming are reports indicating that nearly 47 percent of murdered women were killed by their husbands or intimate partners.
One of the latest cases to shock the nation occurred in Tsime, Botha-Bothe district, where a 33-year-old man appeared before the Botha-Bothe Magistrate’s Court on 31 December 2025, accused of murdering his wife. He is expected to reappear in court on 14 January 2026.
District police commander, Assistant Acting Police Commissioner Motebang Mphahama, said the accused allegedly stabbed his wife twice in the chest with a knife, killing her instantly.
Police investigations revealed that the killing followed a heated argument the night before, during which the accused reportedly ordered his wife to leave their home. The following morning, he allegedly went to her parental home in a neighbouring village and attacked her with a knife in full view of her mother. A brother of the accused later surrendered him to the police.
Meanwhile, in another high-profile case, the High Court sitting in Thaba-Tseka on 22 December 2025 sentenced Mohau Matele to 38 years’ imprisonment for the murder of a woman, Mahali Lekheloha, whom he had unsuccessfully attempted to bed.
Justice Maliepollo Makhetha described the killing as a “brutal act of gender-based violence rooted in sexual entitlement”. Evidence showed that Matele stabbed Ms Lekheloha to death on 5 June 2025 after she rejected his sexual advances following a day of drinking. The court heard that Matele believed he was entitled to sex because he had bought her alcohol.
December alone recorded several deadly incidents. In the Likhetlane area of Leribe district, a 34-year-old man from Tlapaneng village allegedly stabbed his 20-year-old wife eight times before slitting her throat during a public feast marking the signing of initiation graduates.
The couple was reportedly living separately at the time. The young woman died at the scene, and the suspect was arrested shortly thereafter.
In Berea district, 37-year-old Pholo Letsatsi of Khalahali appeared before the Berea Magistrate’s Court on 16 December 2025, charged with murdering his wife. Police said the couple had been separated due to ongoing disputes.
On 13 December 2025, the deceased was reportedly travelling with her boyfriend when the accused followed them to a cliff. The boyfriend fled upon seeing the accused, while Letsatsi allegedly assaulted his wife with a stick until she died. He later surrendered to the police.
Similar cases have been reported in Mokhotlong district. On 11 November 2025, 41-year-old Tšepo Molapo appeared before the Mokhotlong Magistrate’s Court accused of killing his 45-year-old girlfriend.
Police said the couple had been at a nightclub before Molapo accused her of infidelity. Upon arriving at their rented home, he allegedly stabbed her to death with a sharp object.
In another Mokhotlong case, 32-year-old Tieho Malapane of Manganeng appeared in court on 8 October 2025, charged with murdering his wife. Investigations revealed that Malapane allegedly assaulted and stoned his wife after finding her with another man near a local bar.
Despite attempts by community members to intervene, the woman sustained severe injuries and later died in hospital. Commenting on the incident, Detective Senior Inspector Thabiso Daemane appealed to Basotho to respect their families and refrain from engaging in extra-marital affairs.
While police officials have urged communities to resolve disputes peacefully, some statements — such as appeals to refrain from extra-marital affairs — have drawn criticism from activists, who argue that such narratives risk shifting blame onto victims rather than addressing the root causes of violence.
“In Lesotho, hitting or using force against women is not acceptable, yet it happens far too often. It is a serious problem that requires action from both government and society at large,” said a concerned citizen, ’Makamohelo Mokhali.
Studies underscore the scale of the crisis. A Commonwealth report published in 2020 found that about one-third of women in Lesotho experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The report also estimated that GBV costs the country approximately 5.5 percent of its gross domestic product due to lost income and expenditure on healthcare, legal services and policing.
The United Nations in Lesotho has identified sexual and gender-based violence as a priority area for intervention, warning that the safety of women and other vulnerable groups has reached a critical point.
Advocacy groups argue that the crisis demands a structural, systematic and collaborative response involving government, communities and development partners.
In March 2025, the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus urged Prime Minister Sam Matekane to declare a state of emergency over the GBV crisis, citing the relentless killing of women and children.
On 25 November 2025, the implementation of the Counter Domestic Violence Act (2022) took centre stage when the Regional Director of the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office, Lydia Zigomo, met with the Chairperson of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, ’Makatleho Motsoasele, as well as officials from the Senate, National Assembly and the Child and Gender Protection Unit.
The discussions underscored the urgent need for a strengthened multi-sectoral approach to ending gender-based violence in Lesotho, recognising that coordinated efforts across health, justice, social development and community structures are essential to fully operationalise the Act and protect women and girls.
Despite these measures, human rights activists say the continuing wave of killings shows that far more needs to be done. As the nation mourns a growing list of victims, pressure is mounting on authorities to move beyond policy commitments and ensure that women in Lesotho can live free from fear and violence.
