Hopolang Mokhopi
THE Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is investigating the circumstances under which convicted double-murder accused, Lefa Mabusane, was released from custody. It says it has more questions than answers over how a man facing multiple serious charges ended up out of prison.
Mabusane, now in his 30s, shocked the nation in 2014 when he allegedly bludgeoned two nurses to death with a rock before stealing their vehicle. He was 22 years old at the time.
He was returned to prison last week after prosecutors discovered he was no longer in the custody of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS), despite their understanding that he remained incarcerated on separate charges.
The issue came to light after a prosecutor handling one of Mabusane’s pending cases searched for him at the LCS remand facility in Maseru when he repeatedly failed to appear before the Maseru Magistrates’ Court.
He is facing charges arising from the alleged assault of Mpho Matholi at Ha Tsolo on 14 April 2024. The prosecution alleges that he struck the complainant with a blunt object before strangling her.
Following his eventual appearance before Magistrate Lerato Ntelane last Thursday, the court ordered that he be remanded in LCS custody while prosecutors investigate how he secured his release.
Mabusane first became a wanted man in 2014 after fleeing to South Africa following the murders of nurses Mpho Khutsoane and Mathebane Ramatabooe on 11 August that year. He also faces a charge of robbing Ms Khutsoane of her blue Volkswagen Golf 4.
Police investigators at the time described the murder scene as one of the most gruesome they had encountered. The two women were found with severe head injuries and crushed skulls, while a blood-stained rock believed to have been used in the killings was recovered at the scene.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Lehlanako Mofilikoane, told the Lesotho Times this week that when the DPP’s office sought Mabusane’s extradition from South Africa in 2014, authorities there informed them that he had been convicted of another offence and was serving a 10-year prison sentence.
She said prosecutors only became aware that he had returned to Lesotho after he was arrested in 2024 in connection with the Ha Tsolo assault case and a separate rape case in the same area.
“Mabusane never formally applied for bail in relation to the assault case. Instead, he sought discharge under the Speedy Trial Act, arguing that his case had not proceeded within 60 days of his detention,” Adv Mofilikoane said.
“We strongly opposed his release and the court set the matter down for argument on 4 September 2024. However, those arguments were never heard and, as far as we knew, he remained incarcerated.”
She explained that the Speedy Trial Act allows suspects who remain in custody to apply for release if their trial has not commenced within 60 days without justifiable reasons.
Adv Mofilikoane said prosecutors were now investigating the circumstances under which Mabusane was released, given the seriousness of the charges he faces.
She added that once authorities realised he was back in Lesotho, the prosecution revived the 2014 double murder case, which is now before Justice Tšeliso Mokoko in the High Court.
“When we sought his extradition in 2014, we were informed that he had been convicted in South Africa and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, although I cannot recall the offence.
“We were surprised to see him again after he was arrested in the assault case in 2024. We do not know when he was released from prison in South Africa or whether he was deported back to Lesotho.”
When the murder trial commenced on 8 June 2026, the prosecution opposed Mabusane’s application for bail, arguing that he posed a flight risk because he had previously fled the country after the killings.
However, his lawyer, Advocate Lepeli Molapo, argued that there was no evidence that his client intended to abscond. He submitted that the prosecution had failed to produce proof that an arrest warrant had ever been issued following the 2014 murders and pointed out that Mabusane had voluntarily appeared before the High Court.
Justice Mokoko subsequently granted him bail in the murder case.
Despite that ruling, the prosecution believed Mabusane should still have remained behind bars because of the pending assault matter. It was on that basis that prosecutors successfully asked Magistrate Ntelane to remand him in custody while investigations into his earlier release continued.
“Now that he is incarcerated, it is the appropriate time for the prosecution to oppose his bail,” Adv Mofilikoane said.
The Crown and Mabusane’s legal team are expected to argue his latest bail application before Magistrate Ntelane on 4 August 2026.
