Pascalinah Kabi
A SUSPECTED love triangle has resulted in the stabbing of a 30-year old woman allegedly by her 39-year old partner who was shortly thereafter also killed by a mob on Tuesday in Maseru’s Thetsane suburb.
The tragic event was the culmination of a bizarre love triangle in which the woman was allegedly involved in a three-way relationship with her partner and another man.
However, people who knew the couple told the Lesotho Times they originally came from Mantšonyane in Thaba-Tseka and were initially married to different spouses. After eloping to Maseru, the couple lived together for four years.
Their relationship had reportedly broken down after the woman had dumped the deceased for yet another man.
According to eye-witnesses, the duo appeared to be at loggerheads while walking together from Thetsane Police Station on Tuesday.
They had been summoned to the police station in connection with an assault case the woman had opened against the man.
“Apparently the woman wanted out of their four-year relationship and when she dumped the man, he slapped her,” said one witness.
“They both had spouses residing in their home village in Mantšonyane, Thaba-Tseka but they had been living like a married couple for four years,” another witness said.
The witness said all hell broke loose as the couple walked from the station, with the man fatally stabbing the woman.
The man reportedly tried to run for his life towards the police station after being confronted by onlookers.
“The people who witnessed the whole scene tried to apprehend him but he was so wild and uncontrollable that he started attacking the mob,” said the onlooker.
“That is when they fought back and he was killed in the process. His brains were splattered on the ground after the melee.”
Police spokesperson Superintendent Clifford Molefe confirmed the couple were in a love triangle, saying they were supposed to appear in court yesterday over the assault case.
“The woman opened a case against the man. She claimed that he had assaulted her when she dumped him for another man. They were supposed to appear in court today (Wednesday),” Superintendent Molefe said.
“He allegedly fatally stabbed her in full view of the people who were at the scene and she died instantly.”
Superintendent Molefe said police were investigating the two murder cases and would approach the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) King’s Counsel Leaba Thetsane after completing their investigations.
