By Moorosi Tsiane
The widow of assassinated former army commander, Maaparankoe Mahao, told the High Court on Tuesday this week that her husband’s pleas for protection were ignored by then Minister of Defence, Tseliso Mokhosi.
Mamphanya Mahao took the stand as the 39th state witness in the ongoing high-profile murder trial of former army commander Tlali Kamoli and nine others, who face charges related to Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Mahao’s killing on 25 June 2015.
Testifying before Judge Charles Hungwe, Mamphanya said her husband was aware of a plot within the army to stage a fake arrest with the intention of killing him.
“Minister Mokhosi was one of the people Ntate Maaparankoe had approached after his security was withdrawn, but he didn’t assist him in any way,” Mamphanya testified.
Fearing for their safety, the family frequently relocated.
“We had been warned to change places several times. On one of those days, we drove towards Mokema. I dropped him at Ha Makhalanyane, where he walked through the fields to Mokema,” she said.
To protect each other, the couple took turns sleeping.
“That arrangement continued until 24 June 2015. I thought he might miss some things while asleep, so it was better if one of us stayed awake.”
On the day of his death, Mamphanya had travelled to Mafeteng. Her sister-in-law, Mpolelo, later arrived to inform her and the children that Mahao had been involved in an accident and hospitalised.
“I asked her if she was sure he was at the hospital or the mortuary,” Mamphanya said, explaining that her doubt came from the warnings her husband had given.
“He used to say that if I heard he had encountered army members, I should not have false hope — I should know he was dead. He said they would pretend it was an arrest, but the plan was to kill him. They would say it was an arrest gone wrong.”
Mamphanya said Lt-Gen Mahao believed none of those allegedly assigned to arrest him would do so if proper protocol was followed, because they were all his juniors.
Later that day, two of his relatives — Mabilikoe Mahao and Leuta Mahao (both present during the shooting) — arrived driving Mahao’s vehicle. Police later confirmed that Lt-Gen Mahao was dead.
The family’s efforts to retrieve his body were initially blocked by the army, and it took a habeas corpus application filed against Kamoli for the court to order the release of Mahao’s remains.
She said the family publicly refuted official statements and reached out to international organisations in their quest for justice.
“We approached SADC, which formed a commission headed by retired judge Justice Phumaphi. The commission’s report recommended action against those responsible for Mahao’s death,” she said.
Mamphanya added that the family had lost confidence in the then government, accusing it of dishonesty about the circumstances of Mahao’s death. Determined to seek justice, she attended a SADC Heads of State meeting in Botswana where the commission’s report was tabled.
“Although I had not made any arrangements when I went to Botswana, God favoured me and I came back with the report in its original form,” she told the court.
She said the original report named those implicated in the killing, but the version presented by the government had the names removed.
Mamphanya also described the challenges the family faced in retrieving her husband’s belongings from the army.
“It was a long struggle to get Mahao’s properties. Ultimately, only two cellphones and a firearm were handed over. They refused to give us his spectacles,” she said.
Her testimony strengthens the prosecution’s case that Mahao’s death was premeditated and politically motivated, not a result of lawful arrest procedures.
Lt-Gen Mahao was gunned down on the outskirts of Maseru in Ha Lekete, Mokema, allegedly during a botched attempt to arrest him — a claim discredited by a Southern African Development Community (SADC) commission of inquiry, which found the killing unjustified.
The accused in the matter are former army commander and Mahao’s long-time rival, Kamoli, along with several of his then subordinates: Captains Litekanyo Nyakane and Haleo Makara; Sergeants Lekhooa Moepi and Motsamai Fako; and Corporals Marasi ‘Moleli, Motšoane Machai, Mohlalefi Seitlheko, and Tšitso Ramoholi.
They are also charged with the attempted murder of Leuta and Mabilikoe by firing into their vehicle, and malicious damage to property for riddling the mini-truck with bullets.
Kamoli faces additional charges of theft for allegedly stealing Lt-Gen Mahao’s 9mm pistol and Samsung Galaxy mobile phone.
The trial continues, with defence lawyers cross-examining Mamphanya.
