Maesiah Thabane

'Maesaiah or 'Maesiah Thabane (born 16 April 1977) is the wife of the former prime minister of Lesotho Tom Thabane[1] since her marriage to Thabane on 27 August 2017.[1][2]

Maesiah Thabane
First Lady of Lesotho
'
27 August 2017 – 19 May 2020
Prime MinisterTom Thabane
Preceded byMathato Mosisili
Succeeded byMasekoalane Majoro
Personal details
Born
Liabiloe Ramoholi

(1977-04-16) 16 April 1977
Mokhotlong, Lesotho
NationalityMosotho
Political partyAll Basotho Convention
Spouse
Tom Thabane
​
(m. 2017)​

On 10 January 2020, police issued an arrest warrant for Maesiah Thabane in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Tom Thabane's estranged wife Lipolelo Thabane.[3]

Biography

Born Liabiloe Ramoholi to Basotho people, she married Tom Thabane on 27 August 2017 at a ceremony held at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru.[1]

She contested the Mokhotlong seat as a candidate of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party in 2022, receiving 190 votes.[4]

Controversy

In May 2018, allegations arose that Maesiah Thabane Trust Fund Director Makarabo Mojakhomo and her husband, Ministry of Home Affairs officer Thabang Mojakhomo,[5] had defrauded the organisation founded by the first lady of up to M 200,000. On May 21, after Makarabo disappeared from police custody, Amnesty International published a plea for "urgent action", reporting, "Makarabo's family fear that she has been subjected to enforced disappearance given the history of such cases in the country involving security forces".[6] After Mojakhomo's reappearance in South Africa in May 2019, she reported fear that the first lady has "powers to control the police and the judiciary so [she] would not get a free and fair trial with her in control".[7]

Thabane was also accused in September 2018 by Motlohi Maliehe, minister of tourism, environment and culture and chairman of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, of corrupt action.[8] Maliehe was fired from his ministerial position after he claimed Thabane was "torpedoing government by seeking to control ministers and how they performed their duties" and "instigating the removal of ministers who refused to comply with her demands".[9] Such actions have supposedly contributed to the fracturing of the ABC, one "clouded by" similar "disorderly behaviour".[10]

In response to Maliehe's allegations, Thabane cited frustration at "official bungling and government inertia", which "sometimes forced her to take matters into her own hands to ensure Basotho got [the] services they needed".[9] She said she was particularly concerned about the lack of treatment available for cancer patients, as well as HIV/AIDS. In July 2019, she hosted the 12th Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancers in Africa Conference (SCCA), which was attended by some African First Ladies.[11]

References
  1. "Multitudes witness PM's wedding". The Lesotho Government Portal. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. Sello, Limpho (13 October 2017). "First Lady takes on HIV prevention role 1". Lesotho Times. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  3. Mohloboli, Marafaele (20 January 2020). "Lesotho 1st lady's rise to infamy". The Sowetan. Archived from the original on 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  4. Mohloboli, ’Marafaele (2022-10-12). "Bigwigs comprehensively beaten in polls". Lesotho Times. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  5. "Thabane fraud suspect granted M5k bail". Lesotho Times. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  6. "Urgent Action: Trust Fund Boss Goes Missing From Police Custody (Lesotho: UA 113.18)". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  7. Lescij, Lescij. "Heartbroken Mojakhomo speaks from exile". MNNCIJ. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  8. "Prime minister apologises for disunity in the ruling party". country.eiu.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  9. "The reasons behind Maesaiah's tantrums". 24 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  10. "Fractures weaken Lesotho's ruling party". amaBhungane. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  11. says, Kefuoehape mokolatsie (5 March 2019). "Doctorate for First Lady". Lesotho Times. Retrieved 2019-08-30.


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