Share

Lesotho military seize control of police HQ

Maseru - A Lesotho government minister and member of the ruling coalition said on Saturday that the country's military had seized control of the police headquarters and jammed radio stations and phones.

"The armed forces, the special forces of Lesotho, have taken the headquarters of the police," sports minister and leader of the Basotho National Party Thesele Maseribane said, describing a possible coup attempt in the small nation.

"They were driving around the residence of the prime minister and my residence in the early hours of Saturday morning," he said.

"There have been some gunfighting.

"They've jammed phones, they have jammed everything," he added.

Maseribane said he fled hours earlier after being warned.

"The commander said he was looking for me, the prime minister and the deputy minster to take us to the king. In our country that means a coup," he added.

He insisted Prime Minister Tom Thabane's government was still in control.

"The prime minister and myself, (we are) still the coalition government. The prime minister is still in power."

Thabane was "fine", he added, declining to elaborate where the prime minister was.

"There's still a lot of danger. People who have arms are running around Maseru."



We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
50% - 13 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
50% - 13 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.09
+0.6%
Rand - Pound
23.90
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.47
+0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.46
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.8%
Platinum
917.40
+0.6%
Palladium
1,010.00
+0.5%
Gold
2,326.25
+0.5%
Silver
27.41
+0.9%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,776
+0.3%
All Share
74,686
+0.2%
Resource 10
62,136
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,175
-0.8%
Financial 15
15,857
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE