02 Jul 2015

The tragic passing on of Lt  Gen. Maaparankoe Mahao reverses the achievements already recorded during the SADC facilitation mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho, according to a statement from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) .

Lt Gen. Mahao was murdered on June 25. He was a former commander of the Lesotho Defence Force and was once a seconded employee of the SADC Secretariat.

“His demise leaves a big void in the fragile political and security environment in the Kingdom of Lesotho and in the SADC region as a whole,” the release stated. SADC further urged the government of Lesotho to bring to justice those responsible for his killing.

SADC reassured “the people and government of the Kingdom of Lesotho that we will continue to support and facilitate efforts that would ensure long-term peace and political stability in the Kingdom.”

The secretariat said the peoples of the SADC region conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved Mahao family and wish them steadfastness, strength, good health, peace and comfort. ENDS