Ex-husband of murdered magistrate appears in court

The husband of South African Regional Court Magistrate Mamello Thamae last week appeared in a Lesotho court. According to a Volksblad report, the court ordered the continued incarceration of Lehlohonolo Maketoane pending extradition proceedings. Maketoane was arrested after his wife's body was found tied up and gagged in the boot of their Kia Sportage last month. The vehicle tracker showed they had jumped the border via the Ficksburg border post. Local police traced the car to a guest house in Mokhotlong. He allegedly confessed to killing Thamae, blaming his actions on their broken marriage. Maketoane may be held in custody for 60 days pending the processes. SAPS police spokesperson Loraine Earle says an application for extradition has already been submitted. Thamae was buried last weekend. Thamae’s death sent shockwaves across the judiciary, with the SA Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges condemning the country’s unrelenting scourge of gender-based violence. Free State Deputy Judge President Martha Mbhele paid homage to Thamae, who previously acted as a judge in that division. ‘She executed her duties with distinction,’ Mbhele said at the funeral.

Full Volksblad report (subscription needed)