Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, 80, is to be charged with the murder of his estranged wife Lipolelo Thabane, police have said.

Mr Thabane announced he would be stepping down in July because of old age, without commenting about the case.

His current wife Maesaiah Thabane has already been charged with the murder.

He would be the first African leader to be charged with a domestic murder while in office, in a case that has shocked the tiny mountain kingdom.

BBC Africa Live: Updates on this and other stories
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Lipolelo, 58, was shot dead two days before Mr Thabane became prime minister in 2017.

At the time, he described her killing as "senseless" but police now accuse him of being involved in her killing.


Mr Thabane married Maesaiah at a public ceremony in 2017
"The prime minister is going to be charged with the murder," Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.