Missing Magistrate’s Lifeless Body Found In Car Boot
South African Police have arrested the husband of a Regional Court Magistrate, Mamello Thamae, age 40 after her body was discovered in the boot of their car in Lesotho.
On Friday, September 22, 2023, the Police launched a manhunt after Thamae and her husband, Lehlohonolo Maketoane, were reported missing.
At the time, SAPS spokesperson, Captain Loraine Earle, said the pair were last seen in Heilbron, in the Free State.
Narrating the investigation process, police officer Earle said Magistrate Thamae arrived at her home in Heilbron at around 4 a.m. Thursday and the car drove off from the family home. A cell phone and her husband’s clothing were also missing, while Her clothes and cell phone were still at home.
At the time, Earle said there was a strong suspicion that the vehicle may have driven through the Ficksburg Port of Entry into Lesotho.
On Saturday, September 23, police confirmed that the couple’s vehicle was traced to a guest house in Mokhotlong in Lesotho, where the Lesotho Mounted Police Service questioned the husband, who pointed out his wife’s lifeless body in the vehicle’s boot.
He was detained in Lesotho awaiting extradition back to South Africa to face possible charges of kidnapping and murder.
Police said processes were being followed to have the suspect brought back to Heilbron next week.
