Two soldiers convicted over Mohale Dam triple murders

…as High Court finds duo guilty after years-long trial

Moorosi Tsiane

TWO soldiers, Sergeant Lekhooa Moepi and Private Liphapang Tikiso, have become the latest members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) to be convicted over a string of high-profile killings that rocked the country between 2014 and 2017.

In a judgment delivered this week, Justice Moroke Mokhesi found Moepi guilty of kidnapping and murdering Lekhoele Noko. Tikiso was convicted on three counts of murdering Noko, Khothatso Makibinyane and Molise Pakela, whose bodies were dumped in Mohale Dam on 16 May 2017.

The convictions bring to an end the criminal trial arising from one of the most chilling incidents involving members of the LDF, in which three civilians disappeared before their bodies were later recovered from the dam.

Sgt Moepi and Pvt Tikiso were the only remaining accused after former Military Intelligence commander Brigadier Mphaki Rapele, Major Pitso Ramoepana, Captain Mahlehle Moeletsi, Warrant Officer Liphapang Sefako, Lance Corporal Mahlomola Makhoali, Private Nthatakane Motanyane, Motšoane Machai and Nemase Faso were acquitted in August last year.

During final submissions, defence lawyer, Attorney Qhalehang Letsika, argued that the Crown had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that his clients participated in the killings.

He said the prosecution had failed to establish what happened at Setibing, where the victims were allegedly murdered, arguing that without evidence of the events there, the accused had no case to answer.

Mr Letsika further argued that no witness had testified about what transpired at Setibing, making an acquittal the only appropriate outcome.

Regarding Private Liphapang Tikiso, he submitted that the fact Tikiso pointed investigators to where the bodies were dumped did not prove he had participated in the murders, saying he could have obtained that information from colleagues or other soldiers.

For Sergeant Lekhooa Moepi, Mr Letsika argued that his confession showed he had acted under military orders and threats from his superiors. He maintained that the orders Moepi initially obeyed, including stopping the bus carrying victim Lekhoele Noko, were lawful and that the Crown had failed to prove what happened after Noko was removed from the bus or to link Moepi directly to the killings.

However, Crown prosecutor, Advocate Motene Rafoneke, urged the court to convict both men, arguing that the prosecution had established a prima facie case which the accused failed to rebut by choosing not to testify.

He submitted that Moepi’s confession, together with the surrounding evidence, proved his involvement in the kidnappings and supported convictions for murder under the doctrines of circumstantial evidence and common purpose.

Adv Rafoneke also argued that Tikiso’s presence at the crime scene and his knowledge of what had occurred were sufficient to infer that he shared a common purpose with those who carried out the killings, and that his failure to testify left the Crown’s evidence unchallenged.

In his judgment, Justice Mokhesi agreed that the circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly implicated both soldiers.

“The Crown’s case is based on circumstantial evidence, and Moepi’s involvement in Lekhoele Noko’s abduction was established by the Crown. Being the last person to be seen with him, he murdered him. He unlawfully and intentionally participated in the kidnapping and killing of the deceased.”

On Tikiso, the judge found that his conduct after the killings was highly incriminating.

“According to the evidence shared by the witness, Tikiso is the one who led the soldiers to where the three bodies were found. It is common cause that the spot he pointed out is where the bodies were retrieved.”

Justice Mokhesi rejected the defence’s suggestion that Tikiso merely knew the location through hearsay.

“The mere possibility of the accused knowing the spot because he was told is quite fanciful. It is difficult to fathom what he would be doing at Mohale Dam to see where the gangsters had thrown the bodies.”

The court accordingly convicted Moepi of kidnapping and murdering Noko, while Tikiso was found guilty on all three counts of murder.

Following the convictions, Mr Letsika requested that sentencing be postponed to allow him to consult his clients on the way forward.

Justice Mokhesi postponed the matter to 28 August 2026 for mitigation proceedings before sentencing the two convicted soldiers.

Their conviction follows that of Sergeant Tjekane Sebolai and Corporal Selone Ratšiu, who were in June sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment each by Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane for the May 2014 murder of Lisebo Tang and attempted murder of Tšepo Jane. Meanwhile, other high profile trials involving soldiers are at an advanced stage, with the accused soldiers now testifying in their own defence.

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