Africa-Press – Lesotho. SARELE ‘Lehlanya’ Sello, the leader of a faction of the fearsome Terene gang, could have played an important role in the arrest of the four gangsters accused of killing journalist Ralikonelo Joki.
The police have named three of the four suspects. They are Sootho Liphoto, 35, Kamo Phakoe, 35 and Mothusi Tlelase, 31. The fourth suspect, whose name is known to thepost, has not been officially named but the police described him as an initiation school owner.
thepost can reveal that the police could have had some contact with Lehlanya as they pursued the four suspects who had fled to South Africa. Sources privy to the investigation say that communication continued for three weeks until Tuesday night when the suspects handed themselves to the police.
A source said Lehlanya’s contact with the police was already in full swing when he sneaked into Lesotho to attend Joki’s funeral. The source said Lehlanya agreed to help the police because he was close friends with Joki whom he described at the funeral as “close as a brother”.
Lehlanya, who is wanted in South Africa for murders, used his eulogy at the funeral to deny social media rumours that he had a hand in Joki’s murder. He complained that those who implicated him in the killing were just trying to shift the police focus from the truth.
The source said by the time he made that speech Lehlanya had been in contact with the police for several days and was already “doing his own digging”.
“Lehlanya was angry that his name was being mentioned in connection with the murder. Getting the suspects arrested was his way of clearing his name,” the source said. The police made the first breakthrough when they arrested the man who had driven the suspects on the night of Joki’s murder.
The driver also told the police that six days after Joki’s murder the suspect hired him again to drive them to Mokema where they killed parliament coordinator Mothibe Mothibe. Thomello Ntsane, the woman who was with Mothibe in the car, was also killed. By early last week, the police were communicating with the suspects.
This, the source said, explains why Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli confidently announced at a police pass-out parade last Friday that they knew who had killed Joki and they would soon be arresting them.
“Lehlanya and his people were pilling pressure on the three suspects to hand themselves to the police,” the source said.
He said the police were informed when the three suspected set off for Lesotho on Tuesday afternoon. “Their movements were known to both the police and Lehlanya.
“They were also communicating with the police in Lesotho.
” He said the suspects “knew that the police were waiting for them at the border because that was the plan”.
“The police will not acknowledge Lehlanya’s help for obvious reasons, but he had a hand in it.
” Lehlanya initially agreed to be interviewed but his phone was later unreachable.
Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli told a press conference on Tuesday, hours before the arrests, that one of the suspects had a “conflict with Joki about some initiation school matters and he decided that they (should) go to shoot Joki”.
It is not clear if S/Supt Mopeli was referring to the fourth suspect the police have not officially named. Joki was also an instructor at an initiation school. The suspects are expected to appear in court today.
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