Lesotho Prime Minister to resign over alleged links to wife murder

Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has bowed to pressure to step down over evidence allegedly linking him to the murder of his estranged wife, according to the ruling party.

The announcement on Thursday followed accusation by senior members of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party that Thabane was hampering investigations into the killing. ABC had called for his resignation last week.

"Mr Thabane has already made known his decision to resign to the cabinet in its seating on Tuesday," ABC spokesman Montoeli Masoetsa told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

Masoetsa said the next step for the party was to appoint a replacement, which would then need to be approved by the parliament.

"There is no exact date in place as to when Thabane shall step down but it's going to be soon," Masoetsa said.