In a powerful testimony before the court this week, ‘Malebohang Lenka described her former home as a place of terror and trauma, saying it was a ‘battleground of constant strife’ under her late husband Maqoaebe Lenka’s roof.
“His unfounded accusations drove me to flee with our children for three years, desperate to escape the abusive environment he created,” Lenka told the court.
She revealed that her fifth child, Motlatsi Lenka, now 23, was one of many in the household who suffered regular physical abuse at the hands of their father, along with systemic deprivation of their basic rights.
She recounted how the late Maqoaebe had pulled the children out of school, forced them into labour, and kept the earnings for himself.
Describing the events that led to the fatal incident, she said: “The accused [Motlatsi] reached out to me in distress, saying his father, armed with a spear, was attacking him, accusing him of spying during an illness. Not long after, I received a gut-wrenching call: my husband was dead, killed by our own son, allegedly from blows to the head with a hammer.”
She added: “This profound loss continues to haunt me,” she said, adding that her pain is compounded by ongoing disputes with her late husband’s siblings, who are contesting her claim to land and tools.
Despite all this, she urged the court to consider a reduced sentence for her son, citing the complex and violent circumstances of his upbringing.
Motlatsi Lenka, of Ha Makhabane, Thaba-Bosiu, Maseru, stands accused of killing his father by striking him on the head with a four-pound hammer. The incident occurred when Motlatsi was just 17 years old. The court has since found him guilty of the offence.
In his own words, Motlatsi expressed remorse and described the years of abuse that preceded the tragic event. He asked the court for leniency, acknowledging the gravity of his actions while emphasising that he was a minor at the time and reacting to an abusive situation.
The sentencing has been postponed to June 2, 2025.
Relebohile Makhetha is a court and crime reporter based in Maseru. She has been working at Newsday since 2024. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Communication from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (2024) and a Diploma in Mass Communication from the National University of Lesotho (Institute of Extra-Mural Studies, 2018).
