Seventy-two-year-old Stemmere Ishmael Haraman was axed on the neck and his lifeless body was then dragged into a nearby hut.
Four others, including the Harmans’ son and his two children and a herdboy were also murdered in the mayhem in a small village of Ha-Ratomo in Mafeteng.
Twigs that had been gathered around the five showed that their attackers had wanted to set the hut alight and burn their bodies.
The incident happened three weeks ago.
Chief Ramatheola Mojela told thepost that he was shocked when he went to the home of the Harmans’..
The chief said when he entered the house he was met with disfigured bodies thrown in a hut, twigs gathered around them.
“It seems like there was an attempt to burn the bodies,” Chief Mojela said.
He said he got a call on Saturday morning informing him of the brutal killings.
“I met the shock of my life as I entered the hut and saw lifeless bodies sprawled on the floor,” Chief Mojela said.
The village chief told thepost that he suspects the gunmen were related to the slayed family.
The gruesome killing happened around 9pm while the deceased were already asleep.
Chief Mojela said the bodies also had open wounds, showing that an axe could have been used to finish them off after they were shot.
“They were butchered. They were killed in cold blood,” he said.
Around the homestead, an undisclosed number of bullet shells were found.
“This is not the work of two people. It looks like there were many people attacking the family,” he said.
He said all the windowpanes of the family’s five-roomed house were broken.
He said their preliminary investigations showed that some items in the house were also looted.
“Furniture inside the house was also vandalised,” Chief Mojela said.
However, they are yet to know from some family members who might have some information.
Chief Mojela said the family’s Honda Fit car that was parked in front of the house was also smashed with stones.
“This car was used to transport students to and from school,” he said.
He said the police and army were informed and were able to come to the horrible scene.
“The army were the first to come,” he said.
Soldiers based in Mafeteng and Tšupane barracks were able to rush to the scene to also witness what had happened.
And later the police arrived.
The bodies were collected by the police while the army arrived after being informed of the horrible incident.
Chief Mojela said from their observation, the lifeless bodies of both the 72-year-old man and his son were dragged from the main house to the hut so that they could be set on fire together with the two children and the herdboy.
When the sound of guns was heard, people tried to come to investigate what was happening but had to retreat when the attackers shot at them, the chief said.
“People only came in the morning to see the horror scene,” Chief Mojela said.
He said the suspects are known as they are from the same village.
He said the family of the deceased was embroiled in an altercation with relatives last month during an initiation school ceremony while they were drunk.
They thought the issue had been resolved, he said.
Chief Mojela said it seems like the suspects were still holding a grudge against the family.
He said murders are common in his area where illegal guns are usually used.
Chief Mojela said this is highly regrettable because Harmans once approached him to mediate between him and the suspects.
“I summoned the two warring sides for mediation,” he said.
The suspects at that time were allegedly accusing Harmans of inviting the army to the village to harass them.
One of the relatives, Ralebote Harmans, said his brother’s family was once accused of having invited the army to the place and that caused commotion in the village.
He said his brother took the matter to the chief where those who suspected him of inviting the army failed to produce evidence to support their claim.
Ralebote Harmans said those who were accusing them of inviting the army asked for forgiveness.
He said they demanded answers from their accusers why they had thought they had invited the soldiers into the village but there were no answers.
“We thought we had buried the hatchet,” he said.
He said they discovered about six bullet shells in his brother’s room.
“My brother was also axed around the neck. He was killed in his room and his body was dragged to the hut,” Ralebote Harmans said.
The wife of Stemmere Harmans died five years ago.
This means there is no one left in the family.
“The family has been wiped out within minutes,” Ralebote Harmans said.
The MP for Thaba-Phechela, Mohau Hlalele, said they rushed to the scene to witness what had happened.
Ha-Ratomo is not within his constituency but it is adjacent to it.
Hlalele said what happened in the area is a serious concern in the country.
“People just commit murders with impunity,” Hlalele said.
He said the law enforcement agencies have to up their game so that murderers are deterred.
“There is a law that allows the courts to sentence murderers up to 30 years but that law is not being applied,” Hlalele said.
There is a mounting fear in the area that the killers might come back.
Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Kabelo Halahala confirmed the ghastly crime.
“No arrests have been made at this juncture,” he said.
He said their investigations are still continuing.
“There was an attempt to set the deceased alight after fatally shooting them,” S/Supt Halahala said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sam Matekane, Finance Minister Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane, and Minister Limpho Tau paid homage to the five murdered people in Mafeteng yesterday.
Four of the slain were a father, son, and two grandchildren while the fifth was their herd’s man whose home was in Machache, Maseru.
The government is assisting in the burial of the five.
Paying his condolences to the bereaved, Matekane said the government is “working aggressively and tirelessly to make Lesotho a home for all to live in peace and tranquillity”.
Matekane said Mafeteng district is notorious for murders.
“If people have misunderstandings, that does not give them a ticket to kill each other,” Matekane said.
“We have bought cars for the police so that they should be able to attend crime scenes on time,” he said.
The deceased will be buried this Saturday.
Majara Molupe
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