Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane announced his intention to resign, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported.
A spokesperson for the ruling party All Basotho Convention (ABC) said Mr Thabane will officially announce his resignation to the cabinet on Tuesday January 21.
No reason has been given for Mr Thabane’s decision, although the party had last week asked him to resign after court documents made him a person of interest in the 2017 murder of his estranged wife Lipolelo Thabane.
The estranged wife of Thabane has been shot dead two days before his inauguration. Lipolelo Thabane, 58, was travelling home with a friend when both women were shot by an unknown assailant, according to Police.
His current wife Maesaiah Thabane is wanted by police for questioning over the murder. An arrest warrant has been issued for the first lady but she has gone missing.
The women were involved in a legal battle over who should be first lady. The courts ruled in favor of Lipolelo Thabane.
Lesotho, a mountain state encircled by South Africa, three-quarters of which lies more than 1,800 metres above sea level, is one of the world’s poorest countries and has one of Africa’s highest levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence, according to Reuters.