Maseru — A 24-year-old man from Mohlakeng is expected to appear before court on Monday in connection with the death of his pregnant partner, Ms. Nozipho Pokola, whose body was found in a burnt shack at Motse-Mocha.

The Officer Commanding Criminal Investigations Division (CID), Senior Inspector Adv. Fusi Makhofola, confirmed the development in an interview with the Agency on Thursday.

He said the suspect and the deceased were reportedly a couple expecting a child. According to preliminary investigations, the two had spent the evening at a bar before returning to the deceased's home, where they slept.

Senior Inspector Makhofola said the suspect told police that he later woke up and noticed smoke filling the shack. He claimed he tried to wake the deceased without success before escaping through a window. He further stated that the shack door remained locked.

Meanwhile, Chief of Motse-Mocha, Lesaoana Lekhooana, said he received a telephone call at around 4:30 a.m. informing him that a shack was on fire and that a loud explosion, believed to have been caused by a gas cylinder, had been heard.

He said he rushed to the scene with villagers and found the shack engulfed in flames while the door was still locked. Suspecting that someone was trapped inside, they dismantled part of the structure and later recovered the body of Ms. Pokola, which had been burnt beyond recognition.

Chief Lekhooana said the incident has left the community in shock, adding that the deceased has left behind a three-year-old child.

Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.

In a separate incident, Senior Inspector Makhofola said police are investigating the death of a 52-year-old man from Ha-Tanka, who was found dead inside his vehicle on Wednesday.

He said the circumstances surrounding the death are under investigation and the motive has not yet been established. According to police, there was no immediate indication of domestic conflict prior to the incident.