The estranged wife of Lesotho's Prime Minister-elect Thomas Thabane was shot dead Wednesday night, two days before his inauguration.
Lipolelo Thabane, 58, was shot dead just as she was about to enter her village home on the outskirts of the capital Maseru.
She was accompanied by a female friend who survived the shooting but had to undergo surgery, South Africa's News24 website reported.
Lipolelo and Thabane had been living separately since 2012 after filing for divorce, which had not yet been granted.
Police say they are still investigating the motive behind the shooting.
Thabane 77, leader of the All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, won a snap election held earlier this month after incumbent Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili lost a confidence vote in parliament.
The landlocked kingdom encircled by South Africa has faced political volatility since 2014, after an attempted coup.
Thabane will be sworn into office on Friday.
