The murder trial of the wife of Lesotho's prime minister, accused of murdering his previous wife, is set to start next month, a court official is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The magistrate court set 17 March as the date for the start of the trial, a spokeswoman for the court Mampota Phakoe told Reuters.

Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was shot dead outside her home in the capital Maseru two days before his inauguration in 2017.

The couple were involved in bitter divorce proceedings at the time.

An arrest warrant was issued for First Lady Maesaiah Thabane on 10 January after she disappeared. She later handed herself in to be questioned by police.

She made a brief appearance in court on Tuesday.