Johannesburg/Maseru - A politician in Lesotho was shot dead, allegedly by the husband of one of his colleagues, police in the southern African mountain kingdom said Tuesday. Dominic Motikoe, the head of the National Independent Party was gunned down while on his way back from Parliament on Monday, police spokesman David Mphana was quoted as saying in a report by the South African Press Association.

"Motikoe dropped off his female colleague at her home. Her husband then ran out of the house with a pistol and fired five shots at him," according to Mphana.

The man said he suspected the politician was having an affair with his wife, he added.

The shooting was the second in less than a week involving a politician in the tiny country that is landlocked with South Africa.

Last week, Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili reportedly escaped an apparent attempt on his life by an unknown armed group. The group stormed his residence in the capital Maseru, but his bodyguards intervened, killing two of the men.(dpa)