FORMER Lesotho prime minister Ntsu Mokhehle died on Wednesday night at a hospital in Bloemfontein, Lesotho government officials confirmed on Thursday. The 80-year-old former head of state fell ill during celebrations to mark his birthday on December 26 and was rushed to hospital in Bloemfontein, where he remained until he died. Mokhehle was treated for a heart ailment in a South African hospital in 1996, however the cause of his death has not been confirmed. Mokhehle led the erstwhile ruling party — the Basotholand Congress Party. In 1997 he founded a new party, called the Lesotho Congress of Democracy, which continued to rule the tiny kingdom. Mokhehle was prime minister of Lesotho from 1993 until his retirement last year.