swaziland times

MBABANNE – Chaos almost broke out at Matsafa Maximum Prison after former MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza reportedly incited prisoners to riot.

The former Hosea congressman allegedly accused correctional officers of feeding inmates unpalatable food and began chanting political slogans.
Other inmates reacted similarly, according to sources. Mabuza also reportedly tried to attack a senior correctional officer. Tensions were so high that prison authorities were forced to bring in new soldiers from the Correctional College to quell a situation that appeared to be spinning out of control. Meanwhile, the prisoners were said to have been ordered to return to their cells immediately.

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Sources said some inmates complied with the order while others stayed put. However, the inmates who stayed put followed the others into the cell after realizing they might get into trouble, sources said. It is alleged that Mabuza violated prison regulations more than a dozen times during his two years and 11 months in detention.
However, there are different views on why Mabuza lost his cool on that fateful day. Another version is that on June 16, 2024, Mabuza wanted to use the phone but was reportedly refused, so he banged the receiver against the wall.

The chief allegedly felt that Mabuza was disrespecting him and reported it to the administration, saying the former MP had rang the receiver. His help was allegedly sought by another prisoner who was responsible for supervising other prisoners (tibondza) at Matsafa Maximum Prison. The prisoner was allegedly going to hold meetings with other prisoners from various dormitories in order to influence them to attack or even kill Mabuza. “It is true that meetings were held in various prisons but the prisoners wanted to know what he (Mabuza) had done to deserve the attack. When he tried to address the prisoners, he was beaten by specially recruited men.

“The threat to his life has not been resolved and he does not feel safe about it,” the source said. Her Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini, said HMCS is governed by the law and is responsible for dealing with issues they encounter in the performance of their duties and how prisoners are handled. She said that under the existing laws, if someone breaks the law, there are ways to deal with it. Dlamini said a number of reports have been made against the former MP.
She said if there was evidence of misconduct by Mabuza, disciplinary action would be taken and the publicist also mentioned that an investigation had been launched.

As previously reported, Mabuza faced at least four internal disciplinary hearings, which forced the Royal Navy to restrict his visitation rights and access to the telephone. Meanwhile, a senior prison officer, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the prison was a professional institution capable of dealing with disruptive inmates like Mabuza.

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“He is a problem every day. We know how to deal with the problems he causes and how to do our job. In Matsapha (the maximum prison) there were over 1,000 prisoners, yet every day it was Bacede. A rational person would ask himself why it was always Bacede. Note that he was not arrested alone, but it was always him and not another. “Why only Baseade? We have other prisoners like Commander Wandile Gina and others. So if we were inclined to treat the prisoners like we did Mabuza or kill them, many of them could have been killed; but that is not the case. The question is, why is it always Baseade? He is not a threat, he is a problem. So why do we kill him?” the senior officer wondered.

He further told this publication that in the event that a situation arises where reinforcements are needed, the correctional department must be proactive in taking steps to prevent such a situation from happening as one inmate could cause a riot. He said reinforcements could be brought in from anywhere, depending on the situation. The senior prison officer said it was not a problem for the Correctional Services Department to bring in fresh officers from its academy to assist them. According to the senior prison officer, the allegation that Mabuza slapped a senior prison officer was not true, but he mentioned that Mabuza had been aggressive towards prison officers on several occasions.

Sources told this publication that they were patient with Mabuza as the Correctional Services management would speak to the prison governors and advise them to understand that Mabuza’s life situation had changed since his arrest and he was now unable to do most of the things he did before he was imprisoned. Sources said prison management wanted officers to understand that Mabuza’s arrest may have been the reason why some things did not go well for him outside the prison, which may have triggered some of the inmates’ behaviour. The senior police officer noted that Mabuza did not assault anyone on the day he was accused of slapping a senior prison officer.

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“He tried to attack them but was stopped. He also did not sing political songs. He talked about giving soup to the prisoners and said other things that could have caused the prisoners to riot. Barsade created trouble, not the prison guards who provoked him. “There was no riot that day as the prisoners seemed to have accepted and returned to their cells after receiving the order. The remaining prisoners also followed suit to avoid trouble,” the source said. Mabuza and former Ngwenpisi MP Mtendeni Dube were found guilty of terrorism and murder by Justice Mumsi Dlamini. They are currently awaiting sentencing.