NEAR CHAOS AS BACEDE MOBILISES INMATES TO RIOT

MBABANE – Chaos almost erupted at the Matsapha Maximum Prison when former MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza reportedly mobilised inmates to riot.

The former Hosea Member of Parliament (MP) is alleged to have accused Correctional officers of feeding inmates unpleasant food and started chanting political slogans.
Other inmates, according to the source, responded in like manner.  Mabuza also reportedly tried to attack a senior Correctional officer. It is said the situation was so tense such that the prison authorities had to call for reinforcement from recruits at the Correctional Services College, to quell the situation, which was seemingly getting out of hand.  Meanwhile, the inmates are said to have been ordered to go back to their cells with immediate effect.

Obeyed

The source said some inmates obeyed the order while others remained behind. However, according to the source, the inmates who had remained behind followed the others into the cells after realising that they might be in trouble. In the period of two years and 11 months that he has spent in custody, Mabuza has allegedly breached Correctional laws more than 10 times.  
There are, however, different versions on why Mabuza lost his cool on the fateful day. Another version was to the effect that on June 16, 2024, Mabuza wanted to use the telephone but was reportedly denied that privilege and he banged the receiver against the wall.

The officer-in-charge is said to have felt disrespected by Mabuza, such that he approached the administration, stating that the former MP had purportedly banged the receiver.  It is alleged that assistance was solicited from another inmate, who is in charge of the inmates who oversee the other prisoners (tibondza) at Matsapha Maximum Prison.  The inmate was allegedly supposed to hold meetings with the other tibondza from the various dormitories, so that those inmates could be influenced to assault and even purportedly kill Mabuza.  “Indeed the various tibondza held meetings but the inmates wanted to know what he (Mabuza) had done to deserve the assault.  When he wanted to address the prisoners, he was beaten up by recruits brought in for that purpose.

“The issue of the threat to his life has not been settled and he feels unsafe about it,” said the source. His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) Public Relations Officer Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini said HMCS was governed by laws on how to go about dealing with issues that they encountered while carrying out their duties and how to handle inmates. She said according to the laws in force, if anyone breached them, there were ways to deal with that individual. Dlamini stated that certain reports had been made against the former MP.
She said if there was evidence of wrongdoing on Mabuza’s part, disciplinary measures would be taken. The PRO also mentioned that investigations had been instituted.  

It was previously reported that Mabuza had at least faced internal disciplinary hearings on four different occasions, which compelled the HMCS to curtail his visitation rights and the use of a telephone. Meanwhile, a senior warder, who spoke on condition of anonymity, since he was not mandated to address the media, said the Correctional Services was a professional institution and was able to handle inmates like Mabuza, who allegedly caused chaos every now and then.

Problem

“He is a problem every day. We know how to deal with the problem he is causing and how to execute our duties.  In Matsapha (Maximum Prison), there are over 1 000 inmates, but every day it’s Bacede. A reasonable person would ask himself why it is always Bacede. Mind you, he was not arrested alone, but it is always him and not the other one. “Why is it Bacede alone? We have other inmates such as bo-commander, (Wandile) Gina and others. So, if we had a propensity to treat inmates in the manner we are alleged to have treated Mabuza or to kill them, many of them would have been probably killed; but that is not the case. The question is; why is it always Bacede? He is not a threat but a problem. So why would we want to kill him?” the senior officer wondered.

He further told this publication that in cases where there was a situation that required reinforcement, because one inmate could cause a riot, the Correctional Services had to be proactive on how to prevent that from happening. He said reinforcement could be sourced from anywhere, depending on the situation at hand. The senior warder said it was not an issue that the Correctional Services called recruits from its college to assist them. According to the senior warder, the allegations that Mabuza slapped a senior warder were not true. However, he mentioned that Mabuza, on a number of occasions, became aggressive towards the warders.

The source informed this publication that they were patient with Mabuza, because the management of the Correctional Services would speak to the wardens and advised them to understand that his living situation had changed after his arrest and he was now unable to do most of the things he did prior to his incarceration. The source said the management wanted the officers to also understand that Mabuza’s arrest may have been the cause of certain things not going well for him outside of the prison, which may trigger certain behaviours in an inmate. The senior officer pointed out that Mabuza did not assault anyone on the day he is alleged to have slapped a senior warder.

Assault

“He tried to assault them but was restrained from doing so. He also did not sing political songs. What he said was that the inmates were given soup to eat and also said other things, which could have caused the inmates to riot. Bacede causes problems and it is not like the warders provoke him. “The riot did not happen on the day as the inmates, who were seemingly buying it, left for their cells after being ordered to do so. Those who remained followed suit to avoid trouble,” said the source.  Mabuza and and former Ngwempisi MP Mthandeni Dube were found guilty of terrorism and murder by Judge Mumcy Dlamini. They are currently awaiting sentencing.

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