by Bahle Gama
The Commissioner General informed the court that Mabuza was served a private supper on the day he was sentenced to 25 years, which was also the discretion of the department.
He was also informed that it was his last supper by Senior Superintendent Mandla Sibiya who is in charge of the Maximum section of the facility.
Even when his wife Bongumenzi brought the meal, she was also informed that it was the last she was bringing because the law, through Section 69 (1) of the Act does not permit Mabuza to eat his private meals.
She was also permitted to take his private clothes as he no longer needed them whilst serving his sentence.
However, Mabuza stubbornly told his relative to bring food and private clothes to the facility the following day, July 16, 2024, which was turned away.
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I am unaware of so-called medical prescriptions
“It is entirely not true that I am aware of the so-called medical prescription by Mabuza’s doctor as the same was never done in consultation with our medical team, and it is entirely unknown to us.”
This is the Commissioner General’s response to Mabuza’s application where he cited a medical prescription as one of the reasons, he requires private meals to continue being served.
She stated that in any event, the Correctional Services Regulations of 2022 stipulate that inmates should be attended to by the facility’s medical practitioner before any referral to a private doctor.
In Mabuza’s case, there was neither any medical examination performed nor was he referred to any private medical practitioner for his alleged ailment.
The department was never informed of any ailment that he suffers from that requires any special diet after sentencing.
“If that was the case, we should have known through the medical personnel at the center who would have accordingly acted on it and instructed the chef to prepare a special diet for him, just like other inmates who suffer from ailments such as ulcers, and high blood pressure amongst others.
Currently, we have 145 inmates in the facility where Mabuza is kept who are on a special diet prepared and served by the department,” she said.
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She further noted that during incarceration, Mabuza was normally brought food from eateries like pizza, KFC, Nandos’ and Galitos by his relatives which brought serious doubts as to whether he is on a special diet because it is an open secret that no medical doctor could prescribe for a patient such foods.
“I am, however, leaving this argument to the court’s objective judgment,” she submitted.
