Maseru-Correctional Officer Tumelo Sekokotoana said suicide felt like the only escape for him after he was alleged to have paralysed Tlotliso Bereng during the search exercise. As he sobbed when relating his testimony, Officer Sekokotoana told the Commission that he almost committed suicide.
Officer Sekokotoana who is suspected to have beaten numerous inmates told the Commission of Inquiry on the escape of inmates that he almost killed himself after the two inmates, Khatala and Christopher alleged that he assaulted Tlotliso Bereng who is now paralysed as a result.
He said his name was all over radios and newspapers, to the level that his picture was posted next to that of Bereng on one of the local newspapers. Officer Sekokotoana added that his life was very miserable after the testimony of these two inmates, saying even the people who did not know him would remark,” this is Sekokotoana who put Bereng on the wheelchair” he said.
“This did not sit well with me and if I did not have a wife and a child, I could have committed suicide” he added. He further said if there were no cameras, this accusation could have suited him based on the evidence of the pairbefore the Commission.
Officer Sekokotoana also established that inmates were assaulted and some without any reason. He stressed that the inmates, who also accused him of hitting them, were not telling the truth as the footage proved to that. “After I watched the footage, I recognized that it was a big project for every inmate within the institution,” he said.
In the meantime, the recruits who were seen entering Bereng’s cell as per footage are Correctional Officer Mothabeng, Mokoloko, Moabi and Mokhethi. They had since acknowledged entering Bereng’s cell before the Commission. The search exercise was conducted at Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) on December 22, 2023 and resulted in the assault of inmates, leaving Bereng paralyzed.
Furthermore, Officer Sekokotoana says he is associatedby most inmates before the Commission because he is alleged to be strict. He said this in his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry on the escape of inmates. Officer Sekokotoana said he did his job excellently while at MCCI before he could go for a recruitment course and he was mindful that some inmates despite him. He added that some inmates connected him because they thought he would reveal the names of recruits who assaulted them.
He concluded that officers including seniors have formed a culture of uncertainty within Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) hence are divided. He disclosed this information while testifying before the Commission of Inquiry of escape of inmates. Officer Sekokotoana said there is wariness between officers in the facility will not go away, saying officers are even categorized by Commissioners who were in charge when they were admitted in the institution. “When we arrived at the institution, they called us Mothepu’s puppets because he was Lesotho Correctional Service Commissioner then,” he said.
