Maseru-Correctional Officer ‘Molaoa Mothabeng statesrecruits have implanted a culture of not betraying one another hence he never divulged names of those who assaulted a soldier inmate regardless of their relationship.
This, Mothabeng said in his evidence before the Commission of Inquiry on the escape of inmates after one of the soldier inmates, Captain Litekanyo Nyakane revealed before the Commission that he asked Mothabeng to give him a list of recruits who were in his prison cell and assaulted him during the search exercise that was conducted at Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) on December 22, last year.
Moreover, Correctional Officer Mothabeng said even though he did not meet with Nyakane on December 26, there was no way he could disclose the names of recruits who assaulted him irrespective of the exceptionalrelationship they had as Nyakane also knew he would not do that as he was once a recruit himself.
He additionally indicated that he even cautioned his fellow recruits weeks after he heard that the Ombudsman was going to conduct an inquiry on the assault of inmates while they were at Correctional Service Training School (CSTS), and that Nyakane wanted him to disclose the names of recruits who assaulted him.
“I warned them, I did not want them to fall into the same trap” he said, adding that he wanted to calm and guarantee them that he was not part of the people who would reveal names.
Asked if he understood it was wrong and that he defeated ends of justice by not exposing the names of recruits who assaulted inmates, he said it was normal to defend themselves as things were not good at CSTS after the incident, and they also realized that even courts of law were working on weekends due to the incidents of December 22.
In addition, he said he would not be shocked if recruits would not betray one another even in the Commission, specifying that evidence will however make clear to what exactly happened.
Nevertheless, Mothabeng explained that if he knew the recruits who assaulted inmates, he would reveal their names as he is no longer a recruit but a Correctional Officer.
He also clarified that he did not meet with Nyakane on the above mentioned date, they were not allowed to enter into the facility after the incident but were only allowed to work outside the compound and towers.
He said he got Nyakane’ message through Seargent Peo, adding that the latter was untruthful to the Commission by saying he facilitated his meeting with Nyakane.
In the meantime, Nyakane presented before the Commission a list of seven recruits who assaulted him during the search, which he said he received from Mothabeng.
On the other hand, Seargent Peo also confirmed facilitating the meeting between Nyakane and Mothabeng on December 26.
