Maseru- Lance Corporal Sebilo Sebilo, military detainee who is currently out on bail says the injuries he enduredafter he was beaten have negatively affected his employment duties.
Sebilo said this in his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry on the escape of inmates, and he is one of the inmates who were brutally assaulted by Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) recruits during the search exercise that was conducted at Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) on December 22, 2023.
He said he can no longer carry out special force duties excellently especially those physical, saying this has affected him emotionally.
He specified that he can no longer jump with the parachute, get off the chopper with ropes and march or join a parade, which are main activities within the special force. “I am still going for physical therapy as my ankle and hand are still swollen and painful,” said Sebilo.
Furthermore, when asked if it was true that he choked one of the officers when he was beaten to defend himself, Sebilo contested the allegation, saying the circumstances as well as the induction they received upon arrival at the institution made them surrender when they were assaulted.
“Had we tried to protect ourselves, it would have beenconsidered as misconduct,” he emphasized.
He further said what happened on December 22 was not a search as searches that had been conducted before were not the same as that one.
He said the then supervisor of the searches, whose name is Phosa, was civil, firm but not aggressive when conducting a search, adding that he would order them to take their belongings and raise their hands when being searched without insulting them.
In the meantime Lance Corporal Sebilo handed over his health booklet, pictures which shows whip marks and bruises as well as clothes which are muddy and have blood stains to the Commission as evidence.
Meanwhile, Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) Second in Charge says the Officer who led the recruits during the search exercise could have stopped it when inmates were assaulted.
Senior Superintendent (SSP) Leluma Mahlelebe said this before the Commission of Inquiry when cross examining Chief Officer Tololi Ratšele who led the recruits during the search exercise that was conducted at MCCI on December 22, 2023.
He said the beating of inmates was a criminal activity and could have been stopped instantly when it occurred, saying Ratšele miscarried to do his job. “We would not be in this position if you stopped the search,” Mahlelebe stressed.
