Judge Wants Two Prison Officers Charged

(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – JUSTICE Realeboha Mathaba has recommended that two senior correctional officers should be charged for major security lapses at the Maseru Central Correctional Institution.

The recommendation comes from a report following investigations into the escape of six inmates from the Maseru Correctional Facility in December 2023.

The report was tabled in parliament yesterday.

Justice Mathaba has recommended that Senior Assistant Correctional Commissioner Matete Mahao and Assistant Correctional Commissioner Tsoto Manaka should be charged because their carelessness and negligence contributed to the escape.

Inmates Rethabile Makhikila Tlali and Aumane Nkoale were caught near the Maseru Female Correctional Facility and Police Training College before midnight.

The following day Bokang Tsoako was found at an orphanage in Maseru City, while Seboka Motumi was located in Ha-Mantša, Ramabanta.

Tumelo Mpopo was caught in Qacha's Nek on January 4, 2024 and Bokang Molengoane was later tracked to Bloemfontein, South Africa, and arrested with the assistance of Lesotho's correctional officers.

The commission cited multiple security failures, including:
. Failure to inspect cells and man key posts.
. Failure to conduct night visits and thorough searches.
. General complacency among MCCI management and staff.

It states that while officers acted swiftly to recapture the inmates, earning praise from the commission, they were also accused of unjustifiably assaulting them, violating the Lesotho Constitution, Penal Code, and international human rights standards.

The report says Mahao and Manaka failed to ensure that key posts, especially the Maximum Tower and areas behind the facility, were manned.

It also recommends creating an internal quality assurance unit reporting directly to the commissioner and amending Standing Orders to require medical examinations for all recaptured inmates.

The inquiry also found that Chief Officer Tsietsi, acting head of the Intelligence Unit, had never been formally appointed.

Reporting lines were unclear, with Tsietsi answering to three different offices.

The commission recommended formal appointment of Tsietsi, even in an acting capacity, job grading to determine the proper rank for the position, and clear reporting lines for the Intelligence Unit head.

It concluded that the correctional facility is failing in its core rehabilitation mandate.

“Inmates spend most of their time idle due to a lack of life-skills programmes,” the report reads.
“This increases the risk of reoffending.”

It recommends the development of a comprehensive rehabilitation strategy and funding production and skills-training programmes to prepare inmates for life after release.

The report accuses the Lesotho Correctional Service of lacking a proper communication system, leaving staff unable to share security threats promptly.

It urges the LCS to install cost-effective communication tools, including walkie-talkies at all key posts, improving CCTV operations, which currently suffer from unmanned control rooms.

It also observes that the facility's cameras are broken and there is no maintenance plan.

It says there is poor access control.

Justice Mathaba recommends storing CCTV footage securely off-site to prevent tampering, and conducting robust background checks on officers managing surveillance systems.

The commission also noted unanswered questions about possible inside assistance in the escape, particularly involving Correctional Officer Ramokhele Ranthako, but said time and resources prevented a full inquiry into his role.

Nkheli Liphoto

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