Maseru, May 15 — Lesotho Correctional Service Commissioner, Mating Nkakala insists he does not know officers who assaulted an inmate to death.
This, he said when responding to questions asked by the Commission of Inquiry Chairperson Justice Realeboha Mathaba after he testified on the incidents that occured at Maseru Central Correctional Institution on December 21 and 22, 2023.
Commissioner Nkakala said he only have names of officers who were in the search party of the deceased Bokang Tsoapo those who recaptured Seboka Tumi and few names of recruits who were involved in torture of inmates.
Asked how come he does not know officers who assaulted the deceased yet he watched the footage, he said there are many people in the footage and it is difficult to say which is who but those who knows them could identify them.
He also said the station commander of also said he was not sure who they are, however he emphasized that the people who were in the search party are the right people to be interrogated and state what happened to the deceased.
“They have no choice but to reveal the names during disciplinary hearing because they cover one another, even the recruits,” he stressed.
Asked how long the footage was with him and if there is a roaster that stipulates which officer was where at certain time, Commissioner Nkakala said he only watched the footage once because it had to be in the office of the Minister of Law and Justice for security reasons.
He also said there is a roaster but it could not help in this situation because when there is an escape, the person stationed at a certain place might be included in the search team.
In another issue, he said he does not have the exact number of inmates who were assaulted during the search operation but only has the number of those who saw the doctor and are 311 in number.
The Commission of Inquiry was established with the objective to investigate the circumstances that led to the escape and assault of inmates which resulted in the death of one inmate leaving the other paralyzed in December last year.
