The family of a prisoner who stabbed Janusz Walus at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Tshwane is accusing the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) of reducing his visitation period and denying him contact visits with his relatives following the stabbing incident.
Mandla Samuel Madonsela, a former SA Air Force sergeant and MK cadre, allegedly stabbed Walus with a sharp object at the prison on Tuesday, November 29, just two days before Walus was due be released on parole.
Madonsela is said to have been incensed by Walus’s parole and attacked him while waiting in the queue to get his meal. It is alleged that Madonsela was also stabbed by other inmates who came to Waluś’s defence.
Walus, who has been serving life sentence in the correctional centre for the cold-blooded murder of SACP leader Chris Hani, was rushed to hospital where he was treated and discharged. He was freed under stringent parole conditions last week.
Speaking to Sunday World, Madonsela’s niece, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation, said her uncle was moved to the C-Max section of the prison after stabbing Walus and the duration of his visitation was reduced from an hour to 30 minutes.
She also said she learnt of the new arrangements when she and other family members visited him last Saturday.
“We went there on Saturday and when we arrived, we were told by the officials that my uncle has been moved to C-Max after the incident. They told us that we are no longer allowed to see him for an hour but for 30 minutes. They also told us that we can no longer sit with him but speak to him behind a window,” she said.
I was so shattered because as family we were not told anything about these new arrangements. My uncle is being treated as if he stabbed and almost killed a hero,” she said.
She said Madonsela looked weak when they saw him because he has embarked on a hunger strike. “My uncle is not eating, he looked weak and I’m afraid if something is not done, he is going to die,” she said.
The woman said the officials who sympathised with her family gave her the contact details of Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola to call him and complain about the matter. “I have been calling him ever since, but he is not answering his cellphone,” she said.
Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Madonsela was departmentally charged for stabbing Walus and segregated.
“A criminal case with the SAPS is also being pursued. He appeared before the Case Management Committee, he was degraded from A-Group to C-Group, which classified him as a maximum offender. This meant that he had to be transferred from Central Centre and admitted at C-Max Correctional Centre,” said Nxumalo.
He said maximum classified inmates cannot receive contact visits. “Even the none contact visits are limited in terms of time and frequency,” he said.
Nxumalo also confirmed that Madonsela was on a hunger strike. “The Department did receive a notification from offender Madonsela indicating that he was embarking on a hunger strike. He was then advised on the disadvantages and dangers of a hunger strike. It is also an infringement of Section 23 of the Correctional Services Act.
“There are consequences of embarking on a hunger strike as outlined in Chapter I of the Correctional Services Standard Operating Procedures. The healthcare professionals did assess the inmate and is being monitored.”
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