Officers on leave recalled

MANZINI - Some HMCS officers have been recalled from their annual leave to give their testimony in the inquiry about the cellphones which were allegedly found in incarcerated Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza’s possession.

An impeccable source confided in this publication that despite the fact that the arrested MP had claimed that he never involved His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) officers in obtaining the two cellphones, some warders appeared before the investigators yesterday. In fact, the source alleged that the investigators had a list of names of HMCS officers who were supposedly implicated in the matter. He said yesterday, some of the officers, whose names appeared on the list, were called and interviewed by the investigators. He said it was gathered that some of the officers were not available as they had taken their annual leave days.

Investigators

“Since the investigators are racing against time to finalise the inquiry, a decision was take that those who were on leave, yet they were supposedly implicated in the matter, should be recalled,” the inside source said.

He said the communiqué was that they should make themselves available at work for purposes of assisting the task team with information regarding how the incarcerated legislator obtained cellphones while under the custody of HMCS.

HMCS Public Relations Officer (PRO) Senior Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini confirmed that the investigations continued yesterday. She also confirmed that some officers, who were not available to appear before the investigators, had been asked to avail themselves.

“The inquiry is still ongoing,” the PRO said. The incarcerated MP was allegedly found in possession of two cellphones during a random search at Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility, where the legislator is locked up. The incident took place on December 10, 2021 and after the discovery of the cellphones, the office of the HMCS commissioner general commissioned a task team to investigate the matter. Thereafter, the parliamentarian was put in solitary confinement.