Lawyers and family members of the convicted Joza drug mule Nolubabalo “Babsie” Nobanda have made urgent applications to the South African government calling for an immediate intervention for struggling South African prisoners serving time in Thailand’s Klong Prem prison.
Lawyers and family members of the convicted Joza drug mule Nolubabalo “Babsie” Nobanda have made urgent applications to the South African government calling for an immediate intervention for struggling South African prisoners serving time in Thailand’s Klong Prem prison.
The compelling call for an intervention comes after Nobanda recently wrote a tear-jerking letter to her mother, describing the appalling conditions and the bad treatment she has experienced at Klong Prem. The letter has since gone viral on the internet, reaching a larger audience than intended.
The applications for an intervention were submitted to the Office of The Presidency (OTP), The Department of International Relations and Corporations, The Department of Health and The Department of Social Development.
Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development in the Eastern Cape, Nancy Sihlwayi, visited Nobanda's Ncame Street home in Joza on Friday 18 July. Sihlwayi accepted one of the applications from the family and lawyers. In the application the family urges the Department Social Development to supply South African female prisoners at Klong Prem prison with sanitary napkins, ARV treatment, food, textbooks, toiletries and financial assistance for the purchasing of prison garments and undergarments. They also urged the department to supply blankets for the prisoners which are sometimes used as beds.
According to her mother Honjiswa Mbewu, Nobanda and others are denied basic necessities like sanitary towels and toilet paper. Mbewu said prison rules became even more stringent after prison officials found drugs hidden in sanitary towels and toilet paper in Nobanda’s cell, which she shares with other people. Mbewu said the prison has a shopping mall where prisoners have to buy everything they need including water for drinking and bathing.
Addressing the family, while receiving the application, MEC Sihlwayi said she met with the National Minister of Social Development recently and informed her about Nobanda’s letter which revealed the horrors of Klong Prem prison. Sihlwayi said the minister was deeply moved and became keen to assist. Sihlwayi said, “we will sit down and come up with an action plan although the process might take time.” Sihlwayi said that for immediate support she will task a team of psychologists and social workers to visit the family regularly.
“You can't go through all of this alone, we will be with you every step of the way. I was very worried when I found out that the department never sent people to counsel this family.”
The application to the OTP calls for President Jacob Zuma to negotiate a Prison Transfer Treaty with his Thailand counterpart. If the two countries sign the Treaty, Nobanda (25), currently serving a 15 year jail time in Thailand, for smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks in 2011, could be reintegrated to serve the rest of her sentence in a South African prison.
According to Nobanda's lawyer and uncle Ntsikelelo Sandi, the OTP had not yet confirmed the receipt of the application. Explaining the severity of the situation to the MEC, Sandi said things might get worse for South African prisoners in Thailand following the recent military coup activity in the country. Sandi said Nigeria and Thailand are already in agreement of the Prison Transfer Treaty, allowing prisoners from Nigeria to serve most of their sentence time at home.
In her letter, which is now all over the internet, Nobanda wrote that two of her HIV positive, South African cell mates are denied ARV treatment and their health situation is deteriorating. Nobanda, who studies through Unisa, also accuses the South African embassy, in the letter, of failing to send her examination schedule to the prison. Nobanda also wrote about experiencing starvation in prison and the unfair changes to visitation rights.
An extract from the letter goes, “this week Henk came to visit and the authorities (officials) did not allow me to go see him. The missionary visits for the foreigners have been cancelled and these are the only people who help us in this country. They have not even told us why there has been a change in the rules for visitations. The Thai people continue to get their own visits from their friends and family.”
The letter further reads, “these people are really squeezing us where it hurts most.”
Informing the MEC about the ARV treatment situation, Nobanda's lawyer Matthew Mphahlwa said, “we've contacted the authorities in Thailand and they told us that there's no such thing.” Mphahlwa said Thailand authorities told them that prisoners are allowed access to any medication and that it is the South African embassy in Thailand who are dragging the process. Mphahlwa said, “the Thailand officials told us that they gave a price list for the treatment to the Embassy a long time ago but the embassy never made any moves.” According to Mphahlwa the Thailand government offers ARVs to foreign prisoners only when their respective respective embassies had paid up front.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail after the meeting Mbewu said, “I am happy about the MEC's visit and I am optimistic that there will be a solution soon.”
Nobanda's aunt, Thandi Butters, said she was the last to visit her neice in Thailand a few months ago. She said visiting becomes difficult as a ticket to Thailand costs over R20 000. “One also has to take accommodation, travel costs and food” into consideration. Butters said Nobanda shares everything with her group of 8 cell mates. “I had to buy things for everyone because many of them are even less fortunate than Babsie, they don't even get visited.”
Briefing Grocott’s Mail after the meeting Nobanda’s representative advocate Mathew Mphahlwa said, “our government should move very fast to intervene because it is very late in the day.” Mphahlwa also hoped for a positive feedback, “we expect progress; the issues we raised with the President and the MEC are issues of humanitarian concerns. The matters at Klong Prem are inhumane and degrading for South African citizens”.
