Jailed prison boss attacks pregnant warder

Russel Ngubo was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2005 for the murder of IFP induna Ernest Nzimande in 1998.

Russel Ngubo was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2005 for the murder of IFP induna Ernest Nzimande in 1998.

Published Jan 23, 2017

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Durban – Controversial prisoner Russel Ngubo has been accused of assaulting a pregnant female warder at the Sevontein Correctional Facility near Pietermaritzburg.

The alleged attack, which happened on Wednesday, has angered warders who are threatening to down tools until Ngubo is transferred to another prison. They claim Ngubo has been terrorising them since he moved to Sevontein.

Correctional Services officials said they were aware of the allegations and were investigating the matter.

Ngubo is the former head of New Prison in Pietermaritzburg. He was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2005 for the murder of IFP induna Ernest Nzimande in 1998.

Ngubo was also sentenced for another politically motivated murder and kidnapping, according to previous reports.

He was transferred to the medium-security Sevontein Prison from Westville Prison a few years ago amid allegations that he had been terrorising the warders.

“We did not want to work on Friday and we demonstrated after the female officer was assaulted. The officers said they would not work today until they are told when Ngubo would be transferred,” said one officer who declined to be named.

“The management said they were waiting for the transfer to be approved by the provincial head office, but in the meantime there was nothing more they could do,” he said.

Speaking about the assault, the source said, “On Wednesday last week, Ngubo wanted the gate at the prison’s hospital wing where he lives to be opened for him. He knocked on the gate and the member came to open the gate."

“The member is pregnant. She was walking slowly and that seemed to have annoyed Ngubo who then asked her why she was walking slowly. He then punched her in the face and the official collapsed on the ground.

“He tried to kick the member in the stomach but she managed to block him with her baton,” said the source.

He alleged that this was not Ngubo’s first assault at the prison as some time ago he had assaulted one of the senior managers who was conducting a search in his cell.

He said as punishment, Ngubo’s visiting rights had been amended. He still received visitors but had to speak through a glass panel and was not allowed physical contact.

“This is the worst thing he has ever done. Nobody holds him to account because he is the most feared inmate because of his connections,” said the source.

Mbongeni Jeffrey Dladla, the provincial chairperson of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, said they had not received a report of the alleged incident.

KwaZulu-Natal Regional Commissioner of Prisons Mnikelwa Nxele said he had received verbal reports of the incident on Wednesday night and expected a formal report from Sevontein Prison management on Monday.

Nxele said it was not the first time Ngubo had been accused of assaulting a warder at Sevontein saying: “I believe there was another incident around 2012.”

Nxele would not elaborate on what sanctions would be imposed should the allegations be true.

“I do not want to seem like I am pre-empting the findings but I can only speak to procedure, which says that (inmates) must behave or there will be steps taken.”

He said he did not have information on sanctions imposed in 2012 for a similar offence as these were imposed by prison management and did not reach his level.

Pressed on whether Ngubo would qualify for a stay at super-maximum security prison Ebongweni in Kokstad, considering he had been moved from Westville for similar offences, Nxele said this prison was one of the department’s options.

The Mercury

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