A total of 12 inmates, including former Ngwempisi Member of Parliament Mthandeni Dube, have been granted conditional release from custody.
The announcement was made yesterday during a press briefing at Matsapha Maximum Prison by His Majesty’s Correctional Services Commissioner General Phindile LaMakhosini Dlamini, who said the release comes with strict conditions, including a ban on engaging in press or social media activities.
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She emphasised that any breach of the conditions would lead to the offenders being immediately recalled to complete their full sentences.
Dube Expresses Gratitude
Speaking shortly after his release, Dube expressed deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mswati III for the mercy extended to him.
“I thank His Majesty for this act of forgiveness. I also encourage my brothers to seek the King’s forgiveness because His Majesty is a leader who forgives,” he said.
Dube also distanced himself from any political party affiliations, reaffirming his support for the Tinkhundla System of Governance.
He was arrested on July 25, 2021, and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008) and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (1938) for alleged incitement and links to protest-related violence.
In July 2024, Dube was sentenced to 18 years in prison, backdated to the date of arrest.
A Second Chance for Boyzie Gama
Also among those released is Boyzie Gama, whose story has been one of the most dramatic in Eswatini’s criminal justice history.
Once sentenced to death before his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, Gama entered prison at the age of 22. Now 57, he walks free after 35 years behind bars.
Gama reflected on his time in prison, saying it gave him both education and redemption.
“Bad friends and gangsterism landed me in trouble. I don’t want any young person to go through what I went through,”
he said, expressing gratitude to His Majesty for mercy.
Correctional Services: Rehabilitation and Responsibility
Commissioner General Dlamini said the releases reflect the Correctional Services’ belief in rehabilitation and second chances. However, she stressed that compliance with conditions would determine whether the freedom remains permanent.
“These men have been given a second chance. It is now up to them to prove that rehabilitation is possible,” she said.
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