“It was either he dies or my kids would have ended up without a mother and would find a home under the bridge sleeping on cardboard.”
That's according to Westville prisoner Phumelele Zulu, who says she endured abuse from her husband for more than 20 years before she acted and was sentenced for his murder.
Zulu, a former regional executive committee member in the ANC Women’s League in the Musa Dladla region, who comes from the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Melmoth, was one of hundreds of female inmates visited by MEC of social development Nonhlanhla Khoza at the Westville correctional centre on Wednesday.
Khoza was at the prison to hear their concerns.
Zulu believes laws and access to help for women leave them vulnerable to gender-based violence.
“As women, we go through a lot. We get assaulted, we get cheated on, and sometimes you run a risk of losing your life,” she said.
Zulu said throughout her trial she had pleaded her innocence, a move she described as a desperate effort to avoid jail time.
“Has government stopped to find out why these men are being killed at the hands of their women partners? Yes! I did it,” said Zulu.
She paid hitmen to kill her husband.
Zulu said the government should be lenient towards female offenders regarding GBV crimes.
She said in 2019 government had mooted plans to fast track parole for some inmates, which were later thwarted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then things had hit a snag.
“When you come to prison you come with a good heart, but deep down torment is eating us. But there is a lot of anger within us,” said Zulu.
A former school head of department, Duduzile Mthethwa, who also had her partner killed, said she had adjusted to prison life after being sentenced in 2013.
Mthethwa said her domestic circumstances left her no choice, but she had made peace with the choice she made.
“I tutor some of my fellow inmates, and of course I don’t expect any incentives for doing this. I have become somewhat of a role model and have paid the price and am now remorseful,” said Mthethwa.
Nomshado Mdluli, from Mafikeng in North West, complained about not having a telephone, making it difficult to get in touch with family.
“We were told that Telkom had terminated the contract with the facility. Another challenge is when we get cash sent from families some of the officials exploit the process. We all know that the post office has now become extinct, but remember we don’t want to engage in activities deemed illegal by officials,” said Mdluli.
Mdluli, who is facing a life sentence, expressed her willingness to serve the public as a way of giving back.
“As women, by our very nature we have maternal instincts. I would be keen on a programme of going to hospices and old-age homes and rolling up my sleeves. We are not animals, and we have learnt our lessons,” she said.
Khoza said government had made strides in overhauling the prison system, changing it to correctional centres.
She called on inmates to see their incarceration as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and also resist the temptation to reoffend.
“It is always painful. I heard the concerns you have raised. There are some people here who commit the same offence barely weeks and months after being released. I am pleading with you to come out of this system as a changed person,” said Khoza.
Regional commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele told the inmates he would discuss some of their concerns with officials.
