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Prison a blessing in disguise

STARTING AFRESH: Bongani Mathebula from Giyani is serving 14 years in jail at Polokwane Correctional Centre. She is one of the inmates benefiting from government's skills development programmes Photo: SANDILE NDLOVU
STARTING AFRESH: Bongani Mathebula from Giyani is serving 14 years in jail at Polokwane Correctional Centre. She is one of the inmates benefiting from government's skills development programmes Photo: SANDILE NDLOVU

After being sentenced to 14 years in prison, Bongani Mathebula had no choice but to start building her dream of one day owning a beauty salon from inside a communal cell for women in Polokwane, Limpopo.

Before her arrest in 2011, the 34-year-old mother of two led a relatively comfortable life working at the ticket sales counter at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Mathebula, who is originally from Giyani, was drawn into the life of transporting drugs after her friends introduced her to a Nigerian dealer some years back.

She shared her story with Sowetan when the paper visited her recently at the women's section of the Polokwane Correctional Centre.

Mathebula's eyes were painted with shades of glittery purple and pink eye-shadow while her face had been smoothed out with a layer of foundation.

Towels which had been neatly rolled up and arranged on her bunk bed lay testament to her acquired skills in beauty therapy.

Mathebula, who benefits from some of the skills development programmes provided by the Department of Correctional Services, related how she was lured to drug trafficking.

She travelled abroad to countries such as China, India and Brazil helping dealers transport drugs like cocaine. Mathebula said sometimes the narcotics were trafficked through luggage or through body packaging whereby it would be hidden inside her clothing. She said the deals were lucrative, with dealers offering as much as R100000 in exchange for her transporting about 10kg of drugs. It was risky, but she never imagined she would end up in prison until she was arrested in 2011.

"The minute I got arrested, that's when I realised that what I was doing was wrong. But being in prison has changed my way of thinking," she said.

Mathebula was arrested one Sunday morning in December 2011 after landing at the OR Tambo International Airport from Brazil. She had taken two weeks' leave from work at the time and was found in possession of about 10kg of cocaine. She was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2012.

Since her incarceration, Mathebula managed to complete a certificate in engineering and computer skills while also embarking on her training in beauty therapy.

"I enjoy doing make-up. I keep myself busy. I hope it will keep me going and help me start my own business once I'm on the outside."

She said the programmes had helped her to cope although she missed her two daughters, aged 10 and 17 years old, who now stay with her parents back home in Giyani. "Living away from my children is a challenge. A lot is happening in their lives but I cannot be there for them. Kids need a mother's love to grow."

Mathebula also recalled how the friends who introduced her to trafficking drugs disappeared after she was arrested. Now left to face the consequences alone, she feels she has learned valuable lessons from her experiences.

By 2019 Mathebula would be eligible to apply for parole since she would have served half of her sentence. "I used to love working with customers at the counter. I loved my job. But I was betrayed by my own mind and love for money."

Mathebula said she hoped her story would inspire other women and encourage them not to get involved in drugs. Outside the communal cell, a group of female inmates were sitting in the courtyard while attentively listening to a woman holding a Bible - telling them to "repent and come to Christ".

Area Commissioner for Polokwane Correctional Services Kenneth Mthombeni said for many women like Mathebula, prison serves as the last hope for rehabilitation. "The Department of Correctional Services is the last hope in the justice cluster when it comes to the rehabilitation of offenders."

Mthombeni said each inmate received a sentence plan specific to their rehabilitation needs which included counselling and skills programmes, adding that this was meant to prepare inmates to be reintegrated into society once released.

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