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IFP chair cools her heels at jail

FURIOUS: IFP national chairman Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, right, was kept waiting for hours at Durban's Westville Prison yesterday before she was allowed to see prisoners. Pic. Mandla Mkhize. © Sowetan.
FURIOUS: IFP national chairman Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, right, was kept waiting for hours at Durban's Westville Prison yesterday before she was allowed to see prisoners. Pic. Mandla Mkhize. © Sowetan.

Mhlaba Memela

Mhlaba Memela

IFP chairman Zanele Magwaza- Msibi was denied entry to Westville Prison in Durban for three hours yesterday. She had intended to visitpolitical prisoners from her party and from the ANC.

She waited in the scorching heat while her bodyguards negotiated with prison authorities to allow her in.

It was only when prisoners became unruly and demanded that Magwaza-Msibi be allowed entry that she was admitted.

The prison authorities told journalists that they agreed to allow Magwaza-Msibi to visit the prisoners only if she was accompanied by not more than two members of her security team.

When she arrived at the prison she had more than 10 people with her, including journalists.

Magwaza-Msibi was visiting the prison at the request of political prisoners serving long jail terms.

But an infuriated Magwaza-Msibi told Sowetan that she had obtained permission for her visit from the prison authorities.

The prison has had problems with ANC and IFP prisoners jailed after 1994.

The two parties' prisoners could not resolve their differences about the violence that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal in the 1990s.

Magwaza-Msibi said: "There used to be conflict in the prison because of political differences, but today they are brothers.

"We came here to congratulate them for the way they have made peace with each other.

"We have bought medals for them as a token of our appreciation for the strides they have made towards peace," she said.

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