BACEDE MABUZA’S LIFE “IN DANGER” AS PRISON POISONING PLOT ALLEGED

The life of convicted pro-democracy Member of Parliament Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza is allegedly in serious danger inside prison, amid shocking claims of a secret plot to poison him and later release him on parole so that he dies outside custody.

Senior officers within Correctional Services told this Swaziland News that the alleged plan is being discussed quietly at high levels, driven by growing international pressure on the regime to release the jailed MP. According to the officers, poisoning Mabuza inside prison and then releasing him on parole would allow authorities to distance themselves from responsibility should he die later.

“There’s a plot to poison him and then release him on parole amid international pressure,” said one senior Correctional Services officer. The officer warned that the plan is meant to remove Mabuza permanently while avoiding global scrutiny that would follow if he were to die in custody.

Mabuza is currently forced to eat prison food after a court ruling allowed Correctional Services to deprive him of the right to eat his own food. This decision has heightened fears about his safety, especially in light of the poisoning allegations. Previously, the MP had relied on outside food as a basic safeguard against possible harm.

In a deeply troubling development, Correctional Services Commissioner General Phindile Dlamini is said to have actively opposed Mabuza’s application to eat his own food. Human rights defenders argue that this opposition has deliberately exposed him to potential poisoning by making him fully dependent on prison meals. When contacted for comment, the Commissioner General declined to respond.

Mabuza was arrested and imprisoned by the regime of King Mswati III merely for demanding democratic reforms in Eswatini, a tiny kingdom where political parties remain banned and dissent is criminalised. He was not convicted for violence, theft, or corruption, but for political speech that challenged absolute monarchy.

His continued detention has already drawn condemnation from international human rights bodies, with calls for his immediate and unconditional release. The new allegations of a poisoning plot take the situation to a far more dangerous level, raising fears that the state is prepared to eliminate him rather than comply with international law.

Eswatini has a long and bloody record of silencing dissent. Political activists, independent journalists, human rights defenders, and pro-democracy MPs have been arrested, tortured, forced into exile, or killed for demanding democratic reforms. Against this backdrop, fears for Mabuza’s life are not speculative but grounded in the country’s recent history.

The alleged plan to poison and later release Mabuza exposes the cruelty and desperation of a regime under pressure. It suggests that instead of respecting the rule of law, the authorities are exploring covert ways to deal with political prisoners while preserving a façade of compliance.

If anything happens to Bacede Mabuza, responsibility will lie squarely with the state and those who have control over his detention, food, and medical care. International observers, human rights organisations, and foreign governments are now being urged to urgently intervene and monitor his condition.

Bacede Mabuza’s life should not be a bargaining chip in political games. He is a political prisoner whose only crime was demanding democracy. Any harm that comes to him will further confirm that Eswatini has descended into a system where silence is enforced not just through imprisonment, but through death.