. . . “Devastating” conditions trigger rapid spread of TB
. . . Qacha, Quthing, and Mokhotlong facilities “the worst”
Mohloai Mpesi
SEVERE overcrowding triggering the rapid spread of tuberculosis (TB) and other infectious diseases poses a pressing challenge plaguing Lesotho’s correctional facilities, Parliament has heard.
This concern emerged as the Chairperson of the Sessional Select Committee on Pandemics and leader of the Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC), Reverend Paul Masiu, tabled a report on the committee’s recent site visits to correctional institutions across the country.
Rev Masiu told legislators this week that the living conditions in Lesotho’s prisons are “devastating”, despite the country being a signatory to several international human rights treaties designed to protect inmates.
“We observed the devastating situations inmates live in, despite the fact that there are international laws the country has ratified. This is caused by lack of responsibility,” Rev Masiu said.
He revealed that the committee embarked on the nationwide inspection “because we wanted to see these things with our own eyes”.
“We realised that there are too many prisoners, surpassing the number each correctional institution is supposed to accommodate. That means people’s lives are in danger due to the squalid living conditions. Take TB for example, when space is limited and overcrowding is rampant, many people are likely to be re-infected.”
Rev Masiu urged Parliament to prioritise discussions aimed at addressing these challenges.
He singled out Qacha’s Nek, Quthing, and Mokhotlong correctional facilities as some of the institutions in the worst condition.
“The situation of these prisons is not good for a person to live in,” he said, highlighting poor ventilation as a major concern. “Ventilation is a big problem. It contributes to the rise of diseases. The windows are too small, and there is extreme overcrowding. There are even large ants no one has ever seen.”
Overcrowding
Rev Masiu’s comments follow a May briefing in which Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) officers told the committee that the prisons, which housed around 2600 inmates at the time, were struggling to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and TB due to a lack of resources.
LCS officers also disclosed that their annual health budget of M150,000 was too little and that the department relied heavily on the Ministry of Health for medical supplies and treatment.
The issue resurfaced recently when Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) MP for Mokethoaneng, Mokhothu Makhalanyane, questioned the Minister of Law and Justice, Richard Ramoeletsi, about severe overcrowding in the country’s correctional facilities.
During last week’s question-and-answer session, Mr Makhalanyane highlighted that the Maseru Correctional Institution, designed to hold 600 inmates, accommodated 850 prisoners. He also cited facilities with a 70-inmate capacity that now hold over 250 inmates.
He warned that such overcrowding severely compromises hygiene standards, mental well-being, disease control, and human dignity, and increases the risk of TB, scabies, and other communicable infections.
Mr Makhalanyane further asked what urgent reforms or strategies the ministry had in place to address the crisis, including alternative sentencing, improved prison health infrastructure, and measures to protect inmates’ rights in line with national and international obligations.
Responding on behalf of Minister Ramoeletsi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Limpho Tau, confirmed that the ministry is aware of the overcrowding, especially at the Maseru Central and Berea correctional facilities.
“It is true that this overcrowding causes many health challenges,” Mr Tau said.
Facelift and parole
Mr Tau also revealed that government has begun refurbishing correctional facilities nationwide, starting with Maseru Central, where improvements include new toilets, running water in cells, clinic upgrades, and better natural lighting and ventilation.
Isolation cells have also been constructed in Maseru, Mafeteng, Leribe, and Mohale’s Hoek.
He added that LCS continues to conduct human rights workshops for inmates and staff with support from the European Union.
“The Ministry has bought 3000 blankets and materials to sew uniforms for inmates,” he said.
Mr Tau admitted that health services for inmates are stretched and there is a chronic shortage of nurses.
A 2023 US State Department human rights report on conditions in Lesotho’s prisons painted a grim picture.
“Prison conditions were harsh but not life threatening due to overcrowding in some facilities; deteriorating infrastructure; physical abuse and inmate-on-inmate violence, including rape; and poor food quality, clothing, inadequate sanitary conditions, medical care, ventilation, lighting, and heat,” the report warned.
Awaiting trial inmates make up a significant proportion at 42% of the prison population, with detainees spending months, even years, behind bars, waiting for their cases to be heard.
In some cases, inmates end up serving periods that match or even exceed the maximum sentence for the offences they have been charged with committing.
Mr Tau said since 2010 the government has partnered with the European Union to train staff and management on human-rights protections for inmates in a programme currently under way.
Lesotho is releasing some prisoners early in an effort to alleviate chronic overcrowding and to address a humanitarian crisis inside its correctional institutions.
Some 200 inmates were released in July as part of King Letsie III’s birthday celebrations, and the ministry plans to continue granting releases on special national days, such as Christmas, Moshoeshoe’s Day and Independence Day.
Mr Tau said parole is part of solutions to ease overcrowding in the country’s correctional institutions.
“People released under this law should have served half of their sentence, attended correctional programmes, and demonstrated good behaviour,” he added.