The Voice (Francistown)
Innocent Tshukudu
1 April 2008
Francistown — As long as he lives, Goabaone Goitse will never forget the ordeal of his three-year prison nightmare.
Prison is meant to be a place for rehabilitation, but as the young man learnt, the institution that is supposed to mould criminals into better people, harbours sickening crimes of it's own.
Goabaone was just 18 when he was sentenced to 12-years for admitting to a sexual relationship with his 15-year-old girlfriend.
That the young man should have been in prison in the first place was questioned by appeal judge Thomas Masuku when he said: "It is highly debatable whether imprisonment is a fitting form of punishment at all for such young people, who have given in to natural sexual stimuli."
The publicity from his case may eventually bring about a change in the law on defilement as it relates to young persons, but what effect has the experience had on Goabaone?
"In prison, I nearly went crazy thinking all the time about what had happened to me. I was angry and bitter and couldn't believe that those who had put me here didn't see how unfair they had been.
"I never imagined I would be sent to prison for doing something that was just so normal. That girl had been going out with loads of other guys, and I was just taking my chance. She told me she was 17, and looked and acted much older than she really was.
"When the case came to court, everything happened so quickly. I was confused and there was no-one to help me."
Goabaone has a far-away look as he talks, as if he is peering into the dark.
After his conviction, he was transferred from Maun to the notorious Mahalapye prison. "When we got there, I was lucky enough to find my cousin's husband who was serving a ten-year sentence. He warned me about the prison conditions and said that if I needed anything I should tell him, as it was dangerous to ask for favours from strangers.
"People ask you if they can be your friend. If they see you have nothing, they offer gifts like body lotion and cigarettes. But they want sex in return. It goes on all the time. Countless men approached me with sex proposals, but as my bother-in-law had advised, I just told them off. There is a possibility that one can get raped, but most prisoners fear the repercussions from the jail-guards."
The prisoners are housed in giant dormitories with around 200 inmates to a room. "There is just no privacy, and if you try and sit alone, there is always someone who will come and harass you. They report you to the guards and claim that you are plotting to escape."
Goabaone talks about the various characters in prison. "You soon learn who the big men are as they control the prison and conduct a trade in drugs and other commodities.
"The main currency in prison is body lotion and cigarettes. You have to barter for things, but generally one Dawn body lotion is worth ten cigarettes.
"There are a lot of crazy people inside prison, and when they are drunk or smoke dagga they get even crazier and start fighting. Violence is all around. Some make weapons in the carpentry or metal workshops and use them in the fights. As long as you are not involved though, it relieves the boredom. People stand and cheer as if they are at a boxing match. It is an entertainment."
Goabaone talks of the boredom in prison. In Mahalaphye, he says, there was only one TV set, and that had not been working for two years. The prisoners do try and provide their own entertainment with traditional dance competitions and sports contests, but these are infrequent.
"There is always talk of escape. When I first got there, one guy who was in prison for cutting open his girlfriend's vagina and sealing it with a padlock, was mobilizing others into escaping. At first, I was also tempted to join them, but gave up after considering the consequences. The escape attempt failed and the guys were severely punished."
For the first year Goabaone chose to work in the metal and carpentry workshops as a voluntary option, but then quit to attend to his appeal.
"I met a certain guy who was my homeboy from Maun. He had been convicted of rape and he had a lawyer. He showed me his appeal documents and I used the format to prepare my appeal in 2005. The following year, I gave my cousin, a teacher in Francistown, copies of my heads of argument and she typed and submitted them for me. My appeal took two years and eleven months before it could be heard, but it helped focus my attention.
"I just wanted to get out. The feeling of loneliness and sense of despair were sometimes too much. I would cry thinking of my grandmother and my younger brothers and sisters and how the community considered me a criminal.
"All the thoughts were sending me mad, but then I started attending church, and the more I prayed, the more I learnt to stop thinking about the past and blaming others for my misfortune.
"At first I just thought about getting revenge. In court, it seemed that the magistrate had tricked me; all the time she appeared to be laughing at me. Other prisoners, who had been sentenced by her, talked about how they wanted to kill her."
Those thoughts are now behind him, and he bears no grudges.
Has his prison experience taught him anything?
"Apart from the time I did metal work, I didn't learn anything useful. You talk to a lot of people, thieves and rapists, and hear their stories. But all that happens is that a rapist learns how to steal, and a thief learns how it is to be a rapist. There is no provision for continuing with formal education."
In many ways, Goabaone is just thankful to have got out of prison alive. "There are a lot of sick people inside, and you fear for your health. I started getting tattoos done without realising the dangers of becoming infected from the dirty needles that are used. Luckily in prison you can test for HIV, and when I got the chance to test I was relieved to find I was negative."
He is now staying with his aunt and cousin in Francistown, and after a few good meals, sleep in a comfortable bed, and the chance to talk over his experiences, he is ready to rebuild his life.
Last week, he travelled to Maun for an emotional reunion with his grandmother. He had no plans to see the girl who had got him into his problems.
"If prison has taught me anything, it is to learn how to stay away from trouble," he says as the far away look is replaced with laughter.
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