An inmate at Gwanda Prison, Tiisetso Ngulube (56), who is serving time for assault, had a year added to his jail time after he was convicted for drug dealing while in prison.

Ngulube was jointly charged with Hloniphani Mkwananzi (42), an inmate serving for illegal gold prospecting and Etsang Mdlongwa (30) of Hampden Farm, Gwanda.

His co-accused denied the allegations and now await trial.

The three were charged with unlawful drug dealing at Gwanda Prisons.

According to the State, on June 13 2025, at Gwanda Prisons / Hampden Plots, the two convicts were working in a prison garden.

Upon returning to the cells, prison officers searched a bucket in Ngulube's possession and discovered 19 sachets of dagga (0.07kg) and four 200ml bottles of cane spirit.

"They confessed and implicated Etsang Mdlongwa as the supplier.

"They admitted to trading food items they had received from relatives, 4 packs of 2kg sugar and 3 packs of instant porridge for the dagga," the court heard.

Police detectives recovered from Mdlongwa's home: dagga seeds, the exchanged foodstuffs, 22 bottles of cane spirit, empty sachets similar to those found on the inmates with a street value of dagga: ZWG $1,400.00.

Ngulube pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The trial of his co-accused is expected to start on June 27.