Jailed abaThembu monarch Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo is receiving royal treatment in prison – including a diet fit for a king.
A special menu, alterations to his prison cell at the East London Correctional Centre, and civilian clothing are some of the perks Dalindyebo enjoys.
Prison guards have also been instructed to address Dalindyebo as “king”.
“Why must we address him as king? Mandela was called Mandela in jail, not Mr Mandela,” said a correctional services official.
Dalindyebo is serving 12 years for various violent offences, including attempted murder, after the Constitutional Court on December 2 last year dismissed his application for leave to appeal his sentence.
He handed himself over to Wellington Prison in Mthatha on December 30, and was transferred to the East London prison the next day. Just a week later, Dalindyebo was admitted to Life St Dominics Hospital.
At the time his illness was not officially disclosed.
He was discharged on Thursday evening and returned to his cell.
The Saturday Dispatch this week saw an e-mail which shows a detailed meal plan for Dalindyebo. It was sent by Mthatha-based dietician Liatile Tshona to Dr Mbuyiselo Madiba, who is Dalindyebo’s family doctor, on January 7 this year.
The document does not refer to Dalindyebo by name, but one prison official said it had been circulated to everyone in management close to the king’s case.
The e-mail refers to an unspecified “condition” that necessitates a bar fridge, microwave and electric kettle in Dalindyebo’s cell.
“To avoid food poison his food must be in a right temperature. He must also eat small but frequently. Drink a lot of water,” it states. The meal plan details what should be served for breakfast, lunch, supper and at snack times (see graphic).
Contacted for comment yesterday, Tshona said she was not permitted to speak to the media. “There’s no mandate for me to speak to you. Dr Madiba at the hospital never said I must speak to the media about this.”
Madiba would neither confirm nor deny the contents of the e-mail. “I decline to comment on this matter. I cannot discuss the health of my patient; that is strictly confidential and that would be unethical. For any patient, medical information is confidential and therefore not for public consumption,” he said yesterday.
In an opinion piece in yesterday’s Dispatch, Dalindyebo’s adviser Prince Langalibalele Ngonyama said the king was suffering from chronic ulcers, depression and loss of appetite.
A senior official at the East London Correctional Centre said the special menu would be considered a “dream meal” by other inmates.
Currently, inmates are served two slices of bread, porridge and a glass of warm milk or coffee for breakfast, soup and four slices of bread for lunch, and samp, beans and vegetables – and at times meat – for supper.
There are no snack times.
“He’s calling for green salads, vanilla custard with canned fruit, and scrambled or boiled egg with pork rashers or a sausage. We will see if he receives this,” said the senior official.
Officials said they were concerned Dalindyebo’s privileges could lead to disruptions within the prison. “Other inmates are furious about this,” said one official. “This is really special treatment.”
It would seem that Dalindyebo’s cell has also been spruced up. An insider said the cell had been painted and the toilet wall raised.
The king is said to have received a brand new mattress, and is permitted to wear civilian clothing instead of orange prison overalls.
Three independent sources claimed Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha and Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had visited Dalindyebo before his hospitalisation.
Masutha’s spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga denied the minister had visited the king.
“The minister was nowhere near the king’s cell. He has never visited an inmate before. The minister’s whereabouts on the day in question are not the business of the media.”
Sisulu’s spokesman Ndivhuwo Wa Ha Mabaya said: “Ministers’ meetings with any person are confidential.”
Sources also claimed Dalindyebo had “unlimited visiting hours” at the hospital and at the prison.
Life’s regional manager for Border-Kei and Port Elizabeth, Bruce Janssens said visiting hours were strictly enforced. “Visiting hours are strictly enforced for all patients according to the visiting hours policies within our hospitals in East London.
“In the case of prisoners, guidance is obtained from the relevant state authorities and strictly enforced.”
Dalindyebo’s spokesman Mfundo Mtirara yesterday said he was not aware of preferential treatment for the king, but said he would be pleased if it were the case.
“As abaThembu, we are happy that they are respecting him as a king. But he should not even be there in the first place. Our king does not belong there.”
Royal treatment upsets warders
A special menu, alterations to his prison cell at the East London Correctional Centre, and civilian clothing are some of the perks Dalindyebo enjoys.
Prison guards have also been instructed to address Dalindyebo as “king”.
“Why must we address him as king? Mandela was called Mandela in jail, not Mr Mandela,” said a correctional services official.
Dalindyebo is serving 12 years for various violent offences, including attempted murder, after the Constitutional Court on December 2 last year dismissed his application for leave to appeal his sentence.
He handed himself over to Wellington Prison in Mthatha on December 30, and was transferred to the East London prison the next day. Just a week later, Dalindyebo was admitted to Life St Dominics Hospital.
At the time his illness was not officially disclosed.
He was discharged on Thursday evening and returned to his cell.
The Saturday Dispatch this week saw an e-mail which shows a detailed meal plan for Dalindyebo. It was sent by Mthatha-based dietician Liatile Tshona to Dr Mbuyiselo Madiba, who is Dalindyebo’s family doctor, on January 7 this year.
The document does not refer to Dalindyebo by name, but one prison official said it had been circulated to everyone in management close to the king’s case.
The e-mail refers to an unspecified “condition” that necessitates a bar fridge, microwave and electric kettle in Dalindyebo’s cell.
“To avoid food poison his food must be in a right temperature. He must also eat small but frequently. Drink a lot of water,” it states. The meal plan details what should be served for breakfast, lunch, supper and at snack times (see graphic).
Contacted for comment yesterday, Tshona said she was not permitted to speak to the media. “There’s no mandate for me to speak to you. Dr Madiba at the hospital never said I must speak to the media about this.”
Madiba would neither confirm nor deny the contents of the e-mail. “I decline to comment on this matter. I cannot discuss the health of my patient; that is strictly confidential and that would be unethical. For any patient, medical information is confidential and therefore not for public consumption,” he said yesterday.
In an opinion piece in yesterday’s Dispatch, Dalindyebo’s adviser Prince Langalibalele Ngonyama said the king was suffering from chronic ulcers, depression and loss of appetite.
A senior official at the East London Correctional Centre said the special menu would be considered a “dream meal” by other inmates.
Currently, inmates are served two slices of bread, porridge and a glass of warm milk or coffee for breakfast, soup and four slices of bread for lunch, and samp, beans and vegetables – and at times meat – for supper.
There are no snack times.
“He’s calling for green salads, vanilla custard with canned fruit, and scrambled or boiled egg with pork rashers or a sausage. We will see if he receives this,” said the senior official.
Officials said they were concerned Dalindyebo’s privileges could lead to disruptions within the prison. “Other inmates are furious about this,” said one official. “This is really special treatment.”
It would seem that Dalindyebo’s cell has also been spruced up. An insider said the cell had been painted and the toilet wall raised.
The king is said to have received a brand new mattress, and is permitted to wear civilian clothing instead of orange prison overalls.
Three independent sources claimed Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha and Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had visited Dalindyebo before his hospitalisation.
Masutha’s spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga denied the minister had visited the king.
“The minister was nowhere near the king’s cell. He has never visited an inmate before. The minister’s whereabouts on the day in question are not the business of the media.”
Sisulu’s spokesman Ndivhuwo Wa Ha Mabaya said: “Ministers’ meetings with any person are confidential.”
Sources also claimed Dalindyebo had “unlimited visiting hours” at the hospital and at the prison.
Life’s regional manager for Border-Kei and Port Elizabeth, Bruce Janssens said visiting hours were strictly enforced. “Visiting hours are strictly enforced for all patients according to the visiting hours policies within our hospitals in East London.
“In the case of prisoners, guidance is obtained from the relevant state authorities and strictly enforced.”
Dalindyebo’s spokesman Mfundo Mtirara yesterday said he was not aware of preferential treatment for the king, but said he would be pleased if it were the case.
“As abaThembu, we are happy that they are respecting him as a king. But he should not even be there in the first place. Our king does not belong there.”
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