GRAHAMSTOWN drug mule, Nolubabalo Nobanda, 25, has turned to aerobics, art and academic studies to help her through a nightmarish 15-year jail term in Thailand.
Nobanda, who was imprisoned after being caught smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks, has come to be known in prison as “Babsie”.
She has become “a great comfort in difficult times” for other inmates in the harsh, crowded prison, says Good Samaritan, Henk Vanstaen, who visited her last week.
Nobanda, a former Victoria Girls’ High pupil, was caught by Thai custom officials with 1.5kg of cocaine in her hair after she disembarked from a Qatar Airways flight at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on December 13 2011.
Vanstaen, a resident in Thailand for more than 22 years, has assisted other South Africans arrested on drug charges.
He said: “She is very strong, physically as well as mentally…although it is hard to imagine you can do ‘quite well’ in that hell hole.
“She keeps herself ‘busy’ in the art department, making postcards, and drawings. She also studies for a degree in communication. But the study and work involved like writing assignments, she does that once they are locked up around 4.30pm,” Vanstaen said.
He describe the prison conditions as “atrocious”.
They sleep up to 200 inmates on a concrete floor. They use fold-up blankets as a kind of mattress.
“They sleep shoulder-to-feet between them as that gives a bit more space. Babsie says she has a small space where she can sit up and do her study and assignments. It’s next to the toilet, but she said that was fine. At least she could sit up and do her study work.”
The prisoners are fed three meals a day.
“Meals include rice soup with either fish bones and/or chicken feet, sometimes with cockroaches. However, if they have money they can buy better food from a shop inside, but again at inflated prices.”
Vanstaen, who was born in Rwanda and lived in Belgium, has a Thai permanent residency and has been living there for more than 22 years.
He has been visiting South African inmates for more than five years and was contacted by Nobanda’s family shortly after her arrest to assist them in communicating with her.
Nobanda’s father, Patrick Ncepu, said the family always welcomed the weekly updates from Vanstaen as well as the regular letters written to them by their daughter.
“Our strength depends on hers. When she is strong, so are we,” he said.
“We are very happy that she is keeping herself busy with things that will build her. We obviously don’t like the fact that she’s , but are at least relieved that she’s making the most out of it and studying and involving herself in positive things.”
The family lives in hope of a pardon.
SA drug mule studies in Thai jail
Nobanda, who was imprisoned after being caught smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks, has come to be known in prison as “Babsie”.
She has become “a great comfort in difficult times” for other inmates in the harsh, crowded prison, says Good Samaritan, Henk Vanstaen, who visited her last week.
Nobanda, a former Victoria Girls’ High pupil, was caught by Thai custom officials with 1.5kg of cocaine in her hair after she disembarked from a Qatar Airways flight at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on December 13 2011.
Vanstaen, a resident in Thailand for more than 22 years, has assisted other South Africans arrested on drug charges.
He said: “She is very strong, physically as well as mentally…although it is hard to imagine you can do ‘quite well’ in that hell hole.
“She keeps herself ‘busy’ in the art department, making postcards, and drawings. She also studies for a degree in communication. But the study and work involved like writing assignments, she does that once they are locked up around 4.30pm,” Vanstaen said.
He describe the prison conditions as “atrocious”.
They sleep up to 200 inmates on a concrete floor. They use fold-up blankets as a kind of mattress.
“They sleep shoulder-to-feet between them as that gives a bit more space. Babsie says she has a small space where she can sit up and do her study and assignments. It’s next to the toilet, but she said that was fine. At least she could sit up and do her study work.”
The prisoners are fed three meals a day.
“Meals include rice soup with either fish bones and/or chicken feet, sometimes with cockroaches. However, if they have money they can buy better food from a shop inside, but again at inflated prices.”
Vanstaen, who was born in Rwanda and lived in Belgium, has a Thai permanent residency and has been living there for more than 22 years.
He has been visiting South African inmates for more than five years and was contacted by Nobanda’s family shortly after her arrest to assist them in communicating with her.
Nobanda’s father, Patrick Ncepu, said the family always welcomed the weekly updates from Vanstaen as well as the regular letters written to them by their daughter.
“Our strength depends on hers. When she is strong, so are we,” he said.
“We are very happy that she is keeping herself busy with things that will build her. We obviously don’t like the fact that she’s , but are at least relieved that she’s making the most out of it and studying and involving herself in positive things.”
The family lives in hope of a pardon.
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