Katlego Maboe’s ex alleges abuse, neglect at Pollsmoor

Monique Muller, media personality Katlego Maboe’s baby mama and former girlfriend, has detailed what she says are troubling conditions that female awaiting trialists endure at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre, which she claims include prolonged confinement, delayed medical care and violent incidents, among others.

Muller spoke to Sunday World about her nearly three weeks as an awaiting-trial detainee following her arrest in a firearm case. Muller said she had accepted a lift after a night out in October last year when metro police stopped the vehicle and found a firearm under the driver’s seat.

All six occupants were arrested. Muller maintains that the firearm was never in her possession. The National Prosecuting Authority has since withdrawn firearm charges against her.

Muller and Maboe dominated headlines in 2020 following a viral video where she accused him of infidelity and domestic abuse. He lost brand endorsements, and was dropped from Safta nominations, though he has since reclaimed his public image and returned to television.

Detailing her stay at Pollsmoor, Muller alleges that inaccurate reports about the case are being used against her in proceedings over custody of her son.

Muller said she was allowed into the prison courtyard only twice, struggled to access a telephone and witnessed incidents involving an injured inmate, a woman giving birth in a cell and another inmate whose finger was allegedly bitten off.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS), meanwhile, has dismissed Muller’s claims as “completely fallacious”. It said incidents as serious as those described would ordinarily be recorded and investigated.

“In the +-3 weeks I was there, we only had x2 days allowed in the courtyard area for about 15 min. The rest of the time was spent in the cell,” Muller said.

She said she asked daily for telephone access during her first week but was told there were not enough warders on duty. By the second week, she had stopped asking.

DCS said staffing and personnel deployment were monitored continuously and that inmates were never left without supervision. Its response did not include records showing how often Muller was allowed outside or whether her telephone requests were logged.

Muller alleged that a cellmate who injured her wrist after falling from a top bunk waited three days to see a nurse despite repeated pleas for help. She said she wrapped the woman’s arm with material torn from another inmate’s shirt.

The allegation has not been independently verified. DCS said healthcare professionals provide primary care, patients can be referred to public hospitals and medical emergencies are handled under established protocols. It did not address the alleged wrist injury.

Muller also alleged that she saw an inmate’s finger bitten off, a woman give birth inside a cell and another woman nearly beaten to death. She claimed warders attended to the assault only when the next shift arrived the following morning.

None of the accounts has been independently corroborated. DCS said it was unaware of a finger-biting incident and that such an event would have been reported, recorded and investigated. It did not provide incident-specific details addressing the alleged assault or birth.

Muller also alleged that warders threatened her with punishment after she complained about conditions, including the use of a household cleaner for women’s intimate hygiene.

DCS said monitoring mechanisms were in place to enforce procedures and protect inmates’ rights. It did not say whether Muller’s complaints were recorded or address her allegations against warders directly.

DCS rejected her wider claims about overcrowding, sanitation and food, including her account that about 90 women shared one cell with one toilet and a broken shower, and that inmates received eight slices of bread in a plastic bag as an evening meal.

DCS said accommodation was determined by space, facility classification and security requirements, while meals had to meet prescribed nutritional standards. It did not provide Pollsmoor-specific records to substantiate its response.

Muller said she was only able to speak out now after a lengthy process to clear her name and have herself removed from the ongoing firearms case.

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