OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday
FORMER Democratic Party Member of Parliament Helen Suzman says she believes that the People’s Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli has information on the drug activities of highly placed South Africans and that there is a conspiracy to keep him in jail, the Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld reports.
Suzman this week spoke about her support for Mbuli, whose appeal against his conviction and 13-year jail sentence for robbery and possession of a hand grenade was refused by the Pretoria High Court earlier this month.
Justice Piet van der Walt and Justice Eben Jordaan have, however, granted Mbuli leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
Suzman told Beeld she had met Mbuli for the first time about three and a half years ago after his London agent asked her to visit him in prison. Since then she had visited him about once a month.
“My belief in his innocence is based on the judgement of his character that I have been able to make over the last three years. I have no other facts about his innocence or any other allegations he is making,” said Suzman.
Mbuli said earlier his detention and conviction was part of a conspiracy because he had “sensitive” information about the illegal drug activities of highly-placed politicians.
Beeld quoted Suzman as saying it “simply made no sense” that a man with a regular income like Mbuli would become involved in a bank robbery where R15000 was stolen.
“The police investigation in the case was also unbelievably bad – the judge said so himself in his judgment.”
Suzman said she would continue to visit Mbuli regularly until his appeal was heard.
“I simply try to cheer him up a little. When I am allowed to do so, I also take him reading matter. I have been visiting people in prison since 1960, so what I do for him is nothing that I have not been doing over the years.”