Katlego Maboe’s Ex Monique Muller Opens Up About Life Behind Bars After Nearly 3 Weeks in Pollsmoor

• Monique Muller, baby mama of TV personality Katlego Maboe, spent nearly three weeks at Pollsmoor Prison on firearm charges
• The activist alleged cells housed up to 90 women with access to only one toilet and one shower with little running water
• The Department of Correctional Services hit back, calling her allegations completely fallacious

Monique Muller, the activist and baby mama of TV presenter Katlego Maboe, has broken her silence about the conditions she allegedly endured at Pollsmoor Prison, describing a system she believes strips detainees of their basic dignity. Her account follows nearly three weeks in custody after firearm charges against her were ultimately dropped.

Muller was arrested on 19 October 2025 after police stopped a vehicle she was travelling in alongside five other people. She maintained that she had no knowledge of a firearm that one of the male passengers allegedly slipped underneath a seat. After spending a weekend in police cells, she was transferred to Pollsmoor, where she remained from 21 October to 4 November before the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew the charges, citing no reasonable prospects of a successful conviction. The cases against her five co-accused were struck off the roll.

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Monique Muller opens up about life inside prison

Speaking to News24, the mother of one described conditions she said left her feeling completely helpless. She claimed cells were severely overcrowded, with close to 90 women sharing a single toilet and one shower that frequently had no running water. She also alleged that used sanitary products were left in open bags near toilets, that drinking water at times appeared brown, and that dinner routinely consisted of eight slices of dry bread per detainee.

A fellow detainee corroborated parts of her account, telling News24 that some cells held more than 60 women and that a lice infestation was among the additional problems she witnessed.

Muller further alleged that she was never granted a phone call despite repeatedly requesting one, and that access to outdoor time was severely restricted. She also described witnessing violence among inmates and claimed a woman who injured her wrist in a fall from a bunk bed waited several days before receiving any medical attention.

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"Everything you think is your human rights, the way the system is supposed to work, it doesn't work that way," Muller said.

Department of Correctional Services responds

The Department of Correctional Services strongly disputed her version of events. National spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo labelled the allegations "completely fallacious" and expressed particular concern over claims that inmates had died after being denied medical care.

"While the department respects an individual's right to recount their personal experience, it is disingenuous to make sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations that cast aspersions on the integrity of the department and its officials," Nxumalo said.

He added that deaths inside correctional facilities follow formal reporting and investigation processes, and stated:

"At no point did the department experience deaths in the manner described."

Muller's lawyer, Ahmad Adams of Hendricks Harmse Attorneys, confirmed that the defence had submitted representations ahead of the State's decision to withdraw the case. Now free, Muller said she intends to channel the ordeal into advocacy for prison reform, arguing that detention should never come at the cost of a person's fundamental rights.

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"I can't do the activism work that I do with this cloud hanging over my head," she said.

Monique Muller returns to social media after arrest

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Monique Muller broke her silence after her alleged arrest in October 2025.

South Africans previously took to social media to comment on the social media influencer's arrest.

Source: Briefly News