743 convicts in jail for rape

A TOTAL of 743 inmates in Namibia’s prisons are currently being detained for rape, while 873 are behind bars for murder.This is out of a prison population of 4 087 – 3 969 men and 118 women.

Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) spokesperson Sam Shaalulange says prison cells often accommodate more than seven inmates at a time.

Each inmate has their own bed, blanket and mattress.

“They have to get used to the living conditions in cells, and they cope differently. There are those who adapt faster and those who take time to get used to the environment,” Shaalulange says.

He says inmates are detained at facilities at Oluno, Divundu, Evaristus Shikongo, Hardap, Swakopmund and Omaruru.

The Windhoek Correctional Facility has the highest number of inmates, with 893, and the Omaruru Correctional Facility has the fewest inmates, with 58, he says. Apart from the convicted rapists and murderers, 152 people are in prison for dealing in drugs, while 212 are detained for being found in possession of drugs.

He says 373 inmates have been imprisoned due to theft and three due to corruption.

The commissioner says 362 foreign nationals are currently incarcerated in Namibian prisons, of which two are American nationals, 151 are Angolans, five Batswana, four Chinese, eight Congolese, two Germans, one Kenyan, one Malawian, one Mosotho, and one is Mozambican.

There are also one Nepalese national, one Pakistani, 15 South Africans, three Swazis, five Tanzanians, 137 Zambians, and 12 Zimbabweans.

Shaalulange says the Oluno Correctional Facility, which was designed to accommodate 569 inmates, has a population of 588 people.

“Oluno Correctional Facility caters for parts of the Oshikoto and Kunene regions, and for the Oshana, Omusati and Ohangwena regions,” Shaalulange says.

He says the Oluno Correctional Facility occasionally fills up, depending on the number of offenders sentenced at a particular time.

Shaalulange says the total capacity of the NCS is 5 424.

This means a total of 1 337 spaces are still available in Namibia’s correctional facilities.

“We are not overcrowded at all. We do not want this number to increase, but to reduce,” he says.

Shaalulange says four juveniles are currently detained at correctional facilities.

He says children fall under the management of the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, social workers, and sometimes their parents.

He says the ministry enrols juvenile inmates into special programmes.

Shaalulange says the NCS has different facilities of which some are new and others were built before independence.

Shaalulange says they have rehabilitated most of the facilities.

“We inherited some of the facilities after independence, and they were not built for rehabilitation. We have rebuilt them to accommodate all inmates. Some are very old and dilapidated, and the budget we get is for minor renovations only,” he says.

Shaalulange says even though some facilities are old, they are not in a poor condition.

He says other countries are currently visiting Namibia’s correctional facilities to see how things are done.

“We only have a few problems, like running out of toiletries and cleaning materials. That brings us some trouble, but does not last long. We are doing fairly fine.

“We also have a problem with mattresses for inmates. Some are old and due to a budget cut, we cannot buy a lot,” Shaalulange says.

He says among the 4 087 individuals currently in Namibian correctional facilities, 3 969 are men and 118 women.

The NCS last year spent N$13,8 million on food.

“However, it must be noted that the NCS is also producing its own food. Farming activities are performed by inmates under the guidance of skilled correctional officers,” Shaalulange says.

Food is mainly produced at the Divundu, Hardap, Evaristus Shikongo (Tsumeb), Omaruru, Swakopmund and Oluno correctional facilities, he says.