Namibian Correctional Service — government agency managing prisons, operating farms for inmate rehabilitation, and operating at about 30% of required staffing capacity.
Namibian Correctional Servicehas said plainly thatrehabilitation and reintegration is a shared responsibility
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“The institution's leadership has said plainly that rehabilitation and reintegration is a shared responsibility, requiring the involvement of communities, families and partners.”
Namibian Correctional ServicedefeatedCalvary Eagles Sports Club 3-1 in Round 2
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“NCS face NDF Raptors on Saturday in a clash between two in-form sides before taking on Afrocat SC-C on Sunday. NDF Raptors impressed in Round 2 with a strong comeback victory over Brutal Back Volleyball Club and will hope to continue that momentum against NCS before facing NamPower Volleyball Club on Sunday. NamPower Volleyball Club, another side that secured a 3-1 victory at Ondangwa, take on NamPol Volleyball Club on Saturday before facing NDF Raptors the following day.”
Namibian Correctional Service chess teamqualified forIntercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners
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“The Namibian Correctional Service chess team has qualified for the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners after finishing fifth at the Second Continental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners – Africa.”
The Namibian Correctional Servicehasa policy of improving offenders' education as part of rehabilitation programmes
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“The Namibian Correctional Service has a policy of improving offenders' education as part of its rehabilitation programmes, but Haiduwa "is making every move to pour cold water" on this "very positive, as well as progressive effort by her superiors", Mangota commented.”
Namibian Correctional Servicehas mandate toprovide safe custody, maintain order and security, rehabilitate offenders, and prepare them for lawful reintegration into society
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“She added that the mandate of the Namibian Correctional Service is therefore non-negotiable: to provide safe custody, to maintain order and security, to rehabilitate offenders, and to prepare them for lawful reintegration into society.”
Namibian Correctional ServicedefeatedCalvary Eagles Sports Club 3–1
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“Defending champions Namibian Correctional Service saw off Calvary Eagles Sports Club 3–1 in a controlled performance, although their opponents showed resilience throughout the contest.”
Namibian prisons are crowded and debate focuses on alternative sentencing and keeping petty offenders out, but almost no one addresses reintegration after release. People leaving correctional facilities with severed family, employment, and community ties often return to prison because it is the only institution still willing to accept them.
Why it matters
Prison reform analysis exposing lack of reintegration support reveals systemic failure driving recidivism and undermining public safety outcomes.
Namibian prisons are crowded and debate focuses on alternative sentencing and keeping petty offenders out, but almost no one addresses reintegration after release. People leaving correctional facilities with severed family, employment, and community ties often return to prison because it is the only institution still willing to accept them.
Home affairs minister Lucia Iipumbu has warned that inconsistent decision-making, weak discipline and communication failures within the security cluster are eroding public trust in Namibia's frontline services. She made the remarks during a regional ministerial staff meeting in Katima Mulilo, bringing together officials from Immigration, the Namibian Police Force and the Namibian Correctional Service to inspect border posts and ministry projects in the Zambezi region.
The MTC Volleyball National League moves to Katima Mulilo this weekend for Round 3 matches in both men's and women's divisions. Teams including Blaze Aces, defending champions Revivals, and unbeaten Unam Queens will compete at the Unam Katima Mulilo Campus.
The Namibian Correctional Service chess team qualified for the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners after placing fifth at the Second Continental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners – Africa on 12 May, with eight inmates selected to represent Namibia.
Eighteen sentenced prisoners at Windhoek Correctional Facility won a court order setting aside restrictions on their study activities. Acting judge David Mangota reversed decisions by senior correctional officers to reduce study time from six to two hours daily and to prohibit mixing between prisoners of different security classifications for educational purposes.
Opposition leaders say Cassinga Day and Workers' Day have become political mobilisation events for Swapo rather than state occasions reflecting national unity, citing concerns about the presence of the Ndilimani Cultural Troupe and the absence of national institutions at these public holidays.
Home affairs minister Lucia Iipumbu urged newly graduated correctional officers to treat inmates with dignity and warned against abuse of power at the 32nd Basic Training Graduation Ceremony, where 399 recruits graduated. The Namibian Correctional Service operates at about 30% of its required staff and faces pressure from shortages, ageing facilities, and lack of specialists.
The 32nd Basic Training Course Graduation Ceremony for Correctional Officers, Intake 1/2025, was held in Omaruru with 399 trainees graduating. Minister of Home Affairs Lucia Iipumbu emphasised the Correctional Service's mandate to provide safe custody, maintain order and security, rehabilitate offenders, and prepare them for reintegration into society while maintaining professional control without cruelty or abuse.
Defending champions Namibian Correctional Service say preparations for the 2026 MTC Netball Namibia Premier League season are progressing well. The season begins 2–4 May at Khomasdal Stadium in Windhoek, where the country's top 12 clubs will compete.
Round 2 of the MTC Volleyball National League saw Blaze Access edge NDF Phoenix 3–2 in a five-set women's match, while defending champions Revivals bounced back with a 3–1 victory. Unam Queens and NamPol Volleyball Club also secured straight-sets wins, with intensity and team spirit defining the action at Ondangwa Tennis Courts.
Namibia is making progress toward its 2030 food self-sufficiency target through green schemes and increased local crop production. The country now produces 56% of its vegetables locally worth N$323 million, while agricultural exports reached N$2 billion in 2025/26, with green schemes generating N$67.4 million from maize and wheat harvests.
Government-appointed curators tasked with seizing assets linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal face legal hurdles and institutional delays in accessing foreign properties owned by suspects, with a February 2025 court order needed to extend seizure powers abroad. The curators report ongoing obstacles including uncooperative banks, missed meetings with defendants, and slow responses from financial institutions, hampering their efforts to catalogue and recover assets valued at over N$317 million.
The Namibian Correctional Service has deepened its international engagement through partnerships with organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Corrections and Prisons Association, and achieved an 82% implementation rate of its Annual Plan in the 2025/2026 financial year, according to Commissioner-General Raphael Tuhafeni Hamunyela.
The Namibian Correctional Service Commissioner-General has inspected the maize plantation at Divundu Correctional Facility in Kavango East, which cultivates 120.7 hectares. The NCS operates farms to rehabilitate inmates, provide skills training, and reduce feeding costs through food self-sufficiency.
Lawyers have raised concerns that the fair trial rights of suspects in the murder case of late Control Prosecutor Justine Shiweda may be prejudiced, as the accused are barred from having access to telephones while incarcerated, hampering their ability to contact legal representatives. The matter was remanded to 8 April 2026 to address the issue of telephonic access and to fix a bail application date.
Landless People's Movement leader Bernadus Swartbooi has criticised the 2026/27 national budget for prioritising security sector recruitment over infrastructure development and agricultural investment, saying the government is hiring for security jobs to meet political demands because there is insufficient money for real job creation. He argued that increasing operational budgets while declining development budgets keeps the country in a cycle of poverty and unemployment, and that rural development through agriculture should be non-negotiable.
The Commissioner-General of the Namibian Correctional Service visited Katima Mulilo Correctional Facility to assess progress on seven centre-pivot irrigation systems being installed on farmland in the Zambezi Region, with completion targeted for end of March or early April. He urged staff at the facility to prioritize teamwork and collaboration for organizational success.
The Namibian government has donated agricultural machinery and 200 mango trees to the Namibian Correctional Service in Katima Mulilo to develop a 1,000-hectare farm. The project aims to enhance food security, rehabilitate offenders through agricultural training, and mitigate climate change while reducing dependency on rainwater through irrigation.
Finance minister Ericah Shafudah unveiled an operational budget of N$81.3 billion for the 2026/27 financial year, with 61.7% of spending directed to the social sector including education, health, and civil service salary increases. The government projects revenue of N$89.8 billion and targets a budget deficit of 5.5% of GDP, down from current levels as part of its fiscal consolidation strategy.
The Namibian Correctional Service is attempting to relocate the four Fishrot-accused inmates from single cells to communal cells at Windhoek Correctional Facility, citing security and operational concerns. The move comes after a High Court judge recently ruled that a similar relocation was unlawful because the accused were not given a fair hearing, and the accused have warned they will return to court if the new notice proceeds.
The Commissioner-General of the Namibian Correctional Service said the Service's work encompasses transformation and rehabilitation, not just punishment. He highlighted the 2008 implementation of the Offender Risk Management Correctional Strategy as evidence-based and central to the NCS's mission.
The Inspector General of the Namibian Police led an evening patrol in Katima Mulilo as part of a coordinated security operation aimed at strengthening safety and immigration control in the Zambezi Region. The operation, involving multiple agencies, targeted crime hotspots including licensed bars and focused on compliance with licensing regulations and public order.
Police regional commanders have rejected calls from HIV-AIDS activists to distribute condoms in police holding cells and prisons, where 24 cases of sodomy or rape involving inmates have been recorded since 2023/24, saying such provision would only encourage further offences. Health advocates and civil society organisations counter that condom access is a harm reduction and public health measure, noting that sexual violence occurs in detention facilities and that denying preventive tools does not stop such activity but only increases disease transmission.
A Windhoek High Court judge has overturned a decision to move four Fishrot defendants from their designated section of Windhoek Correctional Facility, ruling that prison authorities failed to give them a hearing or explain the reasons for the move. The judge affirmed that the accused, who are presumed innocent, have the right to be heard before adverse decisions affecting them are made.
Namibia's immigration ministry dismissed claims that the visa-on-arrival portal is privately operated by an Indian national, stating the system is government property controlled by an in-house team. The ministry confirmed the portal generated over N$413 million in revenue from visas issued between March 2025 and January 2026.
The Namibian Correctional Service held a four-day workshop to review its organisational structure, which has been in place since April 2020. The review aims to clarify roles, reduce duplication and bureaucracy, and improve coordination between key functions including security, rehabilitation, and human resources.
Moffat Hapulile, 30, has successfully completed three months of training and become one of the first two people with dwarfism accepted into the Namibian Correctional Service as a correctional officer. Despite facing mockery and bullying, Hapulile says he remained focused on his goals and was treated equally throughout the training programme at Omaruru, which he describes as one of his greatest achievements.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has deepened its partnership with the Namibian Correctional Service to rehabilitate inmates through spiritual guidance, counselling, and religious instruction, with the NCS commissioner noting that faith-based engagement has helped create calmer correctional environments and improved inmate behaviour. The partnership also includes training correctional officers in counselling, behaviour control, and leadership, while emphasising the importance of community support for former offenders to prevent reoffending.
Namibia's correctional service and police rely on sex-based housing classifications for detainees, with no specific law or publicly available policy addressing how transgender individuals should be accommodated. Human rights activists warn that LGBTQ+ detainees face discrimination and heightened risks of abuse, and call for comprehensive intake assessments, gender-affirming care, staff training, and confidentiality protections.
Home Affairs Minister Lucia Iipumbu inaugurated a clinic at the Kaoko-Otavi Correctional Facility in Kunene Region, which aligns with international standards requiring prisoners to access free healthcare at community standards. The clinic, built at a cost of N$1.78 million and staffed by three nurses, will also serve the surrounding community and help prevent disease outbreaks and security risks related to untreated illness.