Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Namibia currently houses 359 foreign nationals in correctional facilities across the country, according to statistics provided by the Namibian Correctional Services (NCS).
NCS head of public and media relations, deputy commissioner John Kambimbi, said a total of 352 inmates are males and seven females.
“Crimes committed include murder, attempted murder, immigration offences, rape, robbery, stock theft, fraud, illegal possession of firearms, kidnapping, housebreaking, illegal hunting, and possession of drugs,” he said.
Zambia has the highest number of inmates at 124, followed by Angola with 192 inmates.
The inmates are from the United States of America (2), Angola (192), Brazil (1), Botswana (1), Burundi (1), Cameroon (1), China (4), Congo (5), Germany (1), Kenya (1), Mozambique (1), Nauru (1), Pakistan (1), South Africa (13), Swaziland (1), Tanzania (2), Zambia (124), and Zimbabwe (8).
“The longest sentence currently being served by a foreign inmate is 35 years imprisonment for five counts of Kidnapping and four counts of rape. Meanwhile, the shortest sentence is three months for theft,” he said.
He also revealed that the inmates are spread across different correctional service institutions in Namibia, based on their security classifications.
Regarding the fate of these inmates post-release, Kambimbi said those convicted of immigration offences are deported back to their countries.
He further explained that inmates whose legal stay in Namibia has expired and lack valid passports upon release are also deported and those with valid documentation are released into Namibia.
Last year in April, Namibia and Zambia exchanged inmates as part of resolutions of the 23rd session of the Namibia/Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security.
Kambimbi said Namibia has similar agreements with Angola, Botswana, and the Russian Federation which are yet to be fully implemented.
